In finding a new head coach to helm the Forrest Lady Rockets, the administration turned to a seasoned vet of the game to take over the program.

Hal Murrell has been named the Lady Rockets' head coach for the upcoming school year.

For Murrell, his hiring at Forrest feels almost part of a bigger plan at play.

“This is my 28th year coaching. It's almost kind of come full circle. My first job was coaching at Cornersville in the mid-90's. It's been a while since I've coached girls basketball. I've been trying to get back into it for the last two or three years and it just didn't work out,” he said,

“God has a funny way of everything happening for a reason, so to speak. I'm really happy with where I'm at.”

Murrell has plenty of familiarity with the rich tradition of Forrest basketball with time spent at nearby area schools.

“This place is one of those always looked at when I was at other schools, whether it was at Culleoka or Columbia Central. The athletics program here has always been top-notch. It's a great community with a lot of support,” he said.

It's been a roller coaster of a week for Murrell and his team as he transitions the program into his vision for the team.

“I met the girls last Friday at 10 a.m. We had a meet and greet and then we went off to camp on Monday and Tuesday. Thank goodness for my assistants. They have been absolutely tremendous for me,” he said.

“Monday (at camp) was rough. I'm the third coach they've had in three years. I'm sure its kind of a “who is this guy yelling at me, I'm still hearing Coach Jean and Coach Bishop.” But the next day at camp was good and we've had a couple really good days at practice.”

There's no rest for the weary as the Lady Rockets have spent the rest of this week putting in work on the hardwood at various team camps.

While he's still getting to know his roster through practices and camps, Murrell has a clear vision of what he wants his team to be—a team that doesn't back down and fully embraces playing a full-court scheme.

“If I could draw it up perfectly, we're going to be a team that plays 94 feet. I want to press and try and play as fast as we possibly can, which is going to be a little opposite of what they did last year. I know they tried to slow it down a little bit,” he said.

“I think traditionally, a lot of girls teams don't want to play super fast, but I'm trying to do that. It gives the opportunity for more girls to play and it's exciting. Hopefully, conditioning by the third and fourth quarter will start making a difference in ball games.”

For now, it's all about minutes and hours spent in the gym working on fundamentals aligned with his vision for where the program goes.

“I'm really excited about how hard they're working. They're buying in and learning how hard we want to play and how fast we want to play. Right now, it doesn't matter if we win or lose. Come February, that's when it counts,” he said.

With the remainder of the summer, Murrell hopes his team continues to put in the necessary work in the gym and the weight room to prepare when the season tips off later this fall.

“We need to get stronger. We need to get in the weight room and we need to get work in on their own. The more time they can get in the gym and the more shots they can get up, the better we're going to be.

We're going to have a plan, but at the same time, I want them to have a desire to get the gym and put some work in on their own,” he said.

If the early returns are a sign of things to come, Murrell says he's excited for the growth of the team and the foundation the summer work is building toward.

“The girls are working really hard and I'm really excited about the opportunity,” he said.