Oregon Ducks Close To Landing Jamal Murray
Top Canadian prospect is headed to NCAA this fall.
Jamal Murray is taking his talents to the NCAA.
Canada’s top high school basketball prospect since Andrew Wiggins will proudly choose the college of his choice during a signing ceremony televised by ESPNU. The announcement will be reportedly filmed at a hotel in Toronto, Ontario on Tuesday at 6:00PM a reliable source told Hoops Hype Canada.
According to StraightHoops.com editor in chief Antony Fredella, the Murray sweepstakes is a two way race between Kentucky and Oregon leaning towards the 18 year old Kitchener, ON native playng for Ducks head coach Dana Altman this fall.
According to the Hoops Hype Canada Fab 40 rankings, jumping up a class automatically makes Murray the number one ranked player in the 2015 Canadian class. Jalen Poyser (UNLV) moves to number two and Kyle Alexander (Tennessee) number three. A trio that gives Brampton, ON AAU club CIA Bounce, and High School prep power Athlete Institute the top three prospects among the 2015 Canadian crop.
The six-foot-five guard solidified his stock as an NBA prospect at the Nike Hoops Summit in April leading his team with 30 points. Murray shot 12-for-22 and added five assists to lead the World Team, coached by Roy Rana, the men’s coach at Ryerson University. Three days later Murray totaled a game-high 29 points, and added 10 assists and 8 rebounds in the BioSteel All-Canadian Game. Both MVP performances in two prominent annual showcases.
There is no question now whether Jamal Murray is destined for the first round of the NBA draft in 2016. As per several NBA scouts it’s a given.
The magnitude of Murray’s decision is inevitable but very significant in Canadian basketball. An uncanny story considering how many Canadians have obtained multiple high major scholarship offers while spending their entire high school career in Canada?
Zero. Jamal Murray becomes the first.
More importantly Murray sets precedence for promising prospects coming up the pipe line to stay and play in Canada.
“A lot of people said it’s because I play in Canada, but I play every game mostly in the States. I don’t know,” said Murray before the April BioSteel All-Canadian game, referencing how Canadians are left out of ESPN’s much-touted top 100 prospects of 2015, and talking about his decision to develop his game north of the border.
“They have their reasons, but for now I’m just doing what I do on the court.”
Now Murray maybe about to do that on international duty. This summer he will be absent from the U19 World Championships in Greece. Instead Murray can contemplate Team Canada in July at the 2015 Pan Am Games being held in Toronto. In August of 2014 Murray led the Cadets in scoring at the U17 FIBA World Championships in Dubai averaging 16.7 points per game and just shy of five dimes per contest.
Murray is poised for a heck of an upcoming calendar year. Represent Canada, endure a freshman in college and aim to parlay o the NBA draft next June. Built behind a strong psyche and wired with a scoring prowess, the world Tuesday will be warned about a new force to be reckoned with residing north of the border.
Seeing is beliveing. Here are some videos.
A mixtape that showcases his skills.
An interview with him following his 30 point performance at the Nike Hoop Summit in April 2015.
At the Basketball Without Borders Camp in NYC.
Another interview with him at the Nike Hoop Summit this year.
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