Erik Murphy’s perimeter play earned increased attention last season.
After shooting 12 for 30 behind the three-point line as a sophomore and failing to register an attempt as a freshman, the forward more than quadrupled his career totals during his third season.
Murphy finished out his junior campaign with 59 threes. He shot 42.1 percent on three-point attempts, leading all Gators with at least 50 shots.
As Murphy prepares to start his final season, coach Billy Donovan is looking for the forward to improve his post offense.
“He cannot just be, for us, that guy that steps away from the basket and shoots it,” Donovan said on Oct. 10. “The next step for him is can he become a scorer from the perimeter and from the mid-post area or from the low post. He knows he needs to do that.”
In Murphy’s two highest-scoring games last season — 18 points against Yale on Dec. 31 and 24 points against Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals on March 10 — only 40 percent of his field goals were inside the arc. More than half of his attempts were three-pointers, which Murphy credits to more open looks from beyond the three-point line.
Murphy said that he learned how to establish position in the paint during the offseason.
“(I’m) trying to get better position on the catch, and when I catch just see the defense and what they’re doing before I make a move and not rush it,” Murphy said.
With transfer Damontre Harris out with a labrum tear, Florida’s frontcourt players were on the court for the majority of Sunday’s scrimmage. The extra time gave Murphy a greater opportunity to strengthen his post offense.
“I shoot the ball decently well,” Murphy said. “I don’t really pay attention to how many shots I make or how many shots I take in practice, especially when we’re trying to prepare ourselves for games.”
Although Murphy needs to improve his post presence offensively, his rebounding and blocking need little improvement. Murphy led Florida in blocks with 37. He also wrapped up last season by grabbing 29 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament – second most on the team.
“I’m trying to carry [playing physical and rebounding] over as much as possible,” Murphy said.
“Obviously, that’s something that I’ve always tried to get better at. ... I feel that I’m doing well at it now.”
Murphy entered the 2011-12 season under the radar, which allowed him to create havoc for defenses. He would stretch opponents out by setting a pick and then getting open behind the line, forcing defenders to decide whether they should jump out to guard him or stay back to protect the basket.
This year, Murphy hopes playing the post more will continue to cause problems for the opposition.
“It will definitely help, I think, because you have to play me two ways,” he said. “It will also open some stuff up for other guys on the perimeter if I can do some stuff down low.”
Contact Katie Agostin at kagostin@alligator.org.
Erik Murphy poses during Florida’s media day on Oct. 10. Murphy hit 59 threes in 2011-12 and has been working on his post game.
