The question remains: Will Murphy leave the Irish?
Kathleen O'Brien
Associate Sports Editor
The question came within minutes of Notre Dame's season-ending loss to Ole Miss in the NCAA Tournament. Would Troy Murphy stick around for his senior season?
The question was repeated within minutes after every game of Notre Dame's season.
"Are you planning to play for the Irish for four full years, Troy?"
The question was asked at every press conference, beginning within minutes of Murphy's April 2000 announcement to stay at Notre Dame for his junior year.
"Have you thought about next year, Troy? Are you going to enter the NBA draft?"
Fans chipped in their reasons why Murphy should stay, chanting "One more year" at Notre Dame's final home game against George-town. Opponents gave Murphy motivation to leave, with players double-teaming him, crowds harassing him and opposing coaches begging for him to go pro.
Murphy must have felt like his CD player was stuck on repeat, with the question of whether he would stay in college the only audible words. Yet the two-time All-American never wavered in his answer to the incessant grilling, always responding that he would sit down and weigh his options once the season ended.
"It's something I'll look at after the season," Murphy said March 6 in New York, the day he accepted a second straight award as Big East Player of the Year.
Now that the season's over, the question keeps coming, but a little more urgency awaits the answer, as Murphy has until May 13 to declare for the NBA Draft.
Stay or go? A good lawyer, or even an ambulance-chaser, could make a strong case either way.
On the go side?
Millions of dollars. Privacy, a luxury Murphy doesn't enjoy beneath the Notre Dame bubble. Freedom from the sky-high expectations of Irish fans. The chance to fulfill his dream of playing in the NBA. The been-there, done-that factor — that Murphy has little left to accomplish on an individual level in college.
"For him, it's more than a basketball decision," Irish coach Mike Brey said Sunday. "If it was just a basketball decision, he would have told you today he's gone."
In his three years, Murphy led Notre Dame from a team with no tournament to go to in 1999 to NIT runners-up in 2000 to Big East division champions and one shot from the Sweet 16 in 2001. Team success, including getting Notre Dame back into the NCAA Tourney for the first time since 1990, was a big part of Murphy's decision to stay a season ago.
"We had a nice run in the NIT last year," Murphy said, "but I didn't think I would be able to consider my college career a success unless we made a run in the NCAAs."
Now that he's taken the Irish to March Madness, will he be as motivated to stick around the college scene? Especially when he can play on a higher level, and get paid for it.
As one of the premiere players in college basketball, the 6-foot-11 Murphy is a bull's eye for double-teams every time he steps on the court. With tougher NBA competition, he won't be the focus of other teams' defenses, and while it's a tough jump to make, he's got to do it sometime.
On the days Murphy finishes below his average of 22 points and nine rebounds, he's considered to be in a slump.
It was like that in Notre Dame's first round NCAA tournament game against Xavier. Although teammates Matt Carroll and David Graves went a combined 16-for-18 from the field, Murphy put up 19 points and the Irish won by a dozen, headlines in the New York Times still read "Murphy Stone-Cold." He'll face less public scrutiny in the NBA.
On the stay side?
Earning a college degree. Finally getting two seasons beneath the same coach. Finishing out a four-year career with his close friends and Irish teammates, while potentially carrying Notre Dame to the Sweet 16 or even the Final Four. Becoming the leading scorer in Notre Dame history and one of a select few players to earn All-American honors three times in their careers.
Murphy tasted March Madness this year, but maybe he'd like to get a better feel for it by playing until the end of March next year. While just going to the Tourney was special, a trip to the Final Four would be unforgettable. With Murphy back, high school All-American Chris Thomas filling in for graduated senior point guard Martin Ingelsby and a deeper bench, the Irish would have a legitimate shot at getting there.
Might be nice to be remembered as the guy who made it possible for the Irish.
"This guy, we're going to ask him to recruit when he's here and after he leaves here," Brey said prior to the Big East Tournament. "He's our poster boy. He's the guy who got us back in the NCAA Tournament. He's the guy who put us back on the college basketball radar screen. He's been what it's all about, the turnaround."
Beyond Murphy's personal pros and cons about staying in school are considerations of what other top undergraduates or high school prospects plan to leap to the NBA, combined with experts' predictions on Murphy's draft potential.
John Thompson of NBADraftReport.com has Murphy rated as the fifth-best power forward at the college level. George Rodecker of CBSSportsline.com considers Murphy the player with the second-most pro potential at any position.
Those projections rise and fall as underclassmen announce their intentions. NBA teams tend to value future potential nearly as highly as proven worth, and the younger the player, the more room for improvement. Height is another favorite among teams looking to draft players.
"This young man has a heck of a business decision to make," Brey said.
On the down side for Murphy is a slow finish to his season. He scored just eight points in Notre Dame's Big East Tournament loss to Pittsburgh, and shot a combined 10-of-33 in the NCAA Tournament. On the up side, he's a proven commodity, having scored in single digits just twice in his college career.
Seniors who might well be selected higher than Murphy include North Carolina's Brendan Haywood and Arizona's Loren Woods, both 7-0 or taller, Shane Battier of Duke and Iowa State point guard Jamaal Tinsley. Then there are the unknowns —foreigners like 7-6 Yao Ming of China and underclassmen considering the draft such as board-crashing freshman Eddie Griffin of Seton Hall and All-American point guard Joe Forte of North Carolina.
That's not even mentioning the wave of high school seniors leaning towards the draft —6-11 Eddie Curry, 7-footer DeSagana Diop and California native Tyson Chandler, who at 7-0, declared Wednesday his plans to go pro.
Plus there's history to consider.
Of the top 10 lottery selections in 2000, only No. 1 pick Kenyon Martin of Cincinnati spent four years at the college level. Martin's been the most successful in his rookie season, scoring 12 points and pulling down eight rebounds per game. Mateen Cleaves and Mo Peterson both stayed at Michigan State through their senior seasons, just long enough to win a National Championship, and both are getting substantial playing time in their first pro seasons.
While everyone knows the success stories of Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett, both of whom were NBA players before turning 21, that's not always how it goes. Some of the early exits from college have been busts. No. 9 selection, 7-0 Joel Przybilla, who left Minnesota after his sophomore season, is scoring less than a point per game.
Murphy plans to look at his options with his parents, Brey and his former AAU coach Tony Sagona, but ultimately, the decision is his.
"We've got to recognize that this could be it for this young man," Brey said. "If he decides not to come back, I'll be the first to congratulate him."
The opinions expressed in this coolumn are those of the author and note necessarily those of the Observer.
All Sports Stories for Thursday, March 22, 2001
