The staff of Murray Life Magazine met recently with Murray State men’s basketball coach Steve Prohm to present a print of their August cover featuring the Racers’ coach and the MSU basketball team
Publisher Bob Valentine brought the group responsible for the project to present Prohm with the print at the MSU Basketball offices in Roy Stewart Stadium.
The cover idea came about after the Racers’ tremendous 2011-12 season in which rookie Coach Prohm and a talented group of seniors went 31-2 and were in the national spotlight after being the final undefeated team in the nation. The Racers set program records for rankings and seeding in the NCAA Tournament.
The cover was a combination of photography, graphic design and painting. 2002 MSU graduate Jenny Corley (Paris, Tenn.) and 2000 grad Justin Kimbro (Murray, Ky.), teamed up to turn out a remarkable Racer work of art. Corley handled the paintings and Kimbro the graphic designing.
“In May, I was interested in doing some advertising in Murray Life when Vicki Valentine told me about an idea she had for the Prohm cover project,” Corley said. “I spent about a week on the paintings and that was a fun project to do.”
Four original photos taken by Tab Brockman (Murray, Ky.) were chosen by the MSU Athletics Media Relations department. Corley worked up paintings off of the photos including one of a wide shot of the CFSB Center on a dunk by Ivan Aska. Other photos include Coach Prohm during a timeout and one of the coach urging on his team on from the bench. The centerpiece photo was taken last spring during an NCAA Tournament press conference when the Racers were in Louisville. In the original photo, Prohm was at the podium with a team golf shirt on. Corley switched the golf shirt for a suit and tie.
Kimbro, of K-Squared Designs, took the paintings and added text to make the final work that appears on the Murray Life cover. The result is a modern design using dramatic shadow highlights and sharp edges.
For Corley and Kimbro, being part of a project that produced a lasting memory of the Murray State Racers’ greatest basketball season was a thrill.
“This is a huge honor for me to be a part of it,” Said Corley. “I was on cloud nine for a while after I knew I was going to be involved with it. But then there were some anxious times when I thought now I have to come up with something really good! I’m glad it turned out well.”
“Every time a Murray State project comes into my office I get goose bumps,” Kimbro said. “It’s fantastic to be part of a project like this as a graphic designer and as a person who loves MSU. It was a lot of fun to do something that will help us remember what a great season the Racers had.”
“I’m honored that Murray Life decided to do a cover like this,” Prohm said. “Murray is a special place and when things like this happen, you realize it all the more.”story
courtesy of sports information
