Kitchener’s Jamal Murray finding his groove with NCAA Wildcats

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.”

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