Alex Murphy to Florida

[Goduke2010]

I don't see how it's an indictment at all. It's not little league. If you aren't good enough, you don't play.

I understand your point of view, and share it. But I said indictment from the transfer's perspective, not the casual fan's.

[wilko]

Best of Luck to Alex.

[Fish80]

I'm sad. Selfishly I suppose. I enjoyed watching, reading, and hoping for Alex.

I wish him the best, wherever he goes.

[Flyers52]

Best of luck to Murph. I always liked him, and wish he would've gotten his shot (but I respect K & how he runs the team - obviously). Hopefully he can get somewhere where he can get some PT & contribute & best use his athleticism.

It may be a long shot, but what about Northwestern? Who recruited him to Duke - did Collins have a role in his recruitment? That would be a great get for Collins & NU, as well as Murphy who can play within a system very similar to Duke & K's.

[dukelifer]

Best of luck to Murph. I always liked him, and wish he would've gotten his shot (but I respect K & how he runs the team - obviously). Hopefully he can get somewhere where he can get some PT & contribute & best use his athleticism.

It may be a long shot, but what about Northwestern? Who recruited him to Duke - did Collins have a role in his recruitment? That would be a great get for Collins & NU, as well as Murphy who can play within a system very similar to Duke & K's.

He will land somewhere and do fine. Duke is not the best place for all players as you may end up competing with the very best. No doubt Murphy learned a lot and will be able to take that forward. It hurts a little by not having enough bodies for practice and if there is an injury- he will be missed a lot.

[Duvall]

The best player we lost was Billy MacCaffrey, I believe, after the 1991 championship. He did very well his first year at Vandy, but not as well his second year, when opponents ganged up on him.

sage

And McCaffrey was far from "buried" at Duke.

[FireOgilvie]

Best of luck to Murph. I always liked him, and wish he would've gotten his shot (but I respect K & how he runs the team - obviously). Hopefully he can get somewhere where he can get some PT & contribute & best use his athleticism.

It may be a long shot, but what about Northwestern? Who recruited him to Duke - did Collins have a role in his recruitment? That would be a great get for Collins & NU, as well as Murphy who can play within a system very similar to Duke & K's.

That would be awesome. I would love to see him end up there and I think he'd get a lot more playing time at NU than at Florida.

[NYBri]

Best of luck to Murph. I always liked him, and wish he would've gotten his shot (but I respect K & how he runs the team - obviously). Hopefully he can get somewhere where he can get some PT & contribute & best use his athleticism.

It may be a long shot, but what about Northwestern? Who recruited him to Duke - did Collins have a role in his recruitment? That would be a great get for Collins & NU, as well as Murphy who can play within a system very similar to Duke & K's.

Interesting idea.

Odd. Just last night I was thinking about AM at Duke and wondered if he might transfer.

I wish him the best and sincerely hope he shines wherever he goes.

[mr. synellinden]

And McCaffrey was far from "buried" at Duke.

Yeah - he transferred because he believed (probably correctly) that his best chance of making the NBA was at point guard and he was never going to play point guard being in the same class as Bobby Hurley. He also had Thomas Hill ahead of him at SG. I think he went on to be first team All-SEC or even SEC player of the year.

[tommy]

My point isn't that the guy who transfers is amazing. It's that they never get off the bench to begin with. If they did become major competitors at a highly ranked program like Syracuse, then that would be an indictment of K's short bench from Duke's perspective. To your point, we don't see that by and large from those transfers, so the short bench is an indictment from the transfer's perspective.

Why does it have to be an indictment at all? Everybody knows, including recruits who look closely at the coaches and schools recruiting them, that K plays a short bench. They all look at that because they want to know what their chances of playing are right away. For most of them, they believe they're good enough to play right away, or certainly by their sophomore year. So it's not an indictment of K's short bench system. It's that the recruit, here Alex Murphy, probably misjudged his ability to earn playing time on a team that wasn't going to go deeper than 7 or 8 guys. Of course, he couldn't have foreseen a player like Justice Winslow, but again, I don't see where the word "indictment" comes from here.

From what I've heard, this is nothing but an amicable parting, and there are no hurt feelings in either direction. It sounds to me like both "sides" acknowledge that this is for the best for Alex.

Not much room for him next year, but is he that much worse than Josh this year? How much PT would have been enough to keep him on the team?

First of all, Josh Hairston is currently a starter on this team. That in itself is pretty good. And this is not a question of being "worse" than Josh. It's a question of available minutes at his position. It became obvious to Alex that the minutes just weren't going to be there given the makeup of next year's roster and the other talent at his position(s). And I don't think he's wrong in that assessment.

[vick]

Why does it have to be an indictment at all? Everybody knows, including recruits who look closely at the coaches and schools recruiting them, that K plays a short bench. They all look at that because they want to know what their chances of playing are right away. For most of them, they believe they're good enough to play right away, or certainly by their sophomore year. So it's not an indictment of K's short bench system. It's that the recruit, here Alex Murphy, probably misjudged his ability to earn playing time on a team that wasn't going to go deeper than 7 or 8 guys. Of course, he couldn't have foreseen a player like Justice Winslow, but again, I don't see where the word "indictment" comes from here.

From what I've heard, this is nothing but an amicable parting, and there are no hurt feelings in either direction. It sounds to me like both "sides" acknowledge that this is for the best for Alex.

I agree. Think about it like this: how many ordinary Duke graduates, about 22 years old, are going to stay in their first job and city after school for four years? Hardly any of my friends did that. Yet for some reason, when someone doesn't want to stick with the school decision he made when he was even younger, it's an "indictment" of something. Why isn't it just a fact of life that plans change, just as for everyone who isn't a scholarship athlete?

[Fish80]

Sage grouse, does this mean we now have 791 possible lineups? (Just a little math joke.) Is it too soon to joke?

[-jk]

And McCaffrey was far from "buried" at Duke.

True. But he had to be a PG at the next level. Yet he was stuck behind that piker, Hurley. Go figure.

Can't fault him. It's a tough world, and not everyone lands on their feet.

-jk

[sagegrouse]

Sage grouse, does this mean we now have 791 possible lineups? (Just a little math joke.) Is it too soon to joke?

More like 462, but you get the point. --sage

[wallyman]

Really rooted for Alex and wish him only the best. He seems like a great kid. Hate to see him go, but I'm sure he made a smart, informed decision and will do well wherever he lands.

[weezie]

Best of luck to Alex! Hope he does well, wherever that may be.

[Bluedog]

Guys ranked outside the top 20 or so (Murphy was #36, Plumlee #62) are going to find their playing time taken by higher ranked recruits like Winslow. Not too long ago I saw an article about NBA draft position based on the player's final high school rank. There was a dropoff after high school rank of 3, another drop at rank 10, and a final drop around rank 20.

I think you're right about Coach K's "short-bench" syndrome. Guys like Murphy never get playing time, which makes it damn hard to stay motivated, much less improve.

Murphy was ranked as the #11 prospect in the Class of 2012 (according to Rivals) before he re-classified to the Class of 2011 (and thus got ranked lower in his new class). So, would you think the same thing if instead of being a RS Sophomore ranked #36 in HS he was a "standard" sophomore ranked #11 coming out of high school? Certainly, the rank gives a general sense of a recruit's ability to contribute, but there are certainly other factors. TT was ranked around 100...Not saying I disagree with your general premise though.

[_Gary]

Murphy was ranked as the #11 prospect in the Class of 2012 (according to Rivals) before he re-classified to the Class of 2011 (and thus got ranked lower in his new class). So, would you think the same thing if instead of being a RS Sophomore ranked #36 in HS he was a "standard" sophomore ranked #11 coming out of high school? Certainly, the rank gives a general sense of a recruit's ability to contribute, but there are certainly other factors. TT was ranked around 100...Not saying I disagree with your general premise though.

Thanks for that info, Bluedog. I had a vague memory that Murphy was ranked much higher before reclassifying, but I wasn't positive.

Unfortunately I'm not at all surprised by this. Deep down I've had this concern for a while now. I have nothing but good thoughts and wishes for Alex, and am very sad to see him go. I'm sure he'll excel wherever he ends up!

[throatybeard]

If McCaffrey is the gold standard of a transfer who flourished elsewhere after leaving (even though he got plenty of playing time here), then he's kind of the exception that proves the rule. Who's second? Chappell?

[Kedsy]

If McCaffrey is the gold standard of a transfer who flourished elsewhere after leaving (even though he got plenty of playing time here), then he's kind of the exception that proves the rule. Who's second? Chappell?

Elliot Williams?