Murphy sets standards, wins Big East player of year
By KATHLEEN O'BRIEN
Assistant Sports Editor
NEW YORK
Sophomore power forward Troy Murphy set a new standard for Big East excellence this season, becoming the first player ever to lead the league in both scoring and rebounding.
The conference rewarded him for his efforts Tuesday, honoring Murphy with an award for Big East Player of the Year prior to today's opening of the Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden.
Murphy gratefully accepted the award, but then did something that really showed his character: He passed on the accolades, sharing his accomplishment with first-year Notre Dame head coach Matt Doherty and the rest of the Irish squad.
"I couldn't have done it without my teammates and coach," the 6-foot-9 Murphy said. "I've had a great time with them. It says a lot. It's hard for me to express. It's been a great year."
Doherty returned the praise.
"I wouldn't trade him for anybody," Doherty said. "He comes every day prepared to work hard. He loves the game. He wants to be really good, and he's passionate about it. I think that he's having a heck of a year."
He's right. Murphy's averaging 23 points and more rebounds per game, numbers that designate him as the only player in the nation to rank in the top 10 in both categories. With 17 double-doubles this season, Murphy has become a household name for Irish fans.
Murphy is up for consideration for honors like the Wooden Award and All-American team, possibilities that boggle his mind.
"I never expected to be considered for an honor like that [All American]," Murphy said. "It was a dream back in high school. I've played for great coaches, and all the credit goes to them."
Even Murphy's father, Jim Murphy, did not expect Troy to become so good so fast.
"Not so early," Jim Murphy said. "I thought he would hit all of this when he was a junior or senior."
Doherty attributed much of Murphy's success to his hard work.
"It's his work ethic and his talent," Doherty said. "God blessed him with size and a shooting touch and an ability to run and jump, and he's made the most of it."
Since Notre Dame hired Doherty as head coach less than a year ago, the relationship between Doherty and Murphy has gone full circle. When Doherty became head coach, Murphy was less than thrilled about the replacement of former coach John MacLeod. Now, he's Doherty's biggest fan.
"He's changed the whole attitude of the program," Murphy said. "He's taken the time to get to know me as not only just a player, but as a person. That shows a lot about the character of him as a person."
Doherty views the emotional connection as an essential part of being a coach.
"As a coach, as a parent, you dream about a connection with your children," Doherty said. "When he says those things, it's very touching because I wanted the whole experience. I don't want just the basketball experience. I want the emotional bond with my players."
Back in high school, Murphy was interested in playing for Kansas, where Doherty was an assistant coach at the time. Although Doherty did see Murphy play, Kansas never actively recruited Murphy.
"I saw him enough where I thought he was a good player," Doherty said. "You never know how good. There are kids I've recruited that I thought were going to be great players that weren't, and then kids that you didn't know, if they were going to be great players and turn out to be great players."
Two years later, Murphy has proven that he is one of the great ones. Every coach whose team has gone up against Notre Dame has struggled to find a way to defend against Murphy, usually with little success.
Even when Murphy is held to a sub-par performance, he still hurts the opponent. In Notre Dame's January loss to Rutgers, Murphy was whistled for a technical foul en route to fouling out, and only shot 5-for-16 from the field.
Yet Rutgers' coach Kevin Bannon still said, "It's not like there's an answer to stopping the guy. He's too good. He can hurt you in too many ways. The guy is a human double-double. You can't name five better guys in college basketball right now."
As Notre Dame prepares for tonight's rematch with Rutgers, Murphy hopes to prove Bannon's words right.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, March 8, 2000
