Will Murphy be Back for 2000-01?
Frank Vitovitch
April 4, 2000

Notre Dame, Ind - Should he stay or should he go?  Troy Murphy will be asking himself this question over and over in the next few days and weeks about whether or not he should stay at Notre Dame for another year or go to the NBA and pursue a professional career.

Does he have the talent?  His Big East Player of the year award, consensus All American honor, and countless other awards attest to his talent.   Talent wise he is one of the best players in the country.  Is he ready for the NBA though?  That is a different question and one you will find a different answer to from everyone you ask.

Some will say he was a man among boys this year and can compete with the talent in the NBA.  Others will say that he is not ready to compete with the likes of Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, and Shawn Kemp.  No one really knows, maybe not even Troy.  He knows he's good, but is he good enough to step in and make an impact right away?

Many times when players with a lot of promise leave early they struggle at first.  Tim Thomas was a great player with a world of potential for Villanova a few years back, but left after his freshman year and has yet to make an impact in the NBA.  He was a top 10 pick, but he is not an everyday starter yet after his third season in the NBA. 

The opposite case is that of Tim Duncan.  Duncan could have been the #1 draft pick after his junior year, but he stayed for his senior season and finished college.  He came into the NBA and was immediately a dominant player.   He did have David Robinson lineup up next to him, but he still looked like a veteran from day one.  He polished and refined his game in college so well that the transition was not that rough for him.

Speaking of Tim Duncan, his former college coach Dave Odem publicly said he believes Murphy should not only stay next year, but for his senior year as well.  He say everything that staying in college did for Duncan and knows Murphy can benefit from the same experience.

Murphy can benefit greatly from at least another year in college.  He had a phenomenal season despite being doubled teamed often.  He was named first team all American by the AP and you know all the other awards he has won, but can he successfully make the transition from college to the NBA already? 

Murphy will make a ton of money whether he leaves this year, next year, or if he waits till he graduates to leave.  The thing that makes it so tempting this year however is that a number of marquee players are deciding to stay in college another year.  Terrence Morris of Maryland, Shane Battier of Duke, and Loren Woods are a few players coming back. 

With the basketball banquet happening tonight, an announcement could come as early as tonight, but that is just speculation.  If he decides to come back the banquet would be the perfect opportunity for him to announce so.

Personally, I feel he will be back.  He saw what Ryan Humphrey can do in practice, he knows what Matt Doherty can do on the sidelines, and he knows next year can be special if he returns.  With Murphy back next year, the Irish are a pre season top 25 team without a doubt.  Without him they will struggle to equal this year's performance.

Notre Dame will have a great supporting cast for Murphy next season should he choose to come back, and he realizes it.  He did say once however that he didn't feel he could better this season.  Well he is wrong there because an NCAA Tournament bid and run like Wisconsin had this year would make any numbers he put up all the better.

Notre Dame has not had a player leave early since Adrian Dantley left after his junior year in 1976.  Should he decide to to leave Notre Dame this year he will be the fourth straight Irish power forward to be picked in the first round.  Laphonso Ellis, Monty Williams, and Pat Garitty were all first round picks between 1992-97.