A little history lesson is in order for any Kansas University basketball player who might be tempted to overlook Niagara University in the NCAA Tournament opener Friday in the United Center in Chicago.
Calvin Murphy, the greatest player in Niagara history, was overlooked by NBA scouts once upon a time, and they lived to regret it.
He scored 50 or more points six times during his college career. It didn’t matter that Murphy was a second-team All-American as a sophomore and first-team as a junior and senior. Scouts weren’t even impressed that Murphy scored 68 points against Syracuse.
The only numbers they valued were the ones listed under the height column: 5-foot-9. The Houston Rockets drafted Murphy with the first selection of the second round. He made the all-rookie team in 1971 and was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
“You don’t get any better than that, boss,” Murphy said by phone from his Houston home Tuesday night, after watching his alma mater play its way into the NCAA Tournament with a victory over Florida A&M. “Only 127 Hall of Fame players in the whole world, and I’m one of them. If it sounds like I’m bragging, you’re darn right I am. They said I was too small, remember?”
Niagara is a No. 16 seed, remember?
Murphy, 58, said he planned to be in attendance for Friday’s game. Long before Michael Jordan made the No. 23 famous in Chicago, Murphy wore it for Norwalk High in Connecticut – the school’s address is 23 Calvin Murphy Drive – as well as for Niagara and the Houston Rockets.
During his NBA career, Murphy set records by making 78 consecutive free throws and shooting .958 from the line in 1981. His career percentage: .892.
For Niagara, he did everything but twirl the baton at halftime. Correction: He did that, too. Murphy was a national champion baton twirler. During his time at Niagara, he twirled for the Buffalo Bills and the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tigercats.
Murphy’s backcourt mate on the All-American team in 1969 and 1970 was LSU’s Pistol Pete Maravich. Freshmen were ineligible then, so Murphy averaged 49.9 points for the freshman team, before averaging 38.2 in his first varsity season. Maravich averaged 44.2 points in three varsity seasons.
“If they had a three-point shot when we were playing, it would have been off the charts for Pistol and me, especially Pistol,” Murphy said. “We were very, very, very close friends. When he passed away with the heart attack, it almost killed me, too.”
Murphy watched Clif Brown make six three-pointers for the Purple Eagles on his way to 32 points Tuesday night.
“I’m so excited,” Murphy said. “They are athletic and they have good talent, not great. They have a great coach. Joe Mihalich’s got them playing great team ball. The thing I like about them is when they are underdogs, they come at you hard. Kansas better get a good night’s sleep because they have a dogfight on their hands. Nobody expects Niagara to beat Kansas. I hope Kansas feels that way, too. Kansas is eight deep with talented players. That’s an awful big hill to overcome, but anything can happen in basketball.”
True. Even a 5-9 second-round draft choice can make it to the Hall of Fame.