Power forward Erik Murphy will get the opportunity to play for an NBA title contender and team up with a Gators great in 2013-14.
The Chicago Bulls selected Murphy with the 49th pick in the second round of the NBA Draft on Thursday night.
He teams up with All-Star center Joakim Noah, who won two national titles with Florida from 2005-07.
“Chicago is a great organization. Great players, great coaches, and I’m just honored,” Murphy said in a text message. “It will be great to play with Jo.”
Murphy is the 35th Florida player all time to be selected and 16th player drafted during coach Billy Donovan’s 17-year tenure at Florida.
Former Gators guards Kenny Boynton and Mike Rosario, two of UF’s top three scorers in 2012-13, went undrafted.
The 6-foot-10 Murphy fills the Bulls' need for a forward who can stretch the floor. He showcased his perimeter game last season, shooting 45.3 percent from behind the arc and leading the Southeastern Conference in three-point shooting percentage (.473) during league play. He averaged 12.2 points per game – second most on UF.
In 2012-13, Chicago shot 35.3 percent from downtown – 20th in the NBA.
“Something you’ve heard [Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau] talk about and you’ve heard me talk about is improving our ability to shoot the basketball,” Chicago general manager Gar Forman said. “Erik Murphy is a stretch four that was a 45 percent three-point shooter who we think has a chance to help us down the road because of his ability to stretch the floor and shoot the basketball.”
The Bulls also selected New Mexico forward Tony Snell with the 20th overall pick Thursday night. Murphy joins Noah, Snell, power forwards Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson and small forward Luol Deng in the frontcourt.
Last season, the Chicago Bulls went 45-37 and fell to the NBA champion Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals in five games.
Gators land second 2014 commit: Brandone Francis, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard out of Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville, committed to Florida on Thursday.
Francis, a four-star recruit, is ranked No. 25 in the Class of 2014, according to Rivals.com.
“Happy to be part of the family #GatorNation!!!! I'm so humble and thankful right now.. Thank you…,” Francis posted on his Twitter account (@BFranc5).
The Dominican Republic native picked Florida after also considering Florida State, Washington, Louisville, Indiana and others.
Francis is UF’s second 2014 recruit. Donovan picked up a commitment from 5-foot-9 point guard Chris Chiozza, the 39th-ranked player in the class, on May 14.
Frazier, USA U19 team debut: Florida shooting guard Michael Frazier II scored two points as the USA Basketball U19 team opened the FIBA U19 World Championships in Prague with an 88-29 victory over Ivory Coast.
Frazier went 1 of 8 from the field and 0 of 4 on three-pointers in almost 18 minutes of action. He also recorded five rebounds, one assist and one steal.
The USA squad, coached by Donovan, saw all 12 of its players score against Ivory Coast.
USA will face China for its next matchup in the preliminary round of the tournament on Friday at 2:15 p.m. EST.
Contact Landon Watnick at lwatnick@alligator.org.
Senior forward Erik Murphy (33) attempts a pass during Florida’s 69-52 win against Kentucky on Feb. 12 in the O’Connell Center. The Chicago Bulls selected Murphy 49th overall on Thursday night in the 2013 NBA Draft.
