Playing his first organized basketball game for Kentucky, Canadian sensation Jamal Murray put on a show.
The 6-foot-5 freshman just missed a triple-double when he went for 22 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds in a 117-58 exhibition win over NAIA outfit Ottawa.
Kentucky coach John Calipari pulled the starters with almost four minutes to go, so Murray couldn’t notch the first Kentucky triple-double since Chris Mills in 1988.
“I know now,” Murray said when asked if he knew he was close to the triple-double. “I didn’t know during the game. I just wanted to let my team play. It washes well. I had a lot of fun playing today. I’m sure the team had a lot of fun playing too. I’m looking forward to all of the games that we get to play.”
Murray reclassified to the Class of 2015 from 2016 over the summer and then pulled the trigger for Kentucky, where he’s now part of a lethal three-man starting backcourt that also includes sophomore point guard Tyler Ulis and freshman guard Isaiah Briscoe of New Jersey.
“He’s a great player and I’m a fan of his game,” Briscoe said, per Kyle Tucker of the Courier-Journal. “I just like to see him put the ball in the basket, and he does it with so much ease. He does it like no other. I think he’s going to have a lot of nights like that, where he’s just going to go off.”
Murray is projected as the No. 6 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.com.
Meantime, Ulis went for 17 points and 10 assists, projected No. 1 pick Skal Labissiere had 18 points on 9-for-12 shooting and 5 rebounds and Briscoe tallied 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 turnovers.
“I still thought he let go of the rope a few times, had balls tipped from him for no reason,” Calipari said of Labissiere, who was recently cleared by the NCAA after question about his guardian triggered injuries. “But he’s made unbelievable strides. Believe me, he is way better than he was a month ago.”
Photo: James Crisp / AP
