When the Holy Spirit High School girls basketball program needed a lifeline, Kira Murray answered the call.
The traditionally successful program was coming off a rare 6-19 season in 2019. There was a coaching change, only nine players and a wide-eyed freshman ready to help. Murray entered the starting lineup and immediately went to work.
“We started off with barely any wins in the season, and now we’re up there with the [Cape Atlantic League] teams,” said Murray, who is now a senior. “It’s very exciting to be part of that.”
Although it took a season to get back on the right side of the ledger in terms of a winning record, Murray helped rescue the proud program that has risen to contention in South Jersey over the last four years. But big saves are nothing new to the senior basketball guard, who spends her summers as a lifeguard on the Ventnor City Beach Patrol.
“We make saves almost every day,” Murray said, explaining that many are youngsters getting “stuck out there on boogie boards. It’s a very rewarding experience to make everyone safe and feel safe on the beach. The water can always be dangerous.”
Her value has no limits on the basketball court, too. Murray has the ability to score, as she contributed more than 200 points last year as a junior. But her leadership and intangibles make her one of the most respected players on the squad by both her teammates and the coaching staff. And it was instantly noticed three years ago.
“It was year one of my coaching here,” Holy Spirit coach Tim Whitworth recalled of the 2019-20 season. “We put a heavy load on her shoulders and she was our second leading scorer as a freshman, so she’s been there through thick and thin with this program. I think it’s a lot of fun for her to see the success of where we were then as compared to where we are now.”
The Spartans went 10-4 in a pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season and followed up with a 14-10 season last year. They won five of their first six contests this season heading into 2023.
Whitworth also deserves a bulk of the credit for getting the Spartans back on their feet. The Drexel University grad scored more than 1,000 points in college before playing 11 years professionally in Europe. Aside from coaching the Spartans, he is the creator and director of Shore Shooters Academy and is active in the Healthy Hoops program, which teaches players how to manage their asthma and weight through appropriate use of medication, diet and exercise.
Whitworth has a knowledgeable basketball mind, but he had an easier transition to high school coaching thanks to Murray, who is his only senior starter this season.
“We’re going to miss her a ton when she’s out of here; [she’s] just a phenomenal person,” Whitworth said. “She’s a four-year starter who gives everything she has on a daily basis.”
And the effort doesn’t end there. Murray, a Northfield resident, also plays field hockey and lacrosse at Holy Spirit, while taking part in the Spirit Committee, Newspaper Club and as a Spartan Ambassador. It doesn’t leave much time for sleep.
“It’s time management, I guess,” Murray said. “I come home from practice and get the homework done and try to get as much rest as possible for the next day. But I love it. I love having a busy schedule. I can’t just sit around.”
Both Murray’s parents were Holy Spirit graduates, and her father was a rower on the crew team. It’s the one thing that didn’t stick during her high school experience, despite a little prodding from her dad. “He did [try to get me to row],” she said with a laugh. “I tried it my freshman year, and it wasn’t for me.”
Murray learned basketball was her game, and she has plenty of support. Her teammates share the same enthusiasm for building the Holy Spirit program back to prominence.
“I always knew things would get better,” Murray said. “We get people here [at the school] who have such an intense energy that love to be a part of a growing process. It’s been really cool to have teammates along the way that keep you going.”
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