SUNRISE, Fla. -- It's affectionately known as “The Death Circuit.” It's held on game days and is reserved for Florida basketball players who -- for whatever reason -- aren't or can't play that day. Strength and conditioning coordinator Preston Greene reserves some of his most diabolical and debilitating programs for those unlucky few.
Of all the hurdles Alex Murphy had to clear over the last 12 months, leaving Greene's weight room last Sunday, as the rest of the Gators were prepping for shoot-around five hours before facing Jacksonville, may have been as liberating as any.
“I finally graduated from the 'Death Circuit,' so thank God for that,” Murphy said Thursday. “That was tough, but the hardest time for me may have been the hours afterward.”
That was when Murphy would leave shoot-around, get his pre-game meal, then clean up and put on a sweatsuit while teammates when into pre-game prime mode. The walk to the O'Connell Center, where a seat at the end of the bench waited, was a bummer.
Today's walk to the gym -- in sunny South Florida, in fact -- will be anything but.
Sidelined for the last year by NCAA guidelines after transferring from Duke, Murphy will make his Florida debut this afternoon when the Gators (6-4) take on Wake Forest (5-5) as part of the Orange Bowl Classic at BB&T Center. Tipoff is 5 p.m.
Murphy, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward, provides UF with a skills set that Coach Billy Donovan can use at virtually any position on the floor. The younger brother of former Gators standout Erik Murphy is nowhere close to that sort of 3-point marksman, but Erik did not possess -- not even close -- the sort of speed, athleticism and ability to put the ball on the deck and attack the basket that Alex potentially brings.
Those looking for a Murphy comparison, think of a poor man's Chandler Parsons; a face-up guy who can drive it in the halfcourt, has solid vision to find open men for shots and is terrific in transition with a knack at finishing around the basket.
“He can help us,” Donovan said. “His versatility is good. He can play a lot of positions and has a really good feel and good IQ.”
Added Alex: “I'm not great at any one thing, but I do believe I can do a lot of things pretty well.”
As a junior at St. Mark's, a basketball factory in Massachusetts, Murphy averaged 21 points, 7.2 rebounds and four assists per game on his way to being named Independent School League Player of the Year in a classification of the best prep programs in New England. That was 2011 and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was hot on the kid's trail, so Murphy reclassified his academic status, graduated a year early and signed with the Blue Devils.
Murphy red-shirted his 2011-12 freshman season, averaged 2.3 points, 1.0 rebound and 6.3 minutes per game in '12-13, and after playing just 33 minutes in five games -- and saying hello to a guy named Jabari Parker -- his red-shirt sophomore season in '13-14, Murphy went looking for somewhere else to play; somewhere he could play.
Very little probing had to be done as far as the fit at Florida. Once in Gainesville, he never looked back.
“For me, the whole Duke thing is so far in the past. I don't really like to think about what happened there or what I could've done to change what happened there. It's done,” Murphy said. “I can't do anything to change it, but I can control my situation now and work as hard as I can day to day. I'm not the player I want to be or need to be, but I've gotten a lot better and grown since I've been here.”
That's how it worked for big brother, too.
Erik Murphy, the 6-10 “stretch-4,” averaged 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds as a gangly freshman and -- get this -- did not attempt a single 3-point shot. Obviously, he got better. By the time Erik left Florida he was one of the best long-distance threats in school history (43.5 percent for his career).
As a senior, Erik was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference after leading the league in 3-point shooting percentage (.453) and left with 1,052 career points. He was a second-round draft pick of the Chicago Bulls in 2013.
“I kind of know the deal down there, how the program and the coach operate,” said Erik, now playing for the Austin Spurs of the NBA's Developmental League. “Obviously, I know my brother and I know how hard he works and how hard they pushed him to be a better player.”
The existence of a transfer player can be a lonely one, especially on those game nights. Alex Murphy, though, arrived at UF last Dec. 27 with his eyes wide open. He helped last year's historically spectacular Florida team get better by immersing himself in the “orange” scout team. He worked hard in individual instruction sessions in the offseason embraced the intra-squad competition, all the while with an eye on the calendar.
Dec. 20, 2014
(Fall Semester Ends)
That would be today.
Murphy couldn't help but be a little more pumped when he switched over to the “blue” team jersey earlier this week and began taking reps with the front-liners.
“It's not like he's new to us. We got used to playing with him last year and he got used to playing with us,” sophomore point guard Kasey Hill said. “He's going to help us with size and he's going to help us with spacing [in the halfcourt] and help us when want to get out and push it up the floor.”
Whatever impact Murphy as he's folded into the rotation, that is something that will evolve. He's vowed to enter this new chapter of his basketball life with a clear mind. That's how his coach wants it, but it's also something his brother lived through and ultimately thrived in.
“Coach always said don't put personal expectations on yourself,” Erik said. “Instead, just work hard, play within the system, and the game will find you.”
That's what Alex Murphy's done the last 12 months.
Now, his first game as a Gator has found him.
“There were times when it may have seemed like an eternity, but I tried not to look at it that way,” Murphy said. “These last few weeks have gone by really fast. I can't wait.”
RIP “Death Circuit.”
