Post by elp525 on May 8, 2011 8:51:59 GMT -5
May 7, 2011
By Aaron Bracy
Charleston Gazette
PHILADELPHIA -- Aaric Murray is thrilled to get a second chance to play for West Virginia.
The talented 6-foot-10 center announced Saturday that he will transfer to WVU after spending his first two seasons at La Salle. The Philadelphia native will sit out next season and have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Murray said he coveted the Mountaineers out of high school, but others had his ear and led him to the Explorers.
"I had the wrong people in my corner," he said.
Now, he's looking forward to the opportunity to putting on the gold and blue and playing for coach Bob Huggins. Murray chose West Virginia over Oklahoma State.
"Just basically Coach Huggins putting a lot of guys in the [NBA]," he said of a reason he picked WVU. "I kind of liked the atmosphere over there a little more than Oklahoma State. I just fell in love with West Virginia so much that I just decided to stay there."
As a sophomore at La Salle last season, Murray led the Explorers in scoring (15.2 points per game) and rebounding (7.7). However, his play was inconsistent and he was benched for a game and sulked on the bench during the second half of another.
He was capable of explosive performances, like the career-high 28 points he netted against Bucknell Dec. 17, the 23-point, 13-rebound performance against Oklahoma State on Dec. 4 or the 22 points and 11 boards he had in his final game as an Explorer against Temple in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals.
But he also was often in foul trouble and put up many games like the four points in 12 minutes against Villanova on Dec. 12. He finished his La Salle career with 190 fouls in 62 games, averaging 3.1 per contest.
La Salle coach John Giannini was disappointed things didn't work out but wished Murray the best.
"It's always disappointing when you have a young player who doesn't reach his potential," Giannini said last month at the Big 5 banquet. "Aaric's potential is just so great, but I know in my heart I did everything I possibly could have but for some reason it just wasn't as good as we wanted it to be.
"But Aaric's young. He's got a ton of ability, and I just really hope the best for him because he's a young guy we care about and there's no limit to what he can do."
In two years at La Salle, Murray averaged 13.7 points and 7.2 boards. He was an Atlantic 10 All-Rookie selection in 2009-10 after averaging 12.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. He ranks second all-time at La Salle with 143 career blocks.
He also showed some range, hitting 51 3-pointers (51-for-143, 35.7 percent) in his career.
He said he is looking forward to developing at WVU to fulfill his dream of playing in the NBA.
"I'm real excited. I feel as though I need to mature, get stronger, learn the game more and get better as an overall player, on and off the court," he said.
A four-star recruit out of Glen Mills, Pa., rated the 35th best player in the country and fifth-best center by Rivals.com, Murray chose La Salle over West Virginia, Rutgers, Pitt, Temple and St. Joseph's.
By Aaron Bracy
Charleston Gazette
PHILADELPHIA -- Aaric Murray is thrilled to get a second chance to play for West Virginia.
The talented 6-foot-10 center announced Saturday that he will transfer to WVU after spending his first two seasons at La Salle. The Philadelphia native will sit out next season and have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Murray said he coveted the Mountaineers out of high school, but others had his ear and led him to the Explorers.
"I had the wrong people in my corner," he said.
Now, he's looking forward to the opportunity to putting on the gold and blue and playing for coach Bob Huggins. Murray chose West Virginia over Oklahoma State.
"Just basically Coach Huggins putting a lot of guys in the [NBA]," he said of a reason he picked WVU. "I kind of liked the atmosphere over there a little more than Oklahoma State. I just fell in love with West Virginia so much that I just decided to stay there."
As a sophomore at La Salle last season, Murray led the Explorers in scoring (15.2 points per game) and rebounding (7.7). However, his play was inconsistent and he was benched for a game and sulked on the bench during the second half of another.
He was capable of explosive performances, like the career-high 28 points he netted against Bucknell Dec. 17, the 23-point, 13-rebound performance against Oklahoma State on Dec. 4 or the 22 points and 11 boards he had in his final game as an Explorer against Temple in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals.
But he also was often in foul trouble and put up many games like the four points in 12 minutes against Villanova on Dec. 12. He finished his La Salle career with 190 fouls in 62 games, averaging 3.1 per contest.
La Salle coach John Giannini was disappointed things didn't work out but wished Murray the best.
"It's always disappointing when you have a young player who doesn't reach his potential," Giannini said last month at the Big 5 banquet. "Aaric's potential is just so great, but I know in my heart I did everything I possibly could have but for some reason it just wasn't as good as we wanted it to be.
"But Aaric's young. He's got a ton of ability, and I just really hope the best for him because he's a young guy we care about and there's no limit to what he can do."
In two years at La Salle, Murray averaged 13.7 points and 7.2 boards. He was an Atlantic 10 All-Rookie selection in 2009-10 after averaging 12.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. He ranks second all-time at La Salle with 143 career blocks.
He also showed some range, hitting 51 3-pointers (51-for-143, 35.7 percent) in his career.
He said he is looking forward to developing at WVU to fulfill his dream of playing in the NBA.
"I'm real excited. I feel as though I need to mature, get stronger, learn the game more and get better as an overall player, on and off the court," he said.
A four-star recruit out of Glen Mills, Pa., rated the 35th best player in the country and fifth-best center by Rivals.com, Murray chose La Salle over West Virginia, Rutgers, Pitt, Temple and St. Joseph's.
