Alex Murphy to Florida

[vick]

Story here:

Alex Murphy has made the decision to transfer from Duke, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to The Chronicle.

Murphy, a redshirt sophomore, will transfer at the end of the semester. The Blue Devils do not play again until Dec. 16 against Gardner-Webb after the conclusion of the Fall semester. Finals begin Tuesday Dec. 10 and finish Sunday Dec. 15, after which an announcement would be likely.

[slower]

Story here:

Not too surprising. Kid wants to play.

[conmanlhughes]

not really surprised by that. wish him the best of luck though! I never thought he was really comfortable at Duke. it however does open up another scholarship for next season, which would allow Myles turner to come to Duke without definitely having to lose parker or hood (even though them declaring is most likely to happen)

[GGLC]

Sorry to see him go.

[1999ballboy]

I am normally quite against people bending the transfer rule, but it is a bummer that he has come to this decision after already sitting a year out. I hope he can appeal for another year of eligibility starting after his 5-year period ends. If not, he will only have 1.5 years of eligibility wherever he goes.

[OldPhiKap]

Hope the story is not true, but best of luck to a good kid if he does indeed go.

[mr. synellinden]

I just went back and read the Alex Murphy to Duke thread and found this post:


Jabari Parker

Another reason Murphy's coming a year early may be a good thing for Duke is that it may be easier to convince a guy like Jabari Parker (class of '13), who will play the same position as Murphy, that there will be room for him, particularly if it looks as though Murphy will be a 2-or-3-and-done player.

I just thought it was interesting.

[ChillinDuke]

I just went back and read the Alex Murphy to Duke thread and found this post:


Jabari Parker

Another reason Murphy's coming a year early may be a good thing for Duke is that it may be easier to convince a guy like Jabari Parker (class of '13), who will play the same position as Murphy, that there will be room for him, particularly if it looks as though Murphy will be a 2-or-3-and-done player.

I just thought it was interesting.

Interesting in what way? If you mean interesting in how it further evidences the unreasonable expectations that many place on our incoming players, then yes I completely agree.

- Chillin

[Indoor66]

I just went back and read the Alex Murphy to Duke thread and found this post:


Jabari Parker

Another reason Murphy's coming a year early may be a good thing for Duke is that it may be easier to convince a guy like Jabari Parker (class of '13), who will play the same position as Murphy, that there will be room for him, particularly if it looks as though Murphy will be a 2-or-3-and-done player.

I just thought it was interesting.

What do you find interesting about this?

[aro24]

I'm not surprised and I don't blame him. And I have a feeling he will not be the last one to transfer out of the guys that are on this years roster.

[vick]

Interesting in what way? If you mean interesting in how it further evidences the unreasonable expectations that many place on our incoming players, then yes I completely agree.

- Chillin

Not to speak for anyone else, but I've found it interesting to go back to threads when we lose a recruit or have someone transfer to see what people thought then versus how things actually turned our three or four years later. The Taylor King thread is particularly...well, let's just say it didn't turn out that losing him meant that UCLA was now the premier program in the country.

On topic, I like Alex, but as a basketball move, I'm not sure I can really fault him based on who we have now and who is coming in.

[Merlindevildog91]

I am sorry to see this.

When he was a freshman, I met him at a tailgate, and his eyes lit up when he talked about how excited he was to get to play in Cameron. He even raised his arm and showed us that the hair on his arms was standing up, just talking about it.

It's sad when a dream doesn't work out the way we hope. All the best to him.

[bob blue devil]

I just went back and read the Alex Murphy to Duke thread and found this post:


Jabari Parker

Another reason Murphy's coming a year early may be a good thing for Duke is that it may be easier to convince a guy like Jabari Parker (class of '13), who will play the same position as Murphy, that there will be room for him, particularly if it looks as though Murphy will be a 2-or-3-and-done player.

I just thought it was interesting.

This is interesting - I'm not sure why it merits the 3rd degree. It demonstrates how misguided fan expectations can be - to the level of being absurd with hindsight.

It's sad things haven't worked out better for Alex at Duke and I wish him the best. I have no reason to believe he was anything but a selfless teammate and good representative of the school. I would not be surprised to see him flourish in an environment where he has greater security in his PT. Hopefully, his time at Duke has been productive for him despite his lack of game time.

[azzefkram]

Can't say I'm surprised if this is true. Seemed like a really good kid. I hope things work out for him.

[Bluedog]

It's just unfortunate that Alex already used a redshirt year and then is transferring on top it, so only will get to play 3 years of basketball in college. Unfortunate, but I can understand it - I think he could definitely contribute to a program with the right fit. But, hey, in 2009-10 we had a midyear transfer and that season turned out pretty well! Those are actually the only two mid-year transfers I can remember us having...have there been others? We were in a similar spot that year too, sitting at #7 mid-season, and still looking to truly find our identity.

[vick]

It's just unfortunate that Alex already used a redshirt year and then is transferring on top it, so only will get to play 3 years of basketball in college. Unfortunate, but I can understand it - I think he could definitely contribute to a program with the right fit. But, hey, in 2009-10 we had a midyear transfer and that season turned out pretty well! Those are actually the only two mid-year transfers I can remember us having...have there been others? We were in a similar spot that year too, sitting at #7 mid-season, and still looking to truly find our identity.

Michael Thompson was a mid-year transfer in 2004 I believe. Obviously he wasn't going to play much, although who's to say whether his five fouls might have made the difference against UConn that year.

[duke09hms]

This doesn't really make sense and might end up hurting Duke moving forward (my main concern). If Parker and Hood go pro after this year, there should be plenty of playing time at the forward position. His main competition would be Jones/Sheed/incoming Justise. Those three other guys are SGs and will spend some time at the 2.

The only way this could be harmless for Duke is if Rasheed and Matt are thoroughly outplaying him and Justise is definitively better coming in (always hard to know for sure). I hope that's the case, but it seems like we could use his height at the 3 to counteract our likely small lineup of Tyus and Quinn starting.

[CDu]

Definitely unfortunate if true. But if playing time was what he was looking for, then a transfer probably makes the most sense. With Jefferson establishing himself as the likely PF next year, with Ojeleye competing for the same role, and with Winslow a top-10 recruit on the way, it doesn't look like playing time will be readily available until his senior year.

For all those who chastise folks for discussing the possibility of a player transferring, this is just the nature of the beast. At Duke, if you aren't a top-25 recruit, there's a real chance you won't find playing time. It does sometimes happen (see Thornton, Melchionni). But when the recruiting picks up steam (as it has done over the past couple of years), there are going to be some guys left in the wake.

I'd love it if upper-tier guys were okay with coming to Duke and staying 4 years in a reserve capacity. But that life is not for everyone. I certainly can't begrudge Murphy for wanting to get to play.

[wsb3]

I can't tell you why this one bothers me so much but it does. Maybe because I always heard how happy he was at Duke.

Maybe it was the summer after his redshirt year hearing how he could be a 4 year starter. One thing I have learned. Pay very little attention to summer talk.

Best wishes Alex and I don't care that this opens up another scholarship. I hate to see you go.

[Mike Corey]

Alex is, by all accounts, a terrific young student-athlete. Here's to hoping he lands on his feet and gets everything out of basketball he has long hoped for.