Nashua South's Maya Rioux, left, and Aryanna Murray are both will be taking their basketball talents to Keene State next year. (Photo courtesy of Nashua South Girls Basketball).

NASHUA – They were both pretty keen on Keene.

And that was good news for the Nashua South High School girls basketball program.

Both program mainstays Aryanna Murray and Maya Rioux have announced their intentions to attend and play basketball at Keene State College.

It’s a nice lift for a program that made strides last season under first year coach John Bourgeois, including the Panthers’ first tournament win in quite awhile.

“It looks good for us, but those two really put in all the work,” Bourgeois said of his backcourt duo. “They’ve worked hard for four years, they’ve earned it themselves, and they’re definitely reflecting the program really well. It’s really all their credit and effort.”

Bourgeois began last summer contacting schools to see “what their interest were in a lot of our players.” He noted that the two also began looking on their own as well.

“A bunch of schools came back with interest, especially for those two,” Bourgeois said, “and a handful of kids in our program.

“Maya and Aryanna really wanted to see what Keene was like. They knew it was good basketball. They liked the campus, they had been there before.”

They both went to a Keene practice, Bourgeois said, and met with Owls coach Keith Boucher, and felt the program would be a good fit.

But they weren’t really a package deal.

“I don’t think they meant to stick together and make decisions together,” Bourgeois said, “but it kind of just turned out that way. They’re both good friends, they both love playing with each other, and they both happened to love that school.”

Bourgeois said a couple of other seniors, Julianna Martin and Iruka Obinelo, are still exploring their options – and those may not involve basketball.

Bourgeois said he feels both Rioux and Murray will do well at the next level.

“I think the first two things you have to have are passion and commitment,” he said, “and I think those two radiated those two things ever since I came over to the program. And those are hard to teach.

“So for them to have that determination and willingness to change themselves to better the program really translates to the college system. They both worked hard this off-season on their own since we couldn’t do anything (due to the pandemic). They’ll do just fine.”

Murray, Bourgeois said, “is really good at reading the floor, but more importantly her defensive skill is already up there.”

He said that Murray would often have to cover the opposition’s best player, “and in many situations she shut them down.”

Murray, as a point guard, “can push the ball, get other teammates involved.”

As for Rioux, she’s not afraid to take a big shot, winning last year’s season opener with a 3-pointer. “She shoots it with consistency,” Bourgeois said, adding in college she should help the Owls stretch the floor.

But the two players have two things that will take them a long way.

“They’re both,” Bourgeois said, “really good kids who want to learn and want to improve.”

Newsletter