Given the hype surrounding the five returning starters and the excitement that comes with a top-notch recruiting class, it’s easy to see how last year’s eighth man could get lost in the shuffle.
But on Sunday night, sophomore Erik Murphy stood out in a big way.
With Florida leading by two and the Seminoles surging, Murphy sealed a victory with a critical left-handed reverse layup in the paramount moment of what has been an impressive start to his sophomore season.
Murphy will have a chance to continue his early success tonight at 7 when No. 18 Florida (5-1) takes on UCF (5-0) in Orlando.
Part of Murphy’s increased production has been precipitated by a position switch, as the sophomore returned to power forward thanks to the arrival of freshman center Patric Young.
Last season, Murphy had to play most of his minutes at the five to fill in for an injured Kenny Kadji.
“I feel more comfortable on the perimeter playing this position,” Murphy said. “This is more natural for me.”
Another factor contributing to his improvement is a full offseason to work on both his game and his physique.
Murphy opted to stay in Gainesville this past summer to become stronger, enhance his athleticism and rediscover the 3-point touch he displayed in high school.
“I think he took advantage of his time here this summer to improve, and he’s made some good strides,” coach Billy Donovan said.
Murphy’s increased bulk has been evident so far this season, as he leads the team in blocks with seven and ranks third with 11 offensive rebounds despite playing a little more than 15 minutes per game.
Those numbers are a startling increase from the 2009-10 season, when he blocked just eight shots the entire year and often faced questions about his toughness.
“My understanding of where to be, being in the right position and what we’re trying to do on defense got a lot better,” Murphy said.
While Murphy’s improvements under the basket have been noticeable, his contributions from behind the arc have been limited to this point.
The sophomore has attempted just four long-range shots this year, but he has managed to convert on a pair of them, including a momentum-stealer at the end of the first half against Florida State that stretched UF’s lead to nine.
Although the quantity hasn’t been there, the purity of his stroke has shown opponents that they need to guard him out to 21 feet, even if he isn’t likely to turn into a volume shooter any time soon.
“I’m happy with those; they’re open looks for me,” Murphy said. “I’m not going to try to force anything, but if they’re open I’ll take it.”
Murphy’s ability to stretch the defense may play a major role in his strength crashing the offensive glass and scoring in the paint, where he has 3.3 points per game this season.
Overall, Murphy’s points per game have increased from 3.5 as a freshman to 8.2 as a sophomore.
Murphy attributes that improvement not just to this last offseason of work but also to years and years of working on the fundamentals with his dad, Jay, a former NBA player.
Today, Jay does everything he can to catch his son’s games and make sure Erik is doing things the right way.
“He doesn’t watch just to watch, he watches and he gets on me a little bit,” Erik said. “He says, ‘Just keep working, keep playing hard and trying to do all the right things, and keep focused.’”
