Former MSSU player: Murphy was tough, but never abusive

Former Missouri Southern State University basketball standout Lacey Messick, who played for three state championship teams while attending Marshfield High School, disputes the notion that her former coach, Gary Murphy, who was fired Monday night, was too strict with his players.

“Mentally, physically and emotionally, Coach Murphy pushed me to my limits on a daily basis. But he was never abusive in any way,” Messick wrote in a letter published March 14. “Did he yell? Sure he did. Did he give me the ‘stink eye?’ On numerous occasions. Did I run so much in practice I thought my legs might fall off? Absolutely. But Gary Murphy had a huge part in shaping me into the educated, hard working, independent, goal-oriented, successful woman I am today.”