Practice Injury Shouldn't Keep Murphy Out For Tennessee
Friday, January 6, 2012 | Men's Basketball
By Chris Harry
GatorZone Contributing Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Erik Murphy had a knit cap pulled down over his head as he walked across campus Friday afternoon.
The junior forward stopped to say hello, cracked a smile and lifted the headwear to reveal a bandage above his right eye.
“He got me,” Murphy said.
That was a reference to teammate Patric Young, the 6-foot-9, 247-pound He Man who doubles as the Florida Gators' starting center. More specifically, it was a reference to Young's elbow, which unfortunately for Murphy is attached to one of Young's massive arms, which extends to a humongous shoulder and ... well ... you get the idea.
“Yeah, Pat's not small,” Murphy shrugged. “He did some damage.”
Murphy was on the receiving end of Young's elbow as the two skied to chase an offensive rebound during practice Thursday. The 'bow became a blow that sent Murphy, who was playing on Young's team during the drill, to the floor and drew quite a bit of blood.
Trainers tended to Murphy, then took him to the doctor. He needed six stitches to close the wound, but UF coach Billy Donovan said it shouldn't prevent the 6-10 forward from being the starting lineup when the 13th-ranked Gators (12-3) go on the road to face Tennessee (7-7) in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams Saturday at 11 a.m.
Murphy, who is averaging 10.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting better than 50 percent from both the floor and 3-point line, is expected to be at Friday morning's practice before the team leaves for Knoxville.
“The biggest thing you worry about in those situations -- anytime a guy gets hit like that -- are concussion-like symptoms, and there wasn't any of that,” Donovan said. “The cut is not going to prevent him from being out at practice or [playing] the game.”
Young's been known to take a teammate or two down during practices.
"He got me on a pick once," junior guard Kenny Boynton said. "Somebody didn't call it out and I fell down -- hard."
“I try to stay out of his way,” sophomore guard Scottie Wilbekin said.
Murphy never got an apology for the whack, but did say Young tapped on the window into the training room and gave his injured teammate a wave.
“It was kind of like, you know, 'Sorry,'” Murphy said. “We're good.”
Elsewhere on the Florida injury front, sophomore swingman Casey Prather had his first full practice since coming back sick from Christmas break. Prather, who has missed the last three games, will be ready to play against the Volunteers.
That may not be the case for junior guard Mike Rosario, who missed Tuesday night's 79-61 defeat of Alabama at Birmingham with an ankle sprain sustained at the end of UF's victory over Yale three days earlier.
Rosario, who has also dealt with back that have kept him out of three games, did not practice Thursday. If he can't get on the court Friday he won't play against the Vols, Donovan said. Rosario is averaging nine points per game, but his minutes have decreased significantly as the season has progressed.
