April 10, 2012

Murphy headed to prestigious Portsmouth Invitational Tournament

Tennessee Tech's Kevin Murphy is one of 64 outstanding seniors who have been invited to play in the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which begins Wednesday.

View the complete 64-man Portsmouth Invitational roster

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Tech all-OVC guard Kevin Murphy is one of 64 outgoing senior college basketball players to be invited to the 2012 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, the first Golden Eagle to attend the prestigious gathering since Willie Jenkins in 2004. The tournament begins Tuesday and runs through Friday.

Murphy, a 6-foot-7 guard from Atlanta, Ga., just finished a superb career for the Golden Eagles, leaving the school ranked second all-time in scoring with 2,019 points.

Two weeks ago, the standout played in the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) Reese's College All-Star Game during the Final Four in New Orleans, an opportunity afforded only 20 of the best senior student-athletes in Division I college basketball.

"It was a great honor for Kevin and for our program to be showcased on national TV in the Reece's All-Star game, and a now to participate in the Portsmouth Invitational is just another tribute to the type of player that Kevin has been the past four years for Tennessee Tech," Tech head coach Steve Payne said. "This is another great opportunity for Kevin to play with guys who are going to play in the NBA. These are the best seniors in the country, and a lot of guys who have played at Portsmouth have gone on to successful pro careers."

In addition to his prolific scoring abilities, Murphy was also a resilient and hard-working player; he also leaves as the Golden Eagles' all-time leader in games played.

Murphy averaged 20.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in his senior season and drew national attention when he became the only Division I player to score 50 points in a game this season against SIU Edwardsville on Jan. 30.

Murphy will play on one of eight 8-man teams. His squad, coached by Tony Holloway and P.J. Honore, is the Portsmouth Sports Club. Joining Murphy on the team will be Henry Sims of Georgetown, Michael Glover of Iona, Kyle O'Quinn of Norfolk State, Bryant Voiles of Augustana, Devoe Joseph from Oregon, Ramone Moore of Temple, and Erving Walker of Florida.

Portsmouth Sports Club
Coaches : Tony Holloway & P.J. Honore

#	Last Name	College	Pos	Ht	Wt	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3PT%	FT%
0	Sims, Henry	Georgetown	C	6' 10"	232	11.7	6.2	3.5	0.7	1.4	46.5	0	70.4
21	Glover, Michael	Iona	F	6' 7"	215	18.5	9.3	0.9	0.8	1.2	64.7	0	68.2
25	O'Quinn, Kyle	Norfolk State	F	6' 10"	240	15.9	10.3	1.4	0.7	2.6	57.3	18.8	69.6
22	Voiles, Bryant	Augustana	F	6' 9"	209	14.2	7.2	1.8	0.8	0.5	40.6	31.6	83
23	Joseph, Devoe	Oregon	G	6' 4"	177	16.7	3.8	3.3	1.4	0.1	47.3	41.8	79.5
2	Moore, Ramone	Temple	G	6' 4"	190	17.6	4.3	3.5	1.1	0.2	43	38.6	76.8
1	Murphy, Kevin	Tennessee Tech	G	6' 7"	185	21.1	5.3	2.4	0.8	0.2	44.8	42.9	72.8
3	Walker, Erving	Florida	G	5' 8"	177	12.1	2.8	4.7	1	0	39.9	37.1	81.3

MORE ON THE PORTSMOUTH INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
Each year for 58 years the P.I.T has invited 64 of the best college basketball players (seniors) from across the nation to participate in a four-day, twelve game tournament in front of representatives from every NBA team. The tournament drew the attention of NBA Scouts and General Managers in the mid-70's when players like Dave Cowens, John Lucas, Walt Szczerbiak and Bobby Cremins came to Portsmouth to play. Soon the word spread and approximately 200 Scouts, General Managers and Representatives of all 30 NBA teams began to come to see players like John Stockton, Dennis Rodman, Tim Hardaway, Scottie Pippen and others. Today scouts from numerous international leagues have joined in on the annual April pilgrimage to Portsmouth. Over the years the P.I.T. has been a showcase for five of the 50 greatest players in NBA History (Rick Barry, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Dave Cowens, John Stockton, Scottie Pippen) and for many others who have gone on to NBA stardom.