March 13, 2001
NOTRE DAME, Ind. –
Notre Dame junior Troy Murphy (Morristown, N.J.) became the 44th player to repeat as an Associated Press All-American when he was named to the first team for the second straight year. He is the first repeat selection to the first team since Raef LaFrentz of Kansas (1997-98).
Murphy joins former Irish great Adrian Dantley as the only two players in school history to earn AP first-team honors in back-to-back seasons. Dantley was a first-team honoree for his play during both the 1974-75 and 1975-76 campaign.
Joining Murphy on the AP first team, which was chosen by the national media panel were Shane Battier and Jason Williams of Duke, Joseph Forte of North Carolina and Casey Jacobson of Stanford.
Murphy, who also was tabbed as the first-team selection by The Sporting News, garnered his second straight BIG EAST player-of-the-year award when he shared the award with Troy Bell of Boston College, is averaging 22.0 points and 9.2 rebounds for the 19th-ranked Irish who are 19-9 overall and are making their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1990. Notre Dame won the BIG EAST West Division championship with an 11-5 conference mark in claiming its first-ever conference regular-season title.
Notre Dame opens up NCAA tournament play against Xavier on March 16 at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be named a first-team All-American for the second consecutive year,” Murphy says. “It’s a special feeling this year because of all the success we have had as a team and that we were able to accomplish our goal of reaching the NCAA tournament. It’s been a great year for everyone associated with the Notre Dame men’s basketball program. I couldn’t have accomplished what I did without the support of Coach (Mike) Brey, our coaching staff and my teammates. It’s been an incredible year for me.”
First Team: Shane Battier (Duke), Jason Williams (Duke), Joseph Forte (North Carolina), Troy Murphy (Notre Dame) and Casey Jacobson (Stanford).
Second Team: Jamaal Tinsley (Iowa State), Michael Bradley (Villanova), Tayshaun Prince (Kentucky), Troy Bell (Boston College) and Jason Richardson (Michigan State).
Third Team: Charlie Bell (Michigan State), Michael Wright (Arizona), Udonis Haslem (Florida), Kirk Haston (Indiana) and Frank Williams (Illinois).