Tod Murphy : Former Irvine Star Hopes to Come Back to NBA After a Strong Season With Albany Patroons

There are precious few subjects that elicit a no-comment response from Bill Mulligan, UC Irvine’s basketball coach.

He will gladly tell you exactly how he feels about players, opposing players, referees, other coaches, people he has never met . . . the list is almost endless.

But don’t ask him about a player’s chances of making it in the National Basketball Assn.

“Hey, the best player I ever had (Kevin Magee) couldn’t make it in the NBA, so I quit trying to figure those guys out a long time ago,” he said.

It’s easy to see why Mulligan is stymied. Magee, a two-time All-American at Irvine (1980-82) who averaged 26 points and 12 rebounds, was cut by the Phoenix Suns in 1982.

Now consider the odd case of Tod Murphy, who holds the Irvine career scoring mark with 1,778 points. Murphy, who averaged 15 points and 7 rebounds as an Anteater from 1982-86, isn’t playing in the NBA, but that could change.

In the two years since he graduated, the 6-9, 220-pound forward just seems to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time--but at least he has been to a lot of places.

A brief chronology:

--Murphy was drafted by Seattle in 1986. After rookie camp, the SuperSonics told him they had wanted him to play small forward but realized he was better suited to play power forward.

--At the SuperSonics’ suggestion, Murphy agreed to play with an Italian League team. But eight days after he arrived in Europe, he suffered an injury to his right knee during an exhibition game. He returned to the United States for surgery.

--After rehabilitating the knee, Murphy went to the Clippers’ camp in 1987 and led the team in playing time during the preseason. But the Clippers signed holdout Michael Cage--and released Murphy--after the first game of the regular season.

--Soon thereafter, Murphy discovered he had contracted mononucleosis and had to spend two months in bed.

--Partially recovered, he joined the Continental Basketball League’s Albany Patroons, who were in the middle of a season that ended with the best record (48-6) in the history of professional basketball and the CBA championship.

--Murphy averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds in the championship series against Wyoming and was named the series’ most valuable player.

With his whirlwind tour of professional basketball facilities--and medical facilities--in hiatus, Murphy returned home to Lakewood this week after the Patroons’ exhibition series in Puerto Rico.

He was sporting a large smile to go along with a nice tan. After a couple of years of chaos, Murphy is starting to feel like a guy in the right place at the right time for a change.

“I’d like to think I got quite a bit of exposure because a lot of the (CBA) playoffs were on ESPN,” Murphy said. “I just want a legitimate shot at making a team, and now I’m in a position to pick and choose a little.

“We’ll see what happens in the (NBA) draft and then find out what teams have what needs and what openings.”

The CBA’s television deal with ESPN has already paid dividends for Murphy. After he scored 21 points and had 10 rebounds in the televised fourth game of the playoff series against Pensacola, Golden State offered Murphy a contract for the remaining 16 days of the season.

He decided to stay with the Patroons.

“If it had been a team that was going to the (NBA) playoffs who called, it might have been different,” Murphy said, “but I really wanted to win that championship. The Patroons were 19-2 when I first got there, and I wasn’t getting much playing time, maybe 5 to 15 minutes.

But near the end of the season, Scott Roth was called up to Utah, Michael Brooks went to Denver and Tony Campbell went to the Lakers.

“I was starting and averaging 45 minutes a game,” Murphy said. “We swept Pensacola in four games without those guys, and we knew we were a good team.”

The Detroit Pistons were watching, too, and they have offered Murphy two one-year contracts ($100,000 the first year and $150,000 the second). The contracts are not guaranteed, however, so Murphy is training at Irvine and playing the waiting game. Waiting to fill the right spot at the right time.

Unlike his college coach, Murphy understands why some of his former teammates have made it in the NBA and others have not.

“It’s a matter of timing more than anything,” he said. “I’d like to think the only reason I didn’t stick with the Clippers was because they had three guaranteed rookies and eight or nine other guaranteed spots.

“And unless you’re a star, you have to fill a role, have a certain identity.”

Although he is not the most gifted athlete on the court, Murphy is essentially an all-around player. It’s difficult to hang a label on him.

“My scoring record here (at Irvine) is more a case of longevity than anything, but I’ve always scored pretty well,” said Murphy, whose career 79% free-throw percentage is testament to his soft shooting touch. “Oddly, though, my agent (Warren Legarie) says I’ve developed a reputation as a defensive player and rebounder.

“I’m not the stereotypical stud power forward, so I guess some people question whether I can fill that role in the NBA. But when I was with the Clippers, I held my own against (Utah’s) Karl Malone, and I think that pretty much says it all.

“What it boils down to is getting into a camp and proving it.”

A basketball player might not appreciate being tabbed as a guy with his feet planted firmly on the ground, but Murphy comes across as a down-to-earth person.

Well-adjusted ? In four years at Irvine, his postgame moods ranged from happy and congenial to somber and congenial. Focused ? Mulligan said Murphy never had a bad practice in four years as an Anteater. Practical ? He made sure he acquired a degree in economics before leaving Irvine.

Murphy, who is considering a post-basketball career in financial planning, has turned down a number of offers to play in Europe for a basically tax-free, $150,000-a-year salary.

“I’m not saying I wouldn’t play overseas, and if it was strictly a matter of money, I’d be there right now,” he said.

But even pragmatists are allowed to dream and, for the time being, anyway, Murphy is choosing to chase his.