Murray Anderson to step away from the sideline at Holtville, for now

Anderson leaves behind nine strong seasons at the helm that launched Vikings to CIF Division I

HOLTVILLE, Calif., (KYMA, KECY) - From a very young age, the game of basketball became second-nature to Murray Anderson - all while the gym at Holtville High school acted as a second home.

It was a passion that was passed down to him first-hand that turned into a commitment to "all things hoops" - leading to a nine-year tenure on the sideline as the girls basketball head coach.

But at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, Anderson decided it was time to step away from the game for the time being and shift his commitment to the game in a different way. A commitment to his daughter as she pursues her basketball life.

Fittingly, family became the common denominator, which has come full circle, two generations later.

"It probably all started back in the late 1970's. My mom was one of the first coaches of Holtville girls basketball. She was the first female athletic director at Holtville High School," said Anderson. "So I grew up in that gym in Holtville. I didn't go home after school. I went to the gym after school."

So as basketball took a hold of his life through his mother's example, Murray was able to continue that legacy later on by becoming the head coach in the town he grew up in - in the same gym he grew up in.

All the while, he had another special person that would gain that same basketball perspective as a young girl: his daughter Orian.

Murray even had the pleasure of coaching Orian for four years once she was old enough to take the floor on varsity. As one can imagine, four very eventful years with the balance of being a coach and father duo.

"It was a thorough enjoyment for me to coach her for those four years," said Anderson with a smile. "Sometimes we had our disagreements, of course. But we kind of made an agreement that freshman year that as we got home from practice, we would leave it in the car or leave it on the doorstep and it wouldn't come in the house."

Fast forward to the 2022-23 season and Orian was no longer on his roster. That was an adjustment in itself, along with the adjustment of his program moving up to CIF Division I.

In the meantime, Orian was doing her thing on the basketball court right down the road at Imperial Valley College - but Murray only got to see roughly five of her games due to the commitment at Holtville.

"You kind of feel like a bad parent. You don't get to go see your kid play after watching her play since she was seven-years-old," said Anderson. "So I said to myself 'I'm going to stop coaching this year and I'm going to commit to her next year.'"

All in the hopes of seeing her play more ball at a different level in the future.

"She wants to pursue it to the next level, whether that be an NAIA or Division II or III," added Anderson. "So if she has that opportunity, I want to have the freedom where I can go watch her play at that level, as well."

This being a clear notion of the importance that family and the relationship with his daughter mean to him, even if it means letting go of coaching for a while.

Even before Orian took the floor for him, it was the quality and character of girls that Anderson encountered on his teams that he was drawn to. It was especially in the first few seasons that made him fall in love with coaching even more.

"When I took over in 2014, I didn't know what to expect. But luckily, I got a group of girls that first year who were thirsty, were hungry for success and would run through a brick wall for me if I asked them," said Anderson. "That kind of made me inspired. I was like 'I get girls like this? This is awesome.'"

Despite that drive and program mentality of always outworking their opponent, there was always something that got in the way of Anderson's program though.

"I was never left in a Division long enough to get to that championship game," said Anderson. "As soon as we would get to a semifinal, 'boom you're gone. You're moving up the next year.'"

It's a sentiment he and many other schools and administrations have run into countless times without being able to hang a banner.

"Give the little guy, especially the public school little guy, a few years in each Division before you start throwing them up. Give them a chance to win that banner. That's the bone I have to pick with that system," added Anderson. "It was truly an honor to be recognized and move from Division Five all the way up to Division One. Thank you CIF, I guess, for thinking highly of me and this program, but I'd really like to put a banner up in the gym and be remembered."

While it would be nice for Murray to see that banner go up with his name alongside his team, he will now take a back seat - which is something he has no problem doing right now. In fact, he's very confident that the program will be in good hands.

So when Murray says retirement, there's a follow-up question that comes with it. Is it a permanent retirement? Some might say it's just a little hiatus.

"If Tom Brady can un-retire and come back, then I can un-retire and come back," Anderson said laughing. "But seriously, for at least the next three years I want to commit to her (Orian) as long as she's playing and give her my attention and be able to go watch her play wherever she's at. It'd be nice to step away for a few years, kind of catch my breath and then jump back into it and get at it again."

As for a timeline on any potential return, it was a quick and simple answer.

"We'll see what happens in three years."