By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Not one, not two, but three former members of the Tennessee Tech men's basketball program continued their career path within and towards the National Basketball Association (NBA) over the past few weeks, taking part in one or more of the three summer leagues offered in Orlando, Utah and Las Vegas.
A second round selection of the Utah Jazz in the 2012 NBA Draft, Kevin Murphy took part in the Orlando Summer League as a member of the Orland Magic White Team. A starter in all five contests, Murphy helped lead the Magic White to a perfect 5-0 showing while averaging 11.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
One of just two Golden Eagles ever to record at least 2,000 points in their career – Murphy also holds the single-game scoring record for Tech with 50 points against SIUE – the Atlanta, Ga. native saved his best performance for the league's final contest. In 25 minutes of action, the 6-foot-5 guard dropped 19 points on 6-for-12 shooting. He sunk all five of his free throw attempts, shot 50 percent from downtown, hauled in two rebounds, rejected a shot and did not commit any fouls.
Former Golden Eagle big man Charles Jackson took the court representing the NBA Development League Select team, competing in Las Vegas. The team, which is annually comprised of the top NBA D-League prospects, included former Duke guard Quinn Cook, former Xavier guard Tu Holloway, and former VCU forward Juvonte Reddic, just to name a few.
The former Tech center averaged 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, participating in five of the team's contests during the league. Jackson took the court for 8.4 minutes per game, garnering one start and shooting 58.3 percent from the floor. He had a great showing in his second contest, scoring nine points with three rebounds and a steal in just 13 minutes of action. He finished 3-for-3 from the field in that game as well.
Also representing the purple and gold in NBA Summer League play was former skyscraper and big man, Liam McMorrow. The native of Canada participated in three games for the New Orleans Pelicans, making two starts and averaging 15 minutes per game.
A 7-foot-2 center, McMorrow was surprisingly effective from the charity stripe in his limited action, firing at a 70 percent clip from the free throw line. He averaged 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds during play in the Las Vegas league. His best performance came in 22 minutes of court time against Utah, where he scored six points, hauled in four rebounds and rejected two shots.
Photos courtesy of TTU Sports Information
