Murphy Not 100% Gone
UHND.com - Frank Vitovitch
April 11, 2001

Notre Dame, Ind (UHND.com) - While Troy Murphy may have declared himself eligible for the NBA draft, it is not definite that he will not be back in South Bend next year dominating the Big East for a third year in a row.  He will not sign with an agent which will allow for Tory to take his name out of the draft pool by June 20 and still return for his senior year.

In doing some research last night, I noticed that not many draft experts have Troy rated that highly.  A NBA Draft website on the Rivals network had Troy rated as the 25th best prospect in the country.  This list was not of draft eligible players or even likely draft eligible players so some people on the list ahead of Murphy won't be in the draft.  None the less, being rated as the 25th best prospect in the country after back to back consensus All American seasons doesn't seem fitting.

Other sources have different opinions of Murphy however.  Sporting News has Murphy going #10 in the draft in their latest Mock Draft. CBS Sportsline has Murphy rated as the 2nd rated power forward in their latest position rankings and the #11 prospect in their overall rankings. 

Its these kind if discrepencies that have made Troy's decision so hard.  He wants to know where he will be selected in the draft before he is 100% decided on going pro.  If he finds out he will go in the top 10, chances are he will go pro.  If he finds out he will be picked outside of the lottery, he will most likely be back for another season.  CBS's analysist also said that he feels that Troy could be the #1 pick if he stays for his senior season.

Like without Murphy won't be devastating, but expectations will be a lot lower.  With Troy Murphy back, Notre Dame would be a favorite to win the Big East with the addition of Chris Thomas at the point.  Without Murphy, Notre Dame will still have a quality team that could make it back to the NCAA Tournament with seniors Ryan Humphrey, David Graves, and Harold Swanagan to go along with Juniors Jere Macura and Matt Carroll as well as sophomores Chris Markwood and Torrian Jones who can give the Irish athleticism, something they have lacked in recent years.

Without Murphy however, Notre Dame might not be a ranked team to start the season.  With Troy back however, Notre Dame would most likely be a top 10 team to start the season.  Notre Dame would also have the talent to be at the least a Sweet 16 team and would possess the talent to give Notre Dame its first Final Four appearance in many years.

Many scouts agree that Murphy might be better off with another year of college to work on his defense and interior moves so that he is better prepared to go up against the likes of Chris Webber, Kevin Garnett, and Tim Duncan.

From Murphy's view though, going pro makes a lot of sense.  He can be a top 10 pick, he will get a multi-million dollar deal, and he can fulfill a dream by playing in the NBA.  On the other side, he could easily be a top 5, maybe even #1, pick in the draft should he stay another year, he could play on a team that advances farther than the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and get his degree on time from Notre Dame.  Either way, Tory wins and while he has a very difficult decision to make, it is a very nice predicament to be in.  On one hand he can make millions of dollars or can be a king on campus for another year.

Whatever Troy's decision, every Notre Dame fan should wish him well.  He has been one of the greatest basketball players in Notre Dame history along with Adrian Dantley, Austin Carr, and David Rivers to name a few.