Kitchener’s Jamal Murray finding his groove with NCAA Wildcats
Posted Feb 13, 2016 06:10:29 AM.
Last Updated Apr 18, 2017 09:48:33 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
By Martin Bauman
How do you stop Jamal Murray?
That’s the question opposing coaches are increasingly asking as Murray enters Saturday’s game against South Carolina on a scoring tear.
The Kitchener native, a former Grand River Renegade, has averaged 29.5 points in his last two games for the Kentucky Wildcats, connecting on 8-of-10 and 6-of-10 shots from deep against Florida and Georgia, respectively.
The accolades keep piling up, too.
Not only has Murray tied a Kentucky freshmen scoring record with 35 points against Florida, he’s also the first player in the Wildcats’ Calipari-led era to have two 30-point games.
“He’s a kid that, when there’s a big shot to be made, he wants that shot and doesn’t back away from those moments,” Tony McIntyre, president of Canadian AAU program CIA Bounce tells 570 News.
“He’s a great teammate. He’s a kid that basically just fits in well with what he’s doing and is super-talented.”
Murray came through CIA Bounce as a 15-year-old, just a few short years removed from his current breakout NCAA season in Lexington.
With just seven games to go before the SEC Tournament, the 18-year-old hovers around the Top 10 in most scouts’ 2016 NBA Draft boards.
“[Whoever takes him] is getting a player that’s going to go in and outwork everyone, a player that’s going to be mentally and physically ready, a player that can score the ball, can play multiple positions, and they’re getting a pro,” says McIntyre.
As for the teams who pass on him?
“They’re missing the next big thing.”