By Jennifer Gustavson

| Special to The Tribune

Junior point guard Justin Adams knows something about success. He and the Murray boys basketball team also know what it’s like to fall short of expectations.

Last season, led by Division I recruit David Collette, the Spartans earned an 18-3 regular-season record and a spot in the Class 5A semifinals — their best showing in over a decade.

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But what a difference a year can make.

"It’s tough," said Adams, speaking of the Spartans’ 8-12 record. "We’ve always been competitive. It’s just what’s expected of the Murray basketball program."

The expectation and talent were there again this year. But instead of building on their record-breaking success, the Spartans will miss their first postseason in seven years.

"The guys feel bad about it," coach Jason Workman said. "We feel like we missed an opportunity here."

Of course, the loss of Collette, who now plays at Utah State, left a hole in the Spartan lineup. Still, Murray had talent. Even more so, the Spartans had size, with seven players eclipsing the 6-foot-3 mark. Those Spartan towers, led by 6-foot-10 junior center Nathan Aland, created a formidable defensive zone under the basket. Offensively, however, Murray relied heavily on the outside shot.

On most nights, it wasn’t enough.

"We lived or died by that," Adams said. "It kept us close, but ultimately we should have been driving in and drawing fouls."

As a result, the post-Collette Spartans struggled to finish games, imploding down the stretch to lose close game after close game. Murray held fourth-quarter leads in six of its nine region contests. Of those, the Spartans notched a victory in only two games.

In late January, with a chance to gain some ground in region play, the Spartans squandered an 8-point lead with 1:50 to play and eventually fell to Olympus 54-51 in overtime.

"They were typically really drastic breakdowns," Workman said. "It doesn’t feel like we should be out of the tournament, but that’s how it goes. We just didn’t close out games."

Still, the Spartans never lost hope in securing that final Region 7 playoff spot.

Even after four consecutive late regular-season losses, the Spartans still had an unlikely chance to squeak into the playoffs. Orhan Agovic stepped in to fill Collette’s giant shoes, averaging 14.5 points a game, including 15 in Murray’s hard-fought victory over Westlake.

"We always had hope," Adams said. "If you’re any type of competitor, you go out every night, no matter what, and try to win games."

But all is not lost.

Next season, Murray will return 13 varsity juniors and its big post presence in Aland. According to Adams, the Spartans will continue to rely on talented shooters.