May 10, 2012

Murphy to Attend Chicago NBA Draft Combine

Tennessee Tech standout Kevin Murphy has been invited to attend the Chicago NBA Draft Combine at the end of this month, as announced by the NBA. Murphy will join the nation’s top ranked players at the combine with the opportunity to showcase his talent prior to the 2012 NBA Draft, scheduled for June 28.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Tech standout Kevin Murphy has been invited to attend the Chicago NBA Draft Combine at the end of this month, as announced by the NBA. Murphy will join the nation’s top ranked players at the combine with the opportunity to showcase his talent prior to the 2012 NBA Draft, scheduled for June 28.

A finalist for the 2012 Tennessee Tech Outstanding Male Athlete award, Murphy shattered numerous institution, conference and national records over the duration of his senior season. He finished season with 2,019 career points in 128 games overall (14^th in OVC history) en route to becoming just the 16th player in conference history to score 2,000 career points. His top performances included four 30+ point efforts and 11 20+ point efforts.

Nationally, Murphy finished the season ranked No. 10 in scoring, while his 20.6 points per game led the OVC. He now holds the No. 2 spot on the school's all-time scoring list, and became Tech's all-time leader in games played on Thursday in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament quarterfinals. In 33 games played, Murphy led the team in scoring 20 contests.

A member of the 2011-12 OVC All-Tournament Team for the past two years, Murphy garnered the OVC’s Player of the Week award twice this season (on Dec. 19 and Feb. 6) and was also a finalist for CollegeInsider.com’s Lou Hensen Player of the Year award.

Murphy’s best game of the season was arguably his 50-point performance against SIU-Edwardsville on January 30, which earned him the Capital One Impact Performer of Week award. That effort worked to remain the most points scored by any DI player this year, and the most since Jimmer Fredette scored on March 11, 2011. It is the first time than an OVC player scored 50 points since the 1991-92 season, and the most points scored by any TTU player in school history. His 16 field goals made in that outing also tied the Eblen Center high for most field goals made in a game.

“We’re very excited for Kevin having the opportunity to go to Chicago for the Combine,” Golden Eagle head coach Steve Payne said. “It’ll give him a chance to see some talent from across the country and get a feel for the environment that he’s about to be in.

“Kevin has tremendous talent and an outstanding character. He’s ready for the process of making the jump to the next level.”

The Chicago Combine is typically viewed as a follow-up to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (PIT), 64 of the best college basketball players (seniors) from across the nation to participate in an annual four-day, twelve-game tournament in front of representatives from every NBA team. Often times, players making appearances at the PIT are not invited to the Chicago Combine, while other players not participating in the tournament are afforded the opportunity. Murphy has showcased talent over the course of his career that has made him a desired participant at both events. Exact dates for the Chicago Combine have yet to be announced by the NBA.