PDA

View Full Version : Alex Murphy & U-20 Finnish National Team



BlueDevilBrowns
05-08-2012, 09:37 PM
Found this article today and thought it contained some interesting stuff regarding Alex. Nice to see him getting some extra work in as I believe he'll be one of the two keys to just how successful Duke will be next year(the other key being finding a singular leader/starter at the PG spot).

LINK: http://www.goduke.com//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=205424997

BD80
05-08-2012, 10:52 PM
Found this article today and thought it contained some interesting stuff regarding Alex. Nice to see him getting some extra work in as I believe he'll be one of the two keys to just how successful Duke will be next year(the other key being finding a singular leader/starter at the PG spot).

LINK: http://www.goduke.com//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=205424997

Sigh. So young, but now he's finnish. Alex, we hardly knew ye.

devildeac
05-08-2012, 11:09 PM
Hopefully, he will not be engaging in any hijinks like this while training:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmBlUb2dcsk

Jarhead
05-08-2012, 11:14 PM
This is interesting. Murphy is an Irish name, and so is Finn.http://crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/54.gif

Indoor66
05-09-2012, 06:53 AM
This is interesting. Murphy is an Irish name, and so is Finn.http://crazietalk.net/ourhouse/images/smilies/54.gif

That make him Murphyish and Finnish?

OldPhiKap
05-09-2012, 08:35 AM
He shall now be known as "The Suomi Tsunami"

It will take awhile to catch on -- not as instant as calling Marty Nessley "The Puma" -- but it will build slowly and powerfully.

BD80
05-09-2012, 09:21 AM
-- not as instant as calling Marty Nessley "The Puma" --

You mean the guy whose eligibility expired before he could make it back on D?

ikiru36
05-09-2012, 09:43 AM
You mean the guy whose eligibility expired before he could make it back on D?

I always assumed Marty to be Canadian, what with all the 'lumbering'? At least he didn't foul!

Ps-mad props to Marty and all his efforts. Much love for the big fella.

Go Duke!!! Go Blue Devils!!!!! GTHCGTH!!!!!!!

roywhite
05-09-2012, 12:38 PM
He shall now be known as "The Suomi Tsunami"

It will take awhile to catch on -- not as instant as calling Marty Nessley "The Puma" -- but it will build slowly and powerfully.

Turned out Marty had more of an NBA experience than his Duke classmate Tommy Amaker, which surprised many.

Marty appeared in 40-some NBA games during one season; Tommy didn't survive the Sonics' training camp.

Don't want to slight the subject of this thread.....glad to see Alex get this international experience; he can be a very important player for Duke next season.

hq2
05-09-2012, 12:39 PM
Don't want to slight the subject of this thread.....glad to see Alex get this international experience; he can be a very important player for Duke next season.

To me he's sort of an unknown. Who's seen him play? Is he any good? Does he have much upside?

roywhite
05-09-2012, 12:44 PM
To me he's sort of an unknown. Who's seen him play? Is he any good? Does he have much upside?

We saw him some in the games played last summer in China and Dubai; he looked pretty decent, and apparently has improved through practice and strength training.

I've mentioned this before, but Alex was the subject of a feature story on one of the Duke Basketball with Coach K TV shows.
Coach K said that Alex could be a 4-year starter and could challenge for All-Conference honors. Sounded pretty positive to me.

phaedrus
05-09-2012, 12:48 PM
It's Finnished.

BD80
05-09-2012, 04:49 PM
Alex is going to play a few games with the Fins?

I guess he really has bulked up. Still, he's not bulked up enough to play tight end has he?

awhom111
05-09-2012, 08:39 PM
To turn the discussion serious again, for those curious, Finland are in the Division B of the European U20 Championships so they are competing against some of the weaker youth teams of Europe and not the big countries. They are in a group with the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Switzerland. If they were to reach the final of the tournament, then they would be qualified for Division A of next year's tournament.

elvis14
05-11-2012, 02:06 PM
To turn the discussion serious again, for those curious, Finland are in the Division B of the European U20 Championships so they are competing against some of the weaker youth teams of Europe and not the big countries. They are in a group with the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Switzerland. If they were to reach the final of the tournament, then they would be qualified for Division A of next year's tournament.


That could be good news. Alex could get some good PT and gain confidence heading into next season. He's going to have a good freshman season and he's going to get to play on a team that will win an ACC championship next season.

awhom111
05-21-2012, 11:03 PM
Here is an article on the Murphy brothers from FIBA's Europe site. There may be a factual inaccuracy in there somewhere:
http://www.fibaeurope.com/coid_eyYE0vh,JWMPh,ROgSkt10.articleMode_on.html

MCFinARL
05-22-2012, 01:04 PM
Here is an article on the Murphy brothers from FIBA's Europe site. There may be a factual inaccuracy in there somewhere:
http://www.fibaeurope.com/coid_eyYE0vh,JWMPh,ROgSkt10.articleMode_on.html

Yeah, just a little one. I'm thinking both Billy Donovan and Leonard Hamilton might be surprised to read that.

awhom111
06-18-2012, 08:40 PM
Google Translate was suprisingly unhelpful with this article:
http://www.basket.fi/uutiset/?x125758=13379910

Is anyone here fluent in Finnish?

It appears that Alex will not be available for this week's games between Finland U20s and the other Nordic countries (I am trying to be careful as both Finns and Scandinavians can get offended by lumping Finland in with Norway, Denmark, and Sweden).

The team still has a set of friendly games next week before the B Division European U20 Championships in July.

awhom111
06-26-2012, 09:10 PM
Here is another article from the Finnish Basketball website that appears to state that Alex is set to make his debut tomorrow against Estonia's U20 team. Running the article through a translator is helpful for all of us who cannot read Finnish.
http://www.basket.fi/uutiset/etusivun_uutiset2/?x33156=13474909

Jim3k
06-27-2012, 01:54 AM
Here is another article from the Finnish Basketball website that appears to state that Alex is set to make his debut tomorrow against Estonia's U20 team. Running the article through a translator is helpful for all of us who cannot read Finnish.
http://www.basket.fi/uutiset/etusivun_uutiset2/?x33156=13474909


those web-based Finnish-English translators aren't very good.

CDu
06-27-2012, 02:04 PM
Allegedly put up 36 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals in his first game with the Finnish team.

MChambers
06-27-2012, 02:12 PM
Allegedly put up 36 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals in his first game with the Finnish team.

That sounds very promising, at least until I remember some of Nick Horvath's numbers from New Zealand. :D

dcar1985
06-27-2012, 02:23 PM
Heck of a start for Alex....just wondering though, is there a big difference in the competition between the U20 Euro Champ Div A. and the Div B. Alex is playing in or is it broke down that way randomly? Monster game regardless

Olympic Fan
06-27-2012, 06:46 PM
Murphy with 36 points (12 of 21 from the floor) in 28 minutes in Finland's 97-78 victory over Estonia. Added 9 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 1 assist.

Estonia is not the greatest compefition, but don't underrate the Baltic States. Although neighboring Lithuania was the lead, Estonia and Latvia played a large role in the success of the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s. Most of the players who played for the USSR came from the Baltic States. It's a hot spot for the game.

Great trivia -- did you know that Estonia won the first Olympic basketball game ever played? They bea France in the first game of the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

BTW: The Fins list Murphy at 6-8.3 inches tall and 220.5 pounds.

awhom111
06-27-2012, 08:38 PM
Here is the boxscore for anyone interested:
http://www.basket.fi/maajoukkueet/ottelut-ja-kilpailut/ottelu/?game_id=65593&season_id=6353#mbt:2-4400$t&0=1

The other players that reached double figures for Finland were Joonas Caven, who played last season in Spain's third-tier for Joventut Badalona's B team, and Villemati Kopio and Markus Molenius, who got decent minutes in Finland's second tier.

While Estonia may seem like weaker competition, they will be playing in the A division of the U20s while Finland will be playing in the B division. Each year the bottom 2 A teams drop down to B and the top 2 B teams get bumped up to the next year's A division. Estonia also has a stronger professional league than Finland.

Here is another article that the internet translation is great for. Apparently Alex had the best Finland debut ever for all age groups. I am also impressed by how many pictures of him in Duke gear that they have found.
http://www.basket.fi/uutiset/etusivun_uutiset2/?x33156=13490165

Newton_14
06-27-2012, 09:18 PM
Heck of a start for Alex....just wondering though, is there a big difference in the competition between the U20 Euro Champ Div A. and the Div B. Alex is playing in or is it broke down that way randomly? Monster game regardless

Skepticism of the competition is certainly fair, but look at it this way, Alex dominated. Had he scored 14 or 15, then I would be far more skeptical. Even worse had he went for like 8 points or something. I take this as a very encouraging sign with his development. Reading between the lines over last year, one clear problem prior to redshirting, was confidence. Alex was not sure if he belonged, based mainly I think, on coming a year early, combined with being knocked back a bit with the size and strength of college players. Lack of confidence is a killer even to the best of players.

I am anxious to see how he fares as this competition progresses, and then where he is at in the early November games. This is a great first step for him though.

Greg_Newton
06-27-2012, 09:42 PM
I remember when discussing the benefits of coming to Duke a year early and redshirting, Alex said something to the effect of. "It's just been a whole different level. If I were playing HS ball now, I could score 40-50 points a game."

Looks like he wasn't kidding.

Newton_14
06-27-2012, 09:51 PM
I remember when discussing the benefits of coming to Duke a year early and redshirting, Alex said something to the effect of. "It's just been a whole different level. If I were playing HS ball now, I could score 40-50 points a game."

Looks like he wasn't kidding.

I thought about that very same comment. I think it came when he and Mason were watching one of the High School Christmas tourney's that were being played in the area.

FerryFor50
06-27-2012, 09:58 PM
I think it's a great sign. Regardless of what you think the level of competition was, he still was playing against men his age and size. For anyone who's played pickup ball, it's not always a given that you're going to score, even against lesser competition. He's at least showing he's competent at scoring in a competitive game rather than being a practice star.

westwall
06-27-2012, 09:58 PM
[QUOTE=Olympic Fan;583146]Murphy with 36 points (12 of 21 from the floor) in 28 minutes

Actually, Alex was 13 for 23 from the floor, with 1 for 2 from 3 plus 9 FT (out of 13 FTA) for his total of 36.

Greg_Newton
06-28-2012, 03:29 AM
I thought about that very same comment. I think it came when he and Mason were watching one of the High School Christmas tourney's that were being played in the area.
Yup: (http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2012/01/12/1149824?sac=Sports)

The discrepancy between levels stood out to him two weeks ago when he watched St. Mark's, his high school team, play at the HighSchoolOT.com Holiday Invitational in Raleigh.

"I feel like I've gotten a lot better since I've been here," Murphy said. "Put me in that game right now, I might score 40 or 50 points.

lol... gotta love the swagger.

We could very quietly be adding a very, very good starter on the wing this year. Great performance vs. Estonia or not, I really think all indications are and have been pointing to him being a standout, core player in our lineup at the 3 spot this year. I know that common perception is that SF will be a big question mark for us, but I have a feeling any such concerns will quickly be put to rest.

He was already really, really good last summer/fall, despite some China jitters; if he's made another big leap since then and added a little swagger, he's going to be really fun to watch for ~30 MPG this year. I really think he'll be the best true wing slasher we've had in a while, with a real nose for the rim and tremendous footwork/timing in his approaches; the 13 FT attempts might be the most telling part of that box score. He's not one to settle for a jumper.

wk2109
06-28-2012, 09:51 AM
Yup: (http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2012/01/12/1149824?sac=Sports)

We could very quietly be adding a very, very good starter on the wing this year. Great performance vs. Estonia or not, I really think all indications are and have been pointing to him being a standout, core player in our lineup at the 3 spot this year. I know that common perception is that SF will be a big question mark for us, but I have a feeling any such concerns will quickly be put to rest.



Does anyone know what position he's playing for Finland? I'm wondering if he's spending most of his time on the wing or if he's playing any 4.

MChambers
06-28-2012, 10:00 AM
Does anyone know what position he's playing for Finland? I'm wondering if he's spending most of his time on the wing or if he's playing any 4.

Maybe the Finnish don't have positions?

flyingdutchdevil
06-28-2012, 10:32 AM
I think the competition has a lot to do with Alex's points. Here are the stats from Marty Pocius's 2006 U-20 Euro tournament:

2pts 3pts FT Rbds
Match Min M/A % M/A % M/A % O D Tot As PF To St BS Pts
vs GRE 27 2/5 40 2/5 40 3/4 75 0 0 0 1 5 3 0 0 13
vs BUL 34 10/15 66,7 1/2 50 9/10 90 0 1 1 2 3 5 3 0 32
vs ESP 27 1/6 16,7 2/4 50 3/4 75 0 3 3 1 1 1 1 0 11
vs SCG 29 7/12 58,3 1/1 100 3/3 100 1 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 20
vs SLO 44 12/19 63,2 2/3 66,7 4/5 80 2 7 9 3 5 5 1 0 34
vs FRA 17 4/8 50 1/2 50 0/1 0 1 1 2 3 5 2 1 0 11
vs CRO 26 7/10 70 0/2 0 0/0 0 0 2 2 0 0 3 0 1 14
vs GRE 32 9/13 69,2 1/5 20 4/6 66,7 2 3 5 0 2 2 1 0 25

Given, Marty didn't ever score 36, but he did have one 32 point game and one 34 point game.

If Alex continues this success, then consider me a believer. But right now, I think we need to take Alex's game with a grain of salt.

BD80
06-28-2012, 10:35 AM
Maybe the Finnish don't have positions?

Its not where you start, its where you ....

sagegrouse
06-28-2012, 10:39 AM
I think the competition has a lot to do with Alex's points. Here are the stats from Marty Pocius's 2006 U-20 Euro tournament:



2pts 3pts FT Rbds
Match Min M/A % M/A % M/A % O D Tot As PF To St BS Pts
vs GRE 27 2/5 40 2/5 40 3/4 75 0 0 0 1 5 3 0 0 13
vs BUL 34 10/15 66,7 1/2 50 9/10 90 0 1 1 2 3 5 3 0 32
vs ESP 27 1/6 16,7 2/4 50 3/4 75 0 3 3 1 1 1 1 0 11
vs SCG 29 7/12 58,3 1/1 100 3/3 100 1 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 20
vs SLO 44 12/19 63,2 2/3 66,7 4/5 80 2 7 9 3 5 5 1 0 34
vs FRA 17 4/8 50 1/2 50 0/1 0 1 1 2 3 5 2 1 0 11
vs CRO 26 7/10 70 0/2 0 0/0 0 0 2 2 0 0 3 0 1 14
vs GRE 32 9/13 69,2 1/5 20 4/6 66,7 2 3 5 0 2 2 1 0 25

Given, Marty didn't ever score 36, but he did have one 32 point game and one 34 point game.

If Alex continues this success, then consider me a believer. But right now, I think we need to take Alex's game with a grain of salt.


Great table -- adjusted the format. -- sagegrouse

phaedrus
06-28-2012, 11:39 AM
I think the competition has a lot to do with Alex's points. Here are the stats from Marty Pocius's 2006 U-20 Euro tournament:

2pts 3pts FT Rbds
Match Min M/A % M/A % M/A % O D Tot As PF To St BS Pts
vs GRE 27 2/5 40 2/5 40 3/4 75 0 0 0 1 5 3 0 0 13
vs BUL 34 10/15 66,7 1/2 50 9/10 90 0 1 1 2 3 5 3 0 32
vs ESP 27 1/6 16,7 2/4 50 3/4 75 0 3 3 1 1 1 1 0 11
vs SCG 29 7/12 58,3 1/1 100 3/3 100 1 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 20
vs SLO 44 12/19 63,2 2/3 66,7 4/5 80 2 7 9 3 5 5 1 0 34
vs FRA 17 4/8 50 1/2 50 0/1 0 1 1 2 3 5 2 1 0 11
vs CRO 26 7/10 70 0/2 0 0/0 0 0 2 2 0 0 3 0 1 14
vs GRE 32 9/13 69,2 1/5 20 4/6 66,7 2 3 5 0 2 2 1 0 25

Given, Marty didn't ever score 36, but he did have one 32 point game and one 34 point game.

If Alex continues this success, then consider me a believer. But right now, I think we need to take Alex's game with a grain of salt.

Sure, but no one really doubted Marty's ability as a pure scorer on the college level, either. If Alex is as good a scorer as Marty, he will be a competent scorer; it's in the other elements of the game I hope he surpasses Marty.

awhom111
06-28-2012, 11:26 PM
Does anyone know what position he's playing for Finland? I'm wondering if he's spending most of his time on the wing or if he's playing any 4.

Looking at the lineup, it appears he was the 2nd tallest player on the court and he is the 4th tallest player in their squad for this weekend. Of course the no positions response might be accurate as well given that their tallest player launched 7 3s in the game and hit 4 of them.

The team now heads to Serbia for the week as they face the hosts on Friday, Turkey on Saturday, and Israel on Sunday. The first 2 games are against U20 teams playing in the A division while Israel will also be a B division team.

Here is the article with their lineup:
http://www.basket.fi/uutiset/etusivun_uutiset2/?x33156=13497890

Remember that in addition to trying to do as well as possible for this team, Alex is also trying to prove himself for a future senior national team spot. The team has to navigate qualifiers for Eurobasket 2013 later this summer, but if Alex could fight his way to a place next summer, that would be an absolutely fantastic experience for him.

awhom111
06-29-2012, 09:39 PM
Against tougher competition, Finland lost 90-63 to Serbia. Alex led the team again with 20 points and 3 rebounds. Villematti Kopio and Aleksi Akpaso, who is in the rotation for a top division Finnish team had 12 points each. Players with good games for Serbia included the 2nd leading scorer in Austria and Stefan Nastic, who plays for Johnny Dawkins at Stanford. Here is the boxscore with points and rebounds only:
http://www.basket.fi/maajoukkueet/ottelut-ja-kilpailut/ottelu/?game_id=65173&season_id=6353

awhom111
06-30-2012, 02:59 PM
Alex and Finland got a very nice 86-68 win over Turkey's U20s. Alex had 26 points and 8 rebounds to lead the team again. Villematti Kopio had 25 points, Aleksi Akpaso had 13 points, and Joonas Caven had 10 points and 6 rebounds. Here is a boscore with limited information:
http://www.basket.fi/maajoukkueet/ottelut-ja-kilpailut/ottelu/?game_id=65183&season_id=6353

Turkey is playing in the A division championships next month, so it was a pretty good test for the team. Next they have Israel, who will also be in the B Division.

italiancrazie
06-30-2012, 05:17 PM
If you wish to follow the euro under 20 competition, here's the link:
http://u20men.fibaeurope.com/enDivB/default.asp

awhom111
07-01-2012, 02:09 PM
Alex led his team again with 19 points and 5 rebounds, but they fell 80-69 to Israel. Joonas Caven had 13 points and Alex Vaenerberg, who plays decent minutes for a team in Finland's top flight had 12 points. Here is another limited boxscore:
http://www.basket.fi/maajoukkueet/ottelut-ja-kilpailut/ottelu/?game_id=65193&season_id=6353

ChicagoCrazy84
07-01-2012, 03:16 PM
Alex led his team again with 19 points and 5 rebounds, but they fell 80-69 to Israel. Joonas Caven had 13 points and Alex Vaenerberg, who plays decent minutes for a team in Finland's top flight had 12 points. Here is another limited boxscore:
http://www.basket.fi/maajoukkueet/ottelut-ja-kilpailut/ottelu/?game_id=65193&season_id=6353


I wish he was putting up better rebounding numbers. 3,3,5 is not going to get it done considering he is one of the tallest players out there, but then again I haven't been watching the games so I can't say he is actually dissapointing in that department. I just keep thinking of Stan Van Gundy ripping on Ryan Anderson for going for 25 pts and 3 rebs or whatever lol.

Does anyone know the differences between the A & B division? Is Finland not in the A division or how does that actually work?

BD80
07-01-2012, 06:56 PM
I wish he was putting up better rebounding numbers. ...

I wish Salma Hayek were 1/2" taller ...

awhom111
07-01-2012, 07:49 PM
I wish he was putting up better rebounding numbers. 3,3,5 is not going to get it done considering he is one of the tallest players out there, but then again I haven't been watching the games so I can't say he is actually dissapointing in that department. I just keep thinking of Stan Van Gundy ripping on Ryan Anderson for going for 25 pts and 3 rebs or whatever lol.

Does anyone know the differences between the A & B division? Is Finland not in the A division or how does that actually work?

Well, he did lead the team in rebounds in all 4 of the games he has played in.

Finland is in the B division, which is the weaker of the two divisions. The top 16 youth teams in Europe play in the A division and the next 18 play in the B division. If Alex and Finland can make it to the final game, they will earn a spot in next year's A division while the 15th and 16th place A division teams get sent back down to the B division next year. Finland gets to play the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Hungary in their group games.

Kedsy
07-01-2012, 09:26 PM
I wish he was putting up better rebounding numbers. 3,3,5 is not going to get it done considering he is one of the tallest players out there, but then again I haven't been watching the games so I can't say he is actually dissapointing in that department.

According to the numbers posted in this thread, Alex has gotten 9, 3, 8, and 5 rebounds in his four games, an average of 6.25 rpg. Which I think is pretty good for a SF.

SupaDave
07-01-2012, 11:45 PM
Well, he did lead the team in rebounds in all 4 of the games he has played in.

Finland is in the B division, which is the weaker of the two divisions. The top 16 youth teams in Europe play in the A division and the next 18 play in the B division. If Alex and Finland can make it to the final game, they will earn a spot in next year's A division while the 15th and 16th place A division teams get sent back down to the B division next year. Finland gets to play the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Hungary in their group games.

This is some good info. Please tell us more...

awhom111
07-02-2012, 09:27 PM
This is some good info. Please tell us more...

What else would you like to know?

Since Alex's team is in a group with 4 teams, they will play on the 12th, 14th, and 16th. Operating under the assumption that they will finish in the top 2, they would then play games against the top two teams in Group C (Croatia, Denmark, Great Britain, Belarus, and Portugal) on the 18th and 19th. The final two games would be on the 21st and 22nd.

awhom111
07-11-2012, 04:59 PM
Finland has finalized their team for the European U20s B Division and posted this article, which is as fun to use an online translator on as ever:
http://www.basket.fi/uutiset/etusivun_uutiset2/?x33156=13652144

FIBA Europe is actually expanding their A Division for next year, so there are going to be no teams dropping out of the A Division and the top 4 B Division teams instead of just the top 2 will advance and Finland has to be thinking that they have a shot at one of the spots, which would be great for them as 5 of the 12 players on this squad will still be available to play in the 2013 U20s, including Alex.

Here are the other 11 players (Finnish teams often go by abbreviated 3 syllable names; some top tier sides have their younger players playing for affiliated teams in the second tier):

Osku Heinonen, Tampereen Pyrinto (Played for both top tier and second tier teams)
Markus Molenius, Forssan Koripojat (second tier)
Alex Vaenerberg, Salon Vilpas (top tier)
Villematti Kopio, Tapiolan Honka (second tier, is playing for top tier Korihait next season)
Ilari Seppälä, Kouvolan Kouvot (top tier)
Kristofer Clement, Kauhajoen Karhu (top tier)
Aleksi Akpaso, Kouvolan Kouvot (top tier)
Joonas Cavén, Joventut Badalona (Spain, played for team's third tier B team)
Henri Välimaa, Lappeenrannan NMKY (second tier)
Daniel Dolenc, Tapiolan Honka (second tier)
Marcel Liukko, Aankosken Huima (second tier, is playing for top tier Kauhajoen Karhu next season)

awhom111
07-12-2012, 04:24 PM
Alex finally got to play in his first competitive game as Finland faced the Czech Republic. They got off to a rocky start as their star center Joonas Caven picked up 3 quick fouls and Alex had trouble getting his shot to fall. Caven ended up fouling in the second quarter (interesting rotation management by the coach for sure) and Alex got a little more involved as Finland did cut the lead to single digits before falling further behind and losing 74-59. Alex had 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in 31 minutes after shooting 5 for 16 from two-point land, 0 for 5 from three-point range, and 1 for 5 from the line. Villematti Kopio led the Finns with 23 points. Jaromir Bohacik, who comes off the bench for one of the top Czech teams, had 25 points and 9 rebounds, Martin Kriz, who gets some playing time for the top Czech team, had 14 points and 19 rebounds, Michael Sotnar, who plays heavy minutes with another top flight Czech team, had 10 points, and Ondrej Balvin, who is contracted to a top-tier Spanish team, but played mostly with their B affiliate in the fourth division, had 7 points and 18 rebounds before fouling out after Alex drew a charge. Rebounding continues to be a major concern for Finland as Alex was tied for the team lead with 6 and the Czechs' top two rebounders combined for 3 more than the entire Finnish team. Here is the boxscore:
http://u20men.fibaeurope.com/enDivB/cid_GtpNa-qCJkM1Osy8c8nb01.gameID_8954-D-2-1.compID_UIfgjyQcGqk-fPlnl66Tj0.season_2012.roundID_8954.teamID_.html

Switzerland beat Hungary 60-53 in the other game in the group and they are the next team to face Finland as they square off in the late time slot again on Saturday.

Newton_14
07-12-2012, 09:02 PM
Alex finally got to play in his first competitive game as Finland faced the Czech Republic. They got off to a rocky start as their star center Joonas Caven picked up 3 quick fouls and Alex had trouble getting his shot to fall. Caven ended up fouling in the second quarter (interesting rotation management by the coach for sure) and Alex got a little more involved as Finland did cut the lead to single digits before falling further behind and losing 74-59. Alex had 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in 31 minutes after shooting 5 for 16 from two-point land, 0 for 5 from three-point range, and 1 for 5 from the line. Villematti Kopio led the Finns with 23 points. Jaromir Bohacik, who comes off the bench for one of the top Czech teams, had 25 points and 9 rebounds, Martin Kriz, who gets some playing time for the top Czech team, had 14 points and 19 rebounds, Michael Sotnar, who plays heavy minutes with another top flight Czech team, had 10 points, and Ondrej Balvin, who is contracted to a top-tier Spanish team, but played mostly with their B affiliate in the fourth division, had 7 points and 18 rebounds before fouling out after Alex drew a charge. Rebounding continues to be a major concern for Finland as Alex was tied for the team lead with 6 and the Czechs' top two rebounders combined for 3 more than the entire Finnish team. Here is the boxscore:
http://u20men.fibaeurope.com/enDivB/cid_GtpNa-qCJkM1Osy8c8nb01.gameID_8954-D-2-1.compID_UIfgjyQcGqk-fPlnl66Tj0.season_2012.roundID_8954.teamID_.html

Switzerland beat Hungary 60-53 in the other game in the group and they are the next team to face Finland as they square off in the late time slot again on Saturday.

In fairness, reports are that Alex was double-teamed every time he touched the ball for much of the game. Sounds like they were going to insure they shut Alex down at all costs and force someone else to step up and beat them. Excellent strategy by the bad guys as it led to a win.

gam7
07-13-2012, 02:51 AM
In fairness, reports are that Alex was double-teamed every time he touched the ball for much of the game. Sounds like they were going to insure they shut Alex down at all costs and force someone else to step up and beat them. Excellent strategy by the bad guys as it led to a win.

Yeah, they successfully held him in check.

BD80
07-13-2012, 07:03 AM
Yeah, they successfully held him in check.

Their roster is a check list?

elvis14
07-13-2012, 03:23 PM
In fairness, reports are that Alex was double-teamed every time he touched the ball for much of the game. Sounds like they were going to insure they shut Alex down at all costs and force someone else to step up and beat them. Excellent strategy by the bad guys as it led to a win.

I'm really happy to hear that Alex is playing well enough to warrant contant double teaming! I know it's U20 and all but it's pretty darn cool to hear that he's the guy other teams are worried about!

awhom111
07-14-2012, 03:55 PM
Finland started slow against Switzerland, but turned it on in the second quarter on their way to a 90-64 win. The result gives them a solid chance at moving on with a win over Hungary on Monday. Alex had 15 points and 6 rebounds in 29 minutes. Markus Molenius led the team with 20 points, Joonas Caven had 18 points and 8 rebounds as he decided not to foul out in the first half this time, and Ilari Seppala had 12 points and 7 assists. In the loss, Marko Mladjan, who gets a little bit of playing time with the Swiss champions, had 16 points and 8 rebounds, and Brian Savoy, who plays in Spain's fourth tier, had 16 points. Here is the boxscore:

http://u20men.fibaeurope.com/enDivB/cid_GtpNa-qCJkM1Osy8c8nb01.gameID_8954-D-4-2.compID_UIfgjyQcGqk-fPlnl66Tj0.season_2012.roundID_8747.teamID_281.htm l

awhom111
07-16-2012, 09:12 AM
Alex had 15 points in 29 minutes to lead the the team, but Finland lost 85-70 to Hungary. Now they need the Czech Republic to beat Switzerland to move on. I will recap everything after the rest of the games determine Finland's fate for the tournament.

60's Devil
07-16-2012, 10:41 AM
Alex finally got to play in his first competitive game as Finland faced the Czech Republic. They got off to a rocky start as their star center Joonas Caven picked up 3 quick fouls and Alex had trouble getting his shot to fall. Caven ended up fouling in the second quarter (interesting rotation management by the coach for sure) and Alex got a little more involved as Finland did cut the lead to single digits before falling further behind and losing 74-59. Alex had 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in 31 minutes after shooting 5 for 16 from two-point land, 0 for 5 from three-point range, and 1 for 5 from the line. Villematti Kopio led the Finns with 23 points. Jaromir Bohacik, who comes off the bench for one of the top Czech teams, had 25 points and 9 rebounds, Martin Kriz, who gets some playing time for the top Czech team, had 14 points and 19 rebounds, Michael Sotnar, who plays heavy minutes with another top flight Czech team, had 10 points, and Ondrej Balvin, who is contracted to a top-tier Spanish team, but played mostly with their B affiliate in the fourth division, had 7 points and 18 rebounds before fouling out after Alex drew a charge. Rebounding continues to be a major concern for Finland as Alex was tied for the team lead with 6 and the Czechs' top two rebounders combined for 3 more than the entire Finnish team. Here is the boxscore:
http://u20men.fibaeurope.com/enDivB/cid_GtpNa-qCJkM1Osy8c8nb01.gameID_8954-D-2-1.compID_UIfgjyQcGqk-fPlnl66Tj0.season_2012.roundID_8954.teamID_.html

Switzerland beat Hungary 60-53 in the other game in the group and they are the next team to face Finland as they square off in the late time slot again on Saturday.

These stats suggest to me, particularly the 5 for 16 from two point range, that Alex is a jump shooter joining a team of jump shooters. Just saying' I am longing for someone who will be 14 of 16 from two point range, I.e. directly under the hoop. From what I have read, Amile and Rodney may play more inside.

Kedsy
07-16-2012, 01:51 PM
From what I have read, Amile and Rodney may play more inside.

Really? From what I've read, Rodney Hood took 45% of his shots from 3-point range last season (as a comparison, Austin Rivers took less than 40% of his shots from 3-range), and Amile Jefferson has been floating around the perimeter at the Pro-Am. Ultimately, Amile may end up being more of an inside player, but at Duke the wings tend to play on the perimeter. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Fortunately for you, this coming season we'll have Mason Plumlee setting up primarily around the basket, and Marshall Plumlee as well. I also believe Ryan Kelly will score more from inside than he has in the past, although I'm sure he'll also be shooting a lot from the outside too, so you never know.

flyingdutchdevil
07-16-2012, 02:37 PM
Really? From what I've read, Rodney Hood took 45% of his shots from 3-point range last season (as a comparison, Austin Rivers took less than 40% of his shots from 3-range), and Amile Jefferson has been floating around the perimeter at the Pro-Am. Ultimately, Amile may end up being more of an inside player, but at Duke the wings tend to play on the perimeter. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Fortunately for you, this coming season we'll have Mason Plumlee setting up primarily around the basket, and Marshall Plumlee as well. I also believe Ryan Kelly will score more from inside than he has in the past, although I'm sure he'll also be shooting a lot from the outside too, so you never know.

This. I think this is absolutely crucial to our youngens' development. Amile, as talented as he is, would get crushed at the 4 (not to mention the 5) in ACC play. His body just isn't ready. A year of body development for both Amile and Rodney would do wonders for them. And there is absolutely no pressure to perform in the frontcourt this year, with 2 of our 3 leaders starting at the 4 and 5 and a junior helping out at the 4 and a 7 footer helping out at the 5.

I like our frontcourt a lot, and feel that we are set there for the year. It's the 1 and the 3 where we should be a little more concerned about.

CDu
07-16-2012, 03:32 PM
This. I think this is absolutely crucial to our youngens' development. Amile, as talented as he is, would get crushed at the 4 (not to mention the 5) in ACC play. His body just isn't ready. A year of body development for both Amile and Rodney would do wonders for them. And there is absolutely no pressure to perform in the frontcourt this year, with 2 of our 3 leaders starting at the 4 and 5 and a junior helping out at the 4 and a 7 footer helping out at the 5.

I like our frontcourt a lot, and feel that we are set there for the year. It's the 1 and the 3 where we should be a little more concerned about.

I don't think Hood needs a year of physical development (though he's going to get it as he's required to sit out). For one thing, he's already had a year of physical development. For another, he's already plenty big to play his natural position (SG/SF).

Aside from that, I agree. I'm not terribly worried about our frontcourt. Mason, Kelly, Marshall, Hairston, and Jefferson will be just fine there. I'm also not terribly worried about our backcourt, as I think Curry and Sulaimon are going to be terrific. PG and SF are the only question marks, but Cook and Murphy (with Sulaimon and Thornton mixed in) present promising options there, too.

awhom111
07-16-2012, 04:26 PM
Here is the boxscore for the game:
http://u20men.fibaeurope.com/enDivB/cid_GtpNa-qCJkM1Osy8c8nb01.gameID_8954-D-5-3.compID_UIfgjyQcGqk-fPlnl66Tj0.season_2012.roundID_8747.teamID_.html

Alex went 6 for 8 from inside the arc as his 15 points led all scorers. Joonas Caven had 14 points and Villematti Kopio had 13 points. In the win, Mate Meszaros had 14 points and 8 rebounds, Bence Bodor, who came off the bench for the last-place team in Hungary's top division, had 11 points, and Laszlo Polyak, who also plays in the top division had 10 points.

With Finland's game in the earliest timeslot, the team had to wait for Switzerland and the Czech Republic to finish their game to determine whether Finland would continue among the top teams or drop down to face some bottom-feeders trying to fight back for 9th place. The game was close for the entire first half with Switzerland holding a small lead in the 3rd quarter, a result that would be bad news for Finland. The Czech Republic did just enough in the final quarter to seal a 65-58 win that suited both them and Finland. As a result, those two teams were moving on to fight for positioning in the top 8. Great Britain had already sealed a spot to play in their group in the second stage and Croatia joined them after beating Denmark in the last timeslot of the day. Alex and Finland will play those 2 teams on Wednesday and Thursday. Finland's loss to the Czechs and Croatia's defeat to the British are both counted towards the standings in this phase with the top 2 teams advancing to the semi-finals and earning spots in the A division next year. The bottom 2 teams will join the bottom 2 from the opposite group to battle for places 5 through 8. Finland's loss to the Czech Republic does give them a bit of an uphill climb and 2 wins might be needed.

awhom111
07-18-2012, 09:19 AM
Alex and Finland got a nice result after using a 4th quarter comeback to edge past Great Britain 67-64. Alex led the team with 14 points and 8 rebounds in 28 minutes. Joonas Caven had 13 points and 6 rebounds and Aleksi Akpaso had 12 points. In the loss, rising Maine Junior Alasdair Fraser had 21 points and 9 rebounds and phenom Devon Van Oostrum, who nearly made the Olympic team and is the tournament's leading scorer, had 20 points and 9 rebounds. Here is the boxscore:
http://u20men.fibaeurope.com/en/cid_FW2Ym8GSJEAe2vpbWdQMR0.gameID_8955-F-1-1.compID_UIfgjyQcGqk-fPlnl66Tj0.season_2012.roundID_8747.teamID_.html

The group situation will become a little more clear after the Czech Republic plays Croatia.

awhom111
07-18-2012, 04:18 PM
The Czechs ended up blasting Croatia 92-67 in a game that was not even that close (they led 56-17 at the half). This leaves them with 2 wins at the top of the group, Croatia with 2 losses at the bottom, and Finland and Great Britain with 1 win and 1 loss in the middle. Comparatively speaking, the other group is easy to figure out as the winners of Belgium-Israel and Poland-Bulgaria will advance and earn spots in next year's A championships and the losers will be left fighting it out for 5th place. Two scenarios are simple for the last game. If the Czech Republic beats Great Britain and Finland beats Croatia, Finland and the Czech Republic advance. If Great Britain beats the Czech Republic and Croatia beats Finland, Great Britain and the Czech Republic move on. If Great Britain and Finland win, it creates a 3 way tie at 2-1 with 2 teams moving on, but losses by both will let the Czechs advance and create a 3 way tie at 1-2 with 1 team advancing. Tomorrow, Great Britain and the Czech Republic face off in the early game, so Finland will know what it needs to do to advance before they play Croatia in the second time slot, which is about 9:00am Eastern. Croatia could also be eliminated by the time the game is played, so they might not have much to play for.

awhom111
07-19-2012, 04:29 PM
Alex and Finland arrived at their game with Croatia knowing that a win would be enough as the Czech Republic beat Great Britain 91-75 earlier. Unfortunately, that result also meant that Croatia was back in business if they could win by a high enough margin and they came out firing to give themselves a big first quarter lead that they would not give up, winning 94-69 in the end. Alex struggled with his shot and ended up with 8 points and 7 rebounds in 28 minutes. Aleksi Akpaso had 16 points, Joonas Caven had 14 points and 8 rebounds, Alex Vaenerberg had 11 points, and Villematti Kopio had 10 points. Most of the Croatians in double figures have good experience in their top division as Stipe Krstanovic had 20 points and 7 rebounds, Henrik Sirko had 17 points and 7 rebounds, Roko Rogic had 14 points and 9 assists, Domagoj Vukovic had 14 points, and Bruno Markolin had 12 points. Here is the boxscore:
http://u20men.fibaeurope.com/enDivB/cid_GtpNa-qCJkM1Osy8c8nb01.gameID_8955-F-4-2.compID_UIfgjyQcGqk-fPlnl66Tj0.season_2012.roundID_8747.teamID_.html

Those results in addition to the ones in the other group mean that the four teams in the semifinals and moving up to Division A next season are the Czech Republic, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Israel. Unfortunately for Alex, if he plans on joining with the Finland U20s again next season, they will be in Division B again, this time with even weaker competition as the top division is expanding next year. It would have been a great experience to play a large number of games against top-quality opposition.

Now Finland will face Poland, which includes Gonzaga-bound and brief Duke target Przemyslaw Karnowski, as they try to fight for the consolation prize of 5th place. They play in the early slot on Saturday with one final game early Sunday.

awhom111
07-21-2012, 10:58 AM
Alex found his long-range shot today, but his team fell 83-70 to Poland and will be trying for 7th place tomorrow. He ended up leading the team with 30 points and 7 rebounds in 36 minutes and Aleksi Akpaso added 13 points. In the win, Liberty rising sophomore Tomasz Gielo had 17 points and brief Duke target and Gonzaga-bound freshman Przemyslaw Karnowski had 14 points and 6 rebounds. Here is the boxscore:
http://u20men.fibaeurope.com/enDivB/cid_GtpNa-qCJkM1Osy8c8nb01.gameID_8958-53-A-1.compID_UIfgjyQcGqk-fPlnl66Tj0.season_2012.roundID_8747.teamID_.html

Finland will now face Belgium, who lost a 101-100 overtime thriller to Great Britain.

subzero02
07-21-2012, 02:26 PM
30 points and 7 rebounds is nice... 2 of 6 free throws and "0" assists is not

Dr. Rosenrosen
07-21-2012, 05:35 PM
^^^^ Earlier in the thread there was at least one complaint he was scoring but not rebounding. Now he is scoring and rebounding but we continue to pick away at other parts of his game. To be fair, cumulative 11/28 for 39% FT is pretty bad. But I'm not sure he is being asked to be a ball distributor. So not sure why it is concerning if we had 30 pt 7 reb 0 asst -- they seem to be relying on him to score even when other teams over-play him on defense. I'm sure it serves him well. When he has more consistent strong talent around him, it's going to open some things up for him.

FYI, his cumulative tourney stats...

http://u20men.fibaeurope.com/enDivB/cid_GtpNa-qCJkM1Osy8c8nb01.teamID_281.compID_UIfgjyQcGqk-fPlnl66Tj0.season_2012.roundID_8747.playerID_99232 .html

Bob Green
07-21-2012, 10:47 PM
^^^^ Earlier in the thread there was at least one complaint he was scoring but not rebounding. Now he is scoring and rebounding but we continue to pick away at other parts of his game.

You make a valid point. I believe the takeaway from this summer is the invaluable experience Alex Murphy is gaining playing organized basketball against legitimate competition. He is playing in games where winning is important unlike summer pick-up or the Summer League games at NCCU. His individual performance in the various categories plays a distant second to the experience and confidence Alex is gaining and nitpicking his statistics is unproductive.

fgb
07-22-2012, 05:55 AM
also there is no way of tracking "missed" assists. he could have made the perfect pass a half dozen times, only to have the recipient miss the shot.

awhom111
07-22-2012, 10:02 AM
Alex and Finland finished up their tournament after losing 84-70 to Belgium to settle for 8th place. Alex did everything he could again with 29 points and 8 rebounds. Osku Heinonen had 13 points and 6 rebounds and Joonas Caven had 12 points. Belgian second tier player Obasohan Ojomoh had 15 points and 6 rebounds while a bunch of players who get minimal playing time in the top division also chipped in as Arne Steinbach had 22 points and 6 rebounds, Elias Lasisi had 16 points, Khalid Boukichou had 12 points and 8 rebounds, and Loic Schwartz had 10 points and 16 rebounds. Here is the boxscore:
http://u20men.fibaeurope.com/en/cid_FW2Ym8GSJEAe2vpbWdQMR0.gameID_8965-62-A-1.compID_UIfgjyQcGqk-fPlnl66Tj0.season_2012.roundID_8747.teamID_.html

Here are Alex's stats for the entire tournament:
http://u20men.fibaeurope.com/en/cid_FW2Ym8GSJEAe2vpbWdQMR0.teamID_281.compID_UIfgj yQcGqk-fPlnl66Tj0.season_2012.roundID_8747.playerID_99232 .html
These will be put in context once all of the games are finished later today.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
07-22-2012, 12:20 PM
Here are Alex's stats for the entire tournament:
http://u20men.fibaeurope.com/en/cid_FW2Ym8GSJEAe2vpbWdQMR0.teamID_281.compID_UIfgj yQcGqk-fPlnl66Tj0.season_2012.roundID_8747.playerID_99232 .html
These will be put in context once all of the games are finished later today.

Glad to see Alex putting up some nice stats. However - and I'm sure this is beyond the realm of nitpicking over a lack of assists from a 6'8 forward - 11 for 32 from the free throw line is a bit worrisome. Those numbers are Plumlee-esque!

Love that he's getting some good competitive play in over the summer. Hope he's everything we are expecting come November.

subzero02
07-22-2012, 10:54 PM
^^^^ Earlier in the thread there was at least one complaint he was scoring but not rebounding. Now he is scoring and rebounding but we continue to pick away at other parts of his game. To be fair, cumulative 11/28 for 39% FT is pretty bad. But I'm not sure he is being asked to be a ball distributor. So not sure why it is concerning if we had 30 pt 7 reb 0 asst -- they seem to be relying on him to score even when other teams over-play him on defense. I'm sure it serves him well. When he has more consistent strong talent around him, it's going to open some things up for him.

FYI, his cumulative tourney stats...

http://u20men.fibaeurope.com/enDivB/cid_GtpNa-qCJkM1Osy8c8nb01.teamID_281.compID_UIfgjyQcGqk-fPlnl66Tj0.season_2012.roundID_8747.playerID_99232 .html

4 of 14 from the free throw line and a 1:4 assist to turnover ratio over his final four games. Those are legitimate trends/areas of concern, with free throws being the more problematic of the two.

Kedsy
07-22-2012, 11:39 PM
4 of 14 from the free throw line and a 1:4 assist to turnover ratio over his final four games. Those are legitimate trends/areas of concern, with free throws being the more problematic of the two.

Sorry, it's hard for me to imagine any game statistics accumulated in July could be considered a "legitimate trend" and/or "area of concern" for a college basketball player.

subzero02
07-22-2012, 11:57 PM
Don't apologize, I just think you're wrong... Those free throw numbers are atrocious and any basketball player on any level should be concerned by them. Hopefully it's a trend that ends this summer.

dcar1985
07-23-2012, 12:00 AM
Sorry, it's hard for me to imagine any game statistics accumulated in July could be considered a "legitimate trend" and/or "area of concern" for a college basketball player.

He could shoot those numbers in his driveway at home and it would be an issue...

Dr. Rosenrosen
07-23-2012, 07:48 AM
Don't apologize, I just think you're wrong... Those free throw numbers are atrocious and any basketball player on any level should be concerned by them. Hopefully it's a trend that ends this summer.
His FT% is pretty bad. Certainly worth trying to understand... is he uncomfortable in some way? is the ball different? is he tired from having to carry the offensive load? Could be many things. Is it possible he is just an awful FT shooter? I guess, but it doesn't seem to have ever come up. It's just 7 games. And I think his first 7 competitive games (timed, refereed, etc.) in quite a while. By accounts, he's a good shooter. So, it just seems like a stretch to read very much into what he has done (either positive or negative) over the course of these 7 games. For example, he averaged 17.4 ppg over the 7 games including 30 and 29 in his last two games. But I doubt anyone here is expecting that from him in the fall. So it's probably similarly over-stated to say that his FT% "trend" should be terribly worrisome and requires fixing. Also, picking off 4 games and saying he has an assist problem is nothing more than an exercise in statistical manipulation. Look at all 7 games and his A-T ratio is 1:1.2. We could pick any combination of stats to try to tell a story. Again, I just think "not much to see here" given all the factors. Super cool that he is gaining this experience and hopefully regaining his comfort in real game situations. Can't wait to see him playing in the fall with teammates with whom he is likely much more comfortable and in a system he has now spent a full year getting to know.

COYS
07-23-2012, 09:08 AM
Also, picking off 4 games and saying he has an assist problem is nothing more than an exercise in statistical manipulation. Look at all 7 games and his A-T ratio is 1:1.2. We could pick any combination of stats to try to tell a story. Again, I just think "not much to see here" given all the factors. Super cool that he is gaining this experience and hopefully regaining his comfort in real game situations. Can't wait to see him playing in the fall with teammates with whom he is likely much more comfortable and in a system he has now spent a full year getting to know.

These are all good points. I would also add that assists tend to be one of the most subjective stats in basketball. An A-T radio of 1:1.2 over a small set of games could be significantly altered if two or three passes where Alex's teammate maybe hesitated a bit, shot-faked, or something similar caused the scorekeeper to determine it wasn't an assist when perhaps another scorekeeper would have awarded an assist. FWIW, he averaged 4.0 assists per game in high school, which is obviously a different level of competition but also is a pretty large amount considering that he is a forward and there tend to be fewer possessions in high school. I DO think the FT shooting is something to keep an eye on, but it is also insignificant at this point.

davekay1971
07-23-2012, 09:12 AM
Ahhh, people fretting about weaknesses of a player we've never seen play in a Duke uniform based on stats from games they can't watch. Almost feels like basketball season is right around the corner! My Monday just got a little brighter...

fgb
07-23-2012, 09:58 AM
anybody have his high school stats? be interesting to see what his ft% was then.

Bluedog
07-23-2012, 10:15 AM
Ahhh, people fretting about weaknesses of a player we've never seen play in a Duke uniform based on stats from games they can't watch. Almost feels like basketball season is right around the corner! My Monday just got a little brighter...

Hey, Alex wore a Duke uniform in televised games in China and Dubai. ;) And I personally think he looked really good in those games. But, I agree with the main premise of your post. I've been scouring the web trying to find Alex's FT% in high school, but have not been able to find it...All I got is that he was the leading scorer at 21 ppg in the ISL division. St. Mark's actually had 3 of the top 8 scorers.

BD80
07-23-2012, 10:40 AM
Come on y'all, let's get positive! This is a great experience for Alex. He is learning how to Finnish.

Kedsy
07-23-2012, 11:35 AM
Come on y'all, let's get positive! This is a great experience for Alex. He is learning how to Finnish.

Yeah, but strong, quick forwards held him in Czech.

flyingdutchdevil
07-23-2012, 11:52 AM
Yeah, but strong, quick forwards held him in Czech.

Let's hope this experience keeps him Hungary for the upcoming year

DukieInBrasil
07-23-2012, 12:40 PM
Let's hope this experience keeps him Hungary for the upcoming year

but let's hope he didn't develop a Swede tooth for some Danishes.
(actually that sounds pretty good...mmmmmmmmm)

NSDukeFan
07-23-2012, 01:38 PM
but let's hope he didn't develop a Swede tooth for some Danishes.
(actually that sounds pretty good...mmmmmmmmm)

I believe his FT shooting has Norway to go but up.

Ichabod Drain
07-23-2012, 01:45 PM
I believe his FT shooting has Norway to go but up.

It was a good way for him to Polish his game before the season.

subzero02
07-23-2012, 01:58 PM
His FT% is pretty bad. Certainly worth trying to understand... is he uncomfortable in some way? is the ball different? is he tired from having to carry the offensive load? Could be many things. Is it possible he is just an awful FT shooter? I guess, but it doesn't seem to have ever come up. It's just 7 games. And I think his first 7 competitive games (timed, refereed, etc.) in quite a while. By accounts, he's a good shooter. So, it just seems like a stretch to read very much into what he has done (either positive or negative) over the course of these 7 games. For example, he averaged 17.4 ppg over the 7 games including 30 and 29 in his last two games. But I doubt anyone here is expecting that from him in the fall. So it's probably similarly over-stated to say that his FT% "trend" should be terribly worrisome and requires fixing. Also, picking off 4 games and saying he has an assist problem is nothing more than an exercise in statistical manipulation. Look at all 7 games and his A-T ratio is 1:1.2. We could pick any combination of stats to try to tell a story. Again, I just think "not much to see here" given all the factors. Super cool that he is gaining this experience and hopefully regaining his comfort in real game situations. Can't wait to see him playing in the fall with teammates with whom he is likely much more comfortable and in a system he has now spent a full year getting to know.

15 feet(distance from the foul line to the basket) and 18 inches(diameter of the hoop) are universal measurements in the game of basketball... Something was off in Alex's free throw shooting and it was consistently off over those 7 games. Unless he was playing through an injury that was directly affecting his free throw shooting it's hard for me to attribute his poor foul shooting to anything other than his approach, technique or mechanics. Anyone who shoots that poorly from the foul line for more than a game or two has an area of concern that needs to be addressed... It might take a few hours, a few days or a few weeks to address the issue but something is amiss

NSDukeFan
07-23-2012, 02:39 PM
15 feet(distance from the foul line to the basket) and 18 inches(diameter of the hoop) are universal measurements in the game of basketball... Something was off in Alex's free throw shooting and it was consistently off over those 7 games. Unless he was playing through an injury that was directly affecting his free throw shooting it's hard for me to attribute his poor foul shooting to anything other than his approach, technique or mechanics. Anyone who shoots that poorly from the foul line for more than a game or two has an area of concern that needs to be addressed... It might take a few hours, a few days or a few weeks to address the issue but something is amiss

Summer sample size. Are you really going to be that concerned over 10 missed free throws in the summer? I am very excited that Murphy got to play in some high level international games this summer and am not going to get too upset about 10 missed free throws.
3-6 vs. Boston College March 12
4-4 vs. Southern March 16
2-7 vs. George Washington March 18th
9-17 Total 3 games 53% for this player (very cherry-picked consecutive tournament games) who was a very good FT shooter.

Yes, even JJ Redick has had the odd poor free throw shooting stretch over a very small sample. He may have shot even worse during a stretch of the summer.

No, I am not comparing Murphy to JJ, but I think it is a touch early to worry about Murphy's FT shooting.

subzero02
07-23-2012, 03:17 PM
Everyone, even JJ, has an off game or 2... Murphy's abomination was over 7 games. I can't find his career stats from high school but have found a mention of a 4-8 performance from nbadraftexpress...(Those are the only ft stats I have seen).

CarmenWallaceWade
07-23-2012, 03:22 PM
Let's hope this experience keeps him Hungary for the upcoming year


but let's hope he didn't develop a Swede tooth for some Danishes.
(actually that sounds pretty good...mmmmmmmmm)

I could go for a Danish right about now. Unfortunately all I have is a Turkey sandwich.

NSDukeFan
07-23-2012, 03:41 PM
Everyone, even JJ, has an off game or 2... Murphy's abomination was over 7 games. I can't find his career stats from high school but have found a mention of a 4-8 performance from nbadraftexpress...(Those are the only ft stats I have seen).

I made a mistake in that I thought it was only 4-14, but see that it was 11-32, so 21 missed free throws. I am still not going to worry about it, on this warm summer day, with 3&1/2 months until the season starts. I believe coach Collins is one of the best free throw coaches in the business. ;) If it does start to bother me, I think I will check out the Ymm, beer thread on the Off-Topic board, head outside to the patio and have a cold one.

Kedsy
07-23-2012, 03:50 PM
Murphy's abomination was over 7 games.

Nobody's arguing that he shot well. I think some people (myself included) are questioning a few missed free throws in July being described as an "abomination."

subzero02
07-23-2012, 03:51 PM
This is a quote from an article about our second game in China

Murphy missed badly on his two free throw attempts and was tagged for two fouls before returning to the bench for the remainder of the game. It is wrong to pass judgement on these two players in a negative light as much as it is the fact that they barely saw any playing time.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/810956-2011-duke-blue-devils-what-to-take-from-game-2-againt-chinese-jr-national-team#/articles/810956-2011-duke-blue-devils-what-to-take-from-game-2-againt-chinese-jr-national-team/page/7

This is a quote from draftexpress.com

Murphy didn't show much in terms of an outside shot in the one game he played this weekend, while also hitting just 4-of-8 from the free-throw line. His shooting form looks decent enough and is reported to be a good shooter according to high school scouting services, though perhaps it just wasn't on display in this game. From DraftExpress.com

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Alex-Murphy-6291/


This is all I have been able to find, there were no boxscore stats from the St. Mark's School website for Alex's games. I know [awhom111 might be able to do a better job of researching Alex's high school stats than I have thus far.

BD80
07-23-2012, 04:55 PM
I could go for a Danish right about now. Unfortunately all I have is a Turkey sandwich.

Turkey can be unpalatable when near Greece

awhom111
07-23-2012, 08:43 PM
This is all I have been able to find, there were no boxscore stats from the St. Mark's School website for Alex's games. I know awhom111 might be able to do a better job of researching Alex's high school stats than I have thus far.

Was that an acknowledgement or a challenge? :p

I have not been able to find anything in the usual places I would look. Nor surprisingly, very few high schools, even perennial hoops powerhouses, have complete statistics for their teams, especially for past years.

subzero02
07-23-2012, 08:51 PM
Was that an acknowledgement or a challenge? :p

I have not been able to find anything in the usual places I would look. Nor surprisingly, very few high schools, even perennial hoops powerhouses, have complete statistics for their teams, especially for past years.

It was both... You're a cornucopia of useful information and perpetual updates

Olympic Fan
07-24-2012, 12:56 PM
Has anybody got Murphy's cumulative stats for the summer with th Finish team?

The stats linked above include games from the under-18 tournament, but didn't they play several games (games in which Alex scored very well) before the tournament?

awhom111
07-24-2012, 08:36 PM
Has anybody got Murphy's cumulative stats for the summer with th Finish team?

The stats linked above include games from the under-18 tournament, but didn't they play several games (games in which Alex scored very well) before the tournament?

Here is his page from the Finnish Basketball Federation:
http://www.basket.fi/maajoukkueet/pelaajat-ja-valmentajat/pelaaja/?season_id=undefined&player_id=1882163#mbt:2-4600$t&0=1

Some of the games did not have full statistics and all of the abbreviations are Finnish.

Olympic Fan
07-25-2012, 11:23 AM
Here is his page from the Finnish Basketball Federation:
http://www.basket.fi/maajoukkueet/pelaajat-ja-valmentajat/pelaaja/?season_id=undefined&player_id=1882163#mbt:2-4600$t&0=1

Some of the games did not have full statistics and all of the abbreviations are Finnish.

Thanks for the link ... the google toolbar is amazing -- an English translation in a blink. A few abbreviations do remain obscure (LEV instead of REB?)

From that, I got that in 11 games (both qualifying and the tournament itself), Murphy averaged:

20.3 ppg., 5.0 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.4 spg, 22.3 MPG
54.1 FG% (the way the stats are set, I think this is actually his 2-point pct., not his overall FG %)
17.6 3PT %
44.4 FT %

He led the team in scoring with almost twice as many points as the No. 2 guy (Copy 11.4) and rebounding (Herbert was second at 3.4). Obviously, his 3-point shooting and FT shooting wefre disappointing but otherwise he played well. If I'm ready the stats right, he had the highest plus-minus rating on the team by a wide margin.

COYS
07-25-2012, 02:39 PM
Thanks for the link ... the google toolbar is amazing -- an English translation in a blink. A few abbreviations do remain obscure (LEV instead of REB?)

From that, I got that in 11 games (both qualifying and the tournament itself), Murphy averaged:

20.3 ppg., 5.0 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.4 spg, 22.3 MPG
54.1 FG% (the way the stats are set, I think this is actually his 2-point pct., not his overall FG %)
17.6 3PT %
44.4 FT %

He led the team in scoring with almost twice as many points as the No. 2 guy (Copy 11.4) and rebounding (Herbert was second at 3.4). Obviously, his 3-point shooting and FT shooting wefre disappointing but otherwise he played well. If I'm ready the stats right, he had the highest plus-minus rating on the team by a wide margin.

Assuming those stats are correct, 20.3 ppg in only 22.3 mpg is a ridiculous scoring rate on a per minute basis.

Also, if his shooting percentages from outside and at the free throw line are predictive, it does seem that he's going to be more of a slasher/attacker from the wing rather than a consistently deadly shooter. At any rate, I can't wait to see what he does for Duke. I don't think we'll need him to score in every game, but if he can slash to the basket and make things happen from the 3 spot at Duke, then it will add a dimension to the team that was definitely lacking last season.

Kedsy
07-25-2012, 03:21 PM
Assuming those stats are correct, 20.3 ppg in only 22.3 mpg is a ridiculous scoring rate on a per minute basis.

Also, if his shooting percentages from outside and at the free throw line are predictive, it does seem that he's going to be more of a slasher/attacker from the wing rather than a consistently deadly shooter. At any rate, I can't wait to see what he does for Duke. I don't think we'll need him to score in every game, but if he can slash to the basket and make things happen from the 3 spot at Duke, then it will add a dimension to the team that was definitely lacking last season.

Plus, with Seth and Ryan and maybe Quinn and/or Rasheed (and/or Tyler, who shot decently from outside last season) taking outside shots, we don't really need Alex to be a long-range gunner. If he's a slasher, though, his free throw shooting will probably need to be better than he showed for Finland.

subzero02
07-25-2012, 04:07 PM
Assuming those stats are correct, 20.3 ppg in only 22.3 mpg is a ridiculous scoring rate on a per minute basis.

Also, if his shooting percentages from outside and at the free throw line are predictive, it does seem that he's going to be more of a slasher/attacker from the wing rather than a consistently deadly shooter. At any rate, I can't wait to see what he does for Duke. I don't think we'll need him to score in every game, but if he can slash to the basket and make things happen from the 3 spot at Duke, then it will add a dimension to the team that was definitely lacking last season.


If his game is going to involve a lot of slashing it will result in a lot of fouls and foul shots... if he doesn't improve his free throw shooting he is going to leave an absurd number of points on the floor.

COYS
07-25-2012, 04:10 PM
If his game is going to involve a lot of slashing it will result in a lot of fouls and foul shots... if he doesn't improve his free throw shooting he is going to leave an absurd number of points on the floor.

I agree with you and Kedsy on this point, for sure. It definitely doesn't seem like he's a Scheyer/JJ-esque natural from the line. That being said, it remains to be seen what he can do from the stripe in a more comfortable situation. Hopefully he can get that % up to 70% or so.

luvdahops
07-25-2012, 04:11 PM
Assuming those stats are correct, 20.3 ppg in only 22.3 mpg is a ridiculous scoring rate on a per minute basis.

Also, if his shooting percentages from outside and at the free throw line are predictive, it does seem that he's going to be more of a slasher/attacker from the wing rather than a consistently deadly shooter. At any rate, I can't wait to see what he does for Duke. I don't think we'll need him to score in every game, but if he can slash to the basket and make things happen from the 3 spot at Duke, then it will add a dimension to the team that was definitely lacking last season.

By my math, adding up the made 2FGs (60-111), 3FGs (6-34) and FTs (20-45) results in 158 points, or 14.4 per game. Still pretty impressive in 22.3 mpg, although not terribly efficient (a Black Falcon esque 1.09 points per FGA) given the poor shooting on 3s and FTs.

BD80
07-25-2012, 04:57 PM
If his game is going to involve a lot of slashing it will result in a lot of fouls and foul shots... if he doesn't improve his free throw shooting he is going to leave an absurd number of points on the floor.

As poorly as he is shooting free throws, they may not hit the floor ...

Olympic Fan
07-25-2012, 06:28 PM
By my math, adding up the made 2FGs (60-111), 3FGs (6-34) and FTs (20-45) results in 158 points, or 14.4 per game. Still pretty impressive in 22.3 mpg, although not terribly efficient (a Black Falcon esque 1.09 points per FGA) given the poor shooting on 3s and FTs.

Not sure what you are counting, but the game-by-game totals show he scored 29-30-8-14-15-15-11-19-26-20-36 in the 11 games. The shooting totals are not given for three games (in which he scored 19-26-20)

By my count that's 222 points ... but while the official stats have him at 20.3 ppg., the calculator on my computer has that as 20.2 ppg

Looking at those stats again, they do list 22.2 mpg as the average minutes played, but they don't have the minutes for three games ... and for the eight that they do list, he played betwen 28 and 36 minutes -- so I doubt that 22.2 mpg is correct (it looks like it's more like 29-30 mpg).

I was checking his FT totals since those were so bad. Again, we don't have the totals for three games. For the eight we do have, there's an interesting dicotomy. He started 2-for-8, then finished 18-33 (54.5 pct). His last game was a credible 9-of-13 (69.2 pct.). Since the three missing games were the 8th, 9th, 10th he played, that's when he was making FTs at a better rate, so his overall total is probably better.

I'm not saying that's not a potential problem, but it might not be the nightmare the raw numbers suggest.

luvdahops
07-25-2012, 08:42 PM
Not sure what you are counting, but the game-by-game totals show he scored 29-30-8-14-15-15-11-19-26-20-36 in the 11 games. The shooting totals are not given for three games (in which he scored 19-26-20)

By my count that's 222 points ... but while the official stats have him at 20.3 ppg., the calculator on my computer has that as 20.2 ppg

Looking at those stats again, they do list 22.2 mpg as the average minutes played, but they don't have the minutes for three games ... and for the eight that they do list, he played betwen 28 and 36 minutes -- so I doubt that 22.2 mpg is correct (it looks like it's more like 29-30 mpg).

I was checking his FT totals since those were so bad. Again, we don't have the totals for three games. For the eight we do have, there's an interesting dicotomy. He started 2-for-8, then finished 18-33 (54.5 pct). His last game was a credible 9-of-13 (69.2 pct.). Since the three missing games were the 8th, 9th, 10th he played, that's when he was making FTs at a better rate, so his overall total is probably better.

I'm not saying that's not a potential problem, but it might not be the nightmare the raw numbers suggest.

I glossed over the fact that totals for 3 games were missing (just summed the totals moving down the page). On 2 of the early games, though, it looks a though the points was not correctly tabulated relative to shots made. So I think the 158 points is correct, but as you point out, was scored in 8 games not 11. Which results in 19.8 ppg. Agree that the FT percentage is probably understated, given how well he shot in later games. One other thing I would note, though, is that Alex only averaged about 3FTA for each 10 FGA (2s + 3s), which does not really suugest a "slashing" game, though this may have been more a function of the style of play in international ball than Alex's natural tendencies.

COYS
07-25-2012, 09:29 PM
I glossed over the fact that totals for 3 games were missing (just summed the totals moving down the page). On 2 of the early games, though, it looks a though the points was not correctly tabulated relative to shots made. So I think the 158 points is correct, but as you point out, was scored in 8 games not 11. Which results in 19.8 ppg. Agree that the FT percentage is probably understated, given how well he shot in later games. One other thing I would note, though, is that Alex only averaged about 3FTA for each 10 FGA (2s + 3s), which does not really suugest a "slashing" game, though this may have been more a function of the style of play in international ball than Alex's natural tendencies.

The USMNT only shot 15 ft against Spain despite doing a lot of slashing so you there is definitely precedence for the game being called very differently in international play.