Location: By the edge where the trees meet the sea.
04-26-2010, 08:56 PM
"Oh, Canada", PG Murray---Is this a done deal?
"And beneath his pessimism, his bleak conviction that all the machinery was rigged against him, at the bottom of his soul was a faith that he was going to outwit it, that by carefully watching the signs he was going to know when to dodge and be spared. It was fatalism with a loophole, and all you had to do to make it work was never miss a sign. Survival by coordination, as it were. The race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, but to those who can see it coming and jump aside."-HT
Why a verbal and not a NLI? -
04-26-2010, 09:41 PM
We're in the signing period, correct?
I watched all the videos. He's clearly a good run/jump athlete with some nice lateral explosiveness at least on offense. The form on his jumper doesn't look bad but I'd guess he's not yet a consistent deep shooter. That's based only on how full body his jump shooting motion is in the video. It's not the simpler motion that most great shooters have.
His offense game looks a little loose. His handle was spotty to my eye. He lets the ball get a little high and a little wide and doesn't seem to use his body much to screen his defender. Definitely better than most HS shooting guards but not high major PG handle. There's not the economy or simplicity to his offense game that you see in the more mature elite prep guards. A bit too much wasted motion.
Given the above, I'm not shocked he wasn't sporting a ton of offers (especially if he was hurt his senior year in HS). That said, Murray looks like he has a lot of potential. As he matures, plays and practices against better competition and gets coached up, he may well blossom into a star player.
My only wish is that he'd be more of a pure PG. Super tight handle, floor leader mentality, etc. Brandon Smith's brain and skills into Murray's body would be the ideal fit.
My only wish is that he'd be more of a pure PG. Super tight handle...
His head is not up in some of the clips, but could be because he hadn't fully gained control of the ball (probably one of the reasons you noted he doesn't have a tight handle).
Again, it' hard to say much about a player from a couple videos, besides his hops, and general athleticism. The limited stats available suggest he is at least a solid 3 point shooter on the HS level (e.g. shooting 4-6 from behind the arc in one game), and the fact that some who have seen him in person have high praise.
All that together and that Monty wants him suggests there is enough 'there' 'there'.
His offense game looks a little loose. His handle was spotty to my eye. He lets the ball get a little high and a little wide and doesn't seem to use his body much to screen his defender. Definitely better than most HS shooting guards but not high major PG handle. There's not the economy or simplicity to his offense game that you see in the more mature elite prep guards. A bit too much wasted motion.
Given the above, I'm not shocked he wasn't sporting a ton of offers (especially if he was hurt his senior year in HS). That said, Murray looks like he has a lot of potential. As he matures, plays and practices against better competition and gets coached up, he may well blossom into a star player.
My only wish is that he'd be more of a pure PG. Super tight handle, floor leader mentality, etc. Brandon Smith's brain and skills into Murray's body would be the ideal fit.
I don't think we can conclude too much from these videos but even in those his handle looks clearly superior to Franklin's and, yes, could very quickly be a high major PG handle. Given that and his combination of hops, size, and ability to change gears on the drive, I am very surprised he didn't receive a lot more offers. His offensive game is probably a little "loose" but the key is that he looks like he can score off the dribble and spotting up with a real jump shot.
Otherwise how is it possible to tell from these highlights if he has or doesn't have a floor leader's mentality like Smith? Almost all the write ups on him I've read say he does.
His head is not up in some of the clips, but could be because he hadn't fully gained control of the ball (probably one of the reasons you noted he doesn't have a tight handle).
Again, it' hard to say much about a player from a couple videos, besides his hops, and general athleticism. The limited stats available suggest he is at least a solid 3 point shooter on the HS level (e.g. shooting 4-6 from behind the arc in one game), and the fact that some who have seen him in person have high praise.
All that together and that Monty wants him suggests there is enough 'there' 'there'.
Here's a slo-mo clip showing his handle and a nice crossover:
I watched all the videos. He's clearly a good run/jump athlete with some nice lateral explosiveness at least on offense. The form on his jumper doesn't look bad but I'd guess he's not yet a consistent deep shooter. That's based only on how full body his jump shooting motion is in the video. It's not the simpler motion that most great shooters have.
His offense game looks a little loose. His handle was spotty to my eye. He lets the ball get a little high and a little wide and doesn't seem to use his body much to screen his defender. Definitely better than most HS shooting guards but not high major PG handle. There's not the economy or simplicity to his offense game that you see in the more mature elite prep guards. A bit too much wasted motion.
Given the above, I'm not shocked he wasn't sporting a ton of offers (especially if he was hurt his senior year in HS). That said, Murray looks like he has a lot of potential. As he matures, plays and practices against better competition and gets coached up, he may well blossom into a star player.
My only wish is that he'd be more of a pure PG. Super tight handle, floor leader mentality, etc. Brandon Smith's brain and skills into Murray's body would be the ideal fit.
Not saying you're wrong about Murray (you might even be right, we'll find out soon enough), but I personally wouldn't feel comfortable scouting him off of a few highlight videos. But I do agree that he doesn't appear to be "real polished" like some of the elite prospects (Top 25 type guys) are. And I agree about the wasted motion part. I watched Jrue Holiday play in HS, and part of what made him special was the lack of wasted motion in his game. That is something that Murray can eliminate, however. But what he does have going for him are his physical tools, which is half the battle, IMO.
The thing that I like the most about Murray is the effort it looks like he is willing to put in. He fights for rebounds, and doesn't seem to quit. While we shouldn't expect him to be a big rebounder next year, if his effort is indicitive of his game and his effort in practice, Monty should be able to coach him up fairly easily.
Not saying you're wrong about Murray (you might even be right, we'll find out soon enough), but I personally wouldn't feel comfortable scouting him off of a few highlight videos. But I do agree that he doesn't appear to be "real polished" like some of the elite prospects (Top 25 type guys) are. And I agree about the wasted motion part. I watched Jrue Holiday play in HS, and part of what made him special was the lack of wasted motion in his game. That is something that Murray can eliminate, however. But what he does have going for him are his physical tools, which is half the battle, IMO.
I think everyone is saying about the same thing. Regarding his ankle breaking killer cross over. I had said in a different string that I liked his cross over drive. I think that was Patrick's biggest weakness (that he couldn't drive left), and it looks like Murray's cross over is already better than PC's. But the best cross overs are when a player can just hit it and go, not shake and bake and take his man by getting him to go the wrong direction or getting him off balance. The shake and bake can be effective, but the other is deadly.
The thing that I like the most about Murray is the effort it looks like he is willing to put in. He fights for rebounds, and doesn't seem to quit. While we shouldn't expect him to be a big rebounder next year, if his effort is indicitive of his game and his effort in practice, Monty should be able to coach him up fairly easily.
Solid get.
I think it's a great get. I noticed the effort too and his willingness to attack the basket, often with a quick change of pace. That's going to be hard for people to defend at his size, especially if he can finish as well as it seems.
Gutierrez and Seeley are their only serviceable guards next year. Franklin, Crabbe, and now Murray have plenty of playing time to compete for. They really needed guards. Monty must have sold him on the available playing.
I don't know how good this is going to be, but it is never cool to loose a basketball recruit to Cal
2010 recruits help with Murray? -
04-27-2010, 11:10 AM
Would Monty be permitted to have, and did he have, 2010 recruits Crabbe, Solomon, Franklin at Cal during Murray's visit to help close the deal? Rossi may be too far away, or did he visit with Brust, and maybe the same weekend?
In general, is Cal permitted to have the 2010 committed recruits on campus to help with recruiting 2010 and 2011 prospects?
Why a verbal and not a NLI? -
04-26-2010, 09:41 PM
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