In the kind of story that may motivate us to create a new "in a
completely unsurprising turn of events" tag, former La Salle University
center Aaric Murray has announced his intent to leave Coach John
Giannini's Explorers following the completion of his sophomore year.
Widely recruited as a high school senior out of Glen Mills by a number
of top programs, Murray ultimately chose La Salle after developing what
he deemed a special bond with Dr. G during the process. As a matter of
related fact, Murray and Giannini even filmed a piece for this
season's Comcast Sportsnet City 6 College Basketball Preview special, a
segment meant to highlight the strength of their relationship. Methinks
the duo doth pretend too much.
Strains in the continued viability of such a pairing were easily
visible all year. Each wild shouting fit from the coach was met with, at
least what appeared to be, a continually greater level of disinterest
from the player. Following the Explorer's ouster in the second round of
this year's Atlantic 10 conference tournament, a fellow attendee of G's
post-game presser leaned over to me and whispered, "Do you find it at
all strange that he refuses to mention Murray's name in discussing his
plans for next year?" Now, just two weeks later, it does indeed appear
as though the writing was on the wall. Comments from John Giannini and more on the future of Aaric Murray after the jump...
In a piece from the Inquirer's Ray Parrillo:
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"This
was a very difficult decision for me, and I wish Aaric the very best
for his future," head coach Dr. John Giannini said. "I know Aaric always
tried to do his best for La Salle, and we did all that we could to help
him as a person and as a basketball player. We will continue to support
Aaric in this process of finding another university."
Giannini
said Thursday night Murray was given his release at this time so he
could maximize his options as he begins the search for another school.
He said Murray plans to complete the spring semester at La Salle.
Parrillo goes onto to aptly remind us that regardless of Murray's
next point of harbor, he will be by rule required to sit out a full
season due to NCAA transfer regulations. Such a scenario can only be
circumvented due to a change in a program's coaching staff or as
a result of health issues incurred by a student-athlete. Murray
qualifies for neither exception.
So, where's next for the 6'10 center with averages of 15.2 points and
7.7 rebounds per game in the 2010-11 season? West Virginia, Florida,
Kansas, Oklahoma State and Auburn are all rumored to be interested, and
are all a massive upgrades from his former digs on Olney Ave (no
offense, guys). Rumblings are also beginning to grow louder that Murray
is expected to send an application to another area school, one located
on North Broad St. If you need a hint, head south on Broad from Olney,
and you'll start to see a whole bunch of "][" logos as you're getting
close.
News
Now, do I believe Aaric Murray might actually wind up in a Temple
uniform come opening night 2012? No. With the NBA more than likely
headed for lockout, the opportunity to head for the draft is as an
unsure as it it unlikely. As such, I do anticipate Murray returning to
school. But, because he'll have lost a year of attention as a result of
his mandatory sit out, he'll want to maximize his own on visibility upon
return. Though Temple has consistently cracked the Top 25 the last
three seasons, the Atlantic 10 lacks the media coverage of a "power six"
conference, a fact Murray, by now, knows well. If he hopes to quickly
become re-relevant in draft circles when he does return to play, the
6'10 center's best bet is at a big name program. Moreover, there is no
guarantee that Temple head coach Fran Dunphy would even want Murray as
an addition. Either way, though it's possible Murray could submit an
application, I wouldn't get too worked up about it.
Update: We were able to get some clarification on Murray's
eligibility and transfer options. Though unlikely to begin with, due to
Atlantic 10 transfer rules, Murray would have sit out two seasons if
he intended to transfer within the conference. Word regarding spikes in
eligibility still seems to vary between losing one year and losing
none, while a move outside the conference would allow him two retain his
full two years. This link,
from the Pac-10 complicance web page, states that Murray would not lose
any eligibility in the event of an intraconference transfer.
As for the direction of La Salle Explorers moving forward, John
Giannini's hot seat has to be getting hotter. With a record of 98-115
over seven seasons, the doctor has posted only two winning seasons. And,
despite his (details undisclosed) contract extension last Spring, it's
not totally out of the realm of possibility for the University to begin
to consider other options. That said, the cost of a potential buy-out
might also be more than than administration is willing to swallow.
Any La Salle grads/students/fans out there to chime in on their program's future?