Alex Murphy Talks Duke, Florida, and UNC

The Duke Blue Devils have clearly prioritized two guys in the Class of 2012, with Coach Mike Krzyzewski telling Murphy after the Bob Gibbons’ Tournament of Champions:

“We were sitting there and Coach Krzyzewski said that at Duke they don’t officially say you have a scholarship until your test scores and paperwork are in, but that in 2012 Shabazz Muhammad and I are the guys that he really wants and that I have an offer.”

As one of the 24 players selected to participate in the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Event in Venice Beach this week, Alex clearly has the game to back up such a statement. I caught up with him while he was on the bus heading over to the HAX Hangar in Hawthorne California. A midnight run was about to take place, pitting the best of the best high school basketball talent against current pros like John Wall, Brandon Jennings, Tyreke Evans, Demar Derozan, and Bobby Brown, and former Blue Devil and Chicago Bull Jay Williams.

This is the last of many showings for this Summer, as Alex has participated in a number of events this Summer, criss-crossing the country with his AAU team the New England Playaz. Looking back, Alex had a few favorite memories. “Being selected to this game (Elite 24) is pretty special. The Adidas Nations event was a whole lot of fun, and I had a lot of fun playing AAU, especially because we had a lot of success.” One day in particular stands out, when he went to watch Kevin Durant, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, and the rest of Team USA scrimmage the college USA Select Team. “That was one of the coolest experiences. Not me playing, but just to be able to see the pro guys and the college guys playing against each other.” If the opportunity came up and Alex was invited to play with the U-17 team next year, “that would definitely be something I’d be interested in doing because obviously it’s an honor to represent your country.”

While playing in so many events this Summer, the rising Junior noticed many schools in the stands at most of his games. “A bunch that are always there are Duke, Florida, UNC, Arizona, Butler, Boston College, Texas, and Kansas. Those are the ones that come to mind, but there’s obviously a bunch of other ones.”

Alex has some planning to do when he gets back from Venice Beach. “When I get back from this trip and before I go back to school, I’ll make a list of about 10 schools and try to visit a few this Fall. It’s tough because I have school on Saturdays but a couple of schools invited me to their Midnight Madness events on October 15th. Coach K invited me down and Coach (Roy) Williams actually called last night and invited me down. I don’t know what I’ll be doing for that but I’ll try to get out to a couple other places in the Fall. I’m not sure if I can choose one or not (to visit for midnight madness) but hopefully I can get to all the schools I want at different times. I don’t really want to say yes to somebody and say no to somebody else. There are no favorites a this point, but I’ll discuss it with my family when the time comes.”

Although Alex stated he had no favorites, three schools dominated our conversation; UNC, Duke, and Florida.

In their recent conversation, Alex said that Roy Williams told him “If you can’t make it down for Midnight Madness, anytime in the Fall we’d love to have you.” Alex said “Maybe I’ll make it down there, but like I said, I have a really busy High School season.” One of the coaches he noticed in the stands this Summer was Tarheels Assistant Coach CB McGrath. “Coach McGrath has watched me a lot this Summer, but Coach Williams and I are beginning to develop a relationship. I feel like a relationship with the head coach is one of the most important thins and Coach Williams has probably reached out the most on that staff.” UNC has not extended a scholarship offer to the talented youngster at this time, but two of the other schools Alex spoke about the most have.

Florida has been on Alex since an early age, as his older brother Erik is a rising Sophomore for the Gators. “With Coach Donovan, it’s not an awkward thing, but obviously Erik’s there so our whole family has become real close to the program. The one that’s recruiting me the most from there is Coach (Ricky) Pitino. I have a very good relationship with him. He’s a very easy guy to get along with, he’s a funny guy, and he’s a great recruiter.” The coaching staff aren’t the only one showing Alex some Gator love. Both his older brother and rising Senior Chandler Parsons spent some quality time with the youngster while he was down in Jacksonville for Florida’s Elite Camp recently. “(Chandler and Erik) help me with the process and try to talk me into going to Florida. It’s mainly in a joking tone though. While my brother would love to have me down there, he just wants whatever is best for me. I think it’s the same with Chandler. I’m close enough with him where he respects whatever I do. He talks more about his game because mine’s so similar to his.” Alex isn’t the only one who thinks this. “When schools are recruiting me they try to compare me to guys in their program. Florida brings up Mike Miller and Chandler Parsons and Duke brings up Mike Dunleavy and Kyle Singler.”

“A lot of schools don’t want to label me with a position. They use the phrase ‘basketball player’ where you can play anything from the 1 to the 4 and do a lot of different things on the court. My Dad always had me play point guard when I was young so I could learn how to handle the ball. I obviously won’t be playing a lot of it at the college level, but I definitely feel comfortable if a team where to press full court or put pressure on our backcourt that I could handle it.”

Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski has been front and center with the middle Murphy brother since the spring when he offered Alex a scholarship after the Bob Gibbons’ Tournament of Champions in the Triangle area. “Coach K told me any time I’d like to come down and visit for a weekend or come down for a game I’m more than welcome any time.” Alex remembered. “Coach Collins has been doing a lot of the recruiting, but Coach K has reached out a lot to me. I’ve developed a relationship with him where I feel really comfortable so I like that a lot.”

Another person Alex has a good relationship with is fellow Class of 2012 member, Shabazz Muhammad. In a recent HighSchoolHoop.com article, Shabazz said,

Well, me and Alex Murphy talked about both of us going to Duke and how that would be and how we would fit into their program. I know that we would play well together. I loved playing with him on the USA team. I would love to play with him in college.

Murphy addressed these statements, “He’s obviously a great player in my class so we talk. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes we’re joking. It’s not only Duke. It may be a different place every day, but when you look in the long run and actually take it seriously it’s something I definitely want to consider. You want to be playing with great players in college and you want to go to school with guys in your class you’re familiar with. Having players you are comfortable with and who you know have the same goals as you, if you could play together that would be cool.”

Alex is used to playing with talented players, as his father Jay is a 6’11″ former Boston College Eagle, LA Clipper, and Golden State Warrior, but even he didn’t win their last family pickup tournament. The Finals pitted the two oldest Murphy boys against each other. “We ended up battling it out in the championship of our most recent tournament. We play a series when we’re all together, so I’ll beat him in a couple of games but he’ll ultimately end up winning the series. He’s older and stronger than me but I’ll catch up to him.”

It’s that kind of confidence that will lead Alex Murphy to accolades on the basketball court and the attention of many high-major coaching staffs around the country. No matter where he ends up, this down to earth kid will surely make fans and coaches alike happy they got to see him play.