Feb. 3, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Troy Murphy, one of just two University of Notre Dame men’s basketball players to score 2,000 points and grab 900 rebounds during his career, has been named to the 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Legends Class presented by New York Life. Murphy will be among 15 individuals honored at the ’15 ACC Tournament and ACC Legends brunch next month in Greensboro, North Carolina.
A two-time consensus first team All-American, Murphy ranks among the greatest players in BIG EAST Conference history as a two-time recipient of BIG EAST Player of the Year award (2000 and 2001). He also copped the league’s Rookie of the Year honor in 1999.
“It was an honor and privilege to have coached Troy Murphy for one season,” says 15-year Irish head coach Mike Brey. “He was very instrumental in helping my transition when I got the job back July 2000, and he provided me with invaluable input throughout that entire first year. “Troy certainly is one of this University’s most prolific players, his accomplishments and honors speak for themselves. More important than the statistics, however, was the leadership he displayed on the court that helped us win a BIG EAST regular-season title for the first time ever in 2001. He helped us return to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 11 years and put us back on the college basketball map.”
Murphy played three seasons for the Irish (1998-2001) and scored 2,011 points (21.2 ppg.) and grabbed 924 rebounds (9.8) while playing in 94 outings (93 of them starts). At the time, he was the first Irish basketball player with 2,000 points and 900 rebounds. Murphy’s career numbers currently rank him seventh all-time in both scoring and rebounding. In 47 career BIG EAST outings, he averaged 21.3 points and 9.9 rebounds.
He led Notre Dame in scoring and rebounds in each of his three seasons. Murphy averaged 21.8 points and 9.2 rebounds as a junior, 22.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in his junior year and 19.2 points and 9.9 boards as a freshman.
The Morristown, New Jersey native, shared BIG EAST Player of the Year honors with Troy Bell of Boston College in 2001 after earning the conference’s top honor in 2000. He joined an elite group of four players — Chris Mullin (St. John’s), Patrick Ewing (Georgetown) and Richard Hamilton (Connecticut) — as the only two-time winners of the award. He was named to the John R. Wooden Award All-America Team for the second consecutive year as a junior and finished fifth in the balloting for the Wooden Award in 2001. Murphy also was among the top three finalists for the Naismith player-of-the-year honor that same year. He is the only player in conference history to win player-of-the-year and rookie-of-the-year accolades in the consecutive seasons. Murphy became just the fifth player in Notre Dame history to score more than 2,000 career points when he reached that milestone in his junior season. He also became the second player in BIG EAST history to lead the conference in scoring in back-to-back campaigns (1999-2000 and 2000-01) and the first to average a double-double — 21.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in conference play — when he recorded that feat during his sophomore season in 1999-2000.
Murphy declared for the 2001 National Basketball Association draft following his junior season and was the 14th overall pick by the Golden State Warriors. He played 12 seasons in the NBA before retiring in November 2012. Murphy saw action in 729 contests during his career and averaged 10.8 points and 7.8 rebounds.
Former Irish standout Pat Garrity, the 1997 BIG EAST Player of the Year, was honored in 2014 as Notre Dame’s ACC Legend.
Thirteen former players and a pair of record-setting coaches headline this year class that includes two National Players of the Year, a Final Four MVP, seven players who earned conference player of the year honors and a pair of ACC Tournament. Collectively, the group combined to make eight NCAA Final Four appearances and capture 10 ACC Tournament titles. The two coaches in this year’s class own a combined 971 wins in 51 collegiate seasons.
Also set to be honored in Greensboro this year along with Murphy will be Malcolm Huckaby (Boston College, 1990-94), Horace Grant (Clemson, 1983-87), Shane Battier (Duke, 1997-2001), Doug Edwards (Florida State, 1990-93), Bobby Cremins (Georgia Tech head coach, 1982-2000), Junior Bridgeman (Louisville, 1972-75), Darius Rice (Miami, 2000-04), Franklin “Rusty” Clark (North Carolina, 1966-69), Vinny Del Negro (North Carolina State, 1984-88), Billy Knight (Pittsburgh, 1971-74), Derrick Coleman (Syracuse, 1986-90), Donald Hand (Virginia, 1997-01), Charlie Moir (Virginia Tech head coach 1976-87) and Dave Budd (Wake Forest, 1956-60).
The Legends will be recognized during the 2015 New York Life ACC Tournament, which will be held March 10-14 at the Greensboro Coliseum. They will be featured at the annual ACC Legends Luncheon, which will be held Friday, March 13, beginning at noon in the Guilford Ballroom of the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel. They will then be introduced that evening to the Greensboro Coliseum crowd during halftime of the first semifinal game. Ticket information for the ACC Legends Luncheon is available at theACC.com. Tickets for the ACC Basketball Legends Luncheon are $35 each, and tables of 10 are available for $350 each.