Taking it to Troy

Sporting News, The, Nov 27, 2000 by Michael Bradley

Want to know why Mike Brey and his staff were so excited to move from Delaware to Notre Dame? OK, besides the fact that coaching in the Big East is more than a tiny step up from the America East

Two words: Troy Murphy.

"One of the things we've talked about from the day we arrived was how to get him plenty of touches," assistant Sean Kearney says of Murphy, the All-American junior forward. "He's so good with it. He can shoot the 3-pointer, He can put it on the floor. He can post-up. We want to get him in spots where he has choices."

Here is one those situations, known as the 2 Hold,

The setup: The Irish double-stack on each of the low posts, with Murphy (TM) and the 4-man, often Ryan Humphrey, on top of each stack. This makes it easy to screen and creates room on the perimeter by forcing defenders to stick close to the basket.

The deception: Murphy and the 2-guard, often Matt Carroll, set a double screen for small forward, often David Graves, who heads out to the opposite 3-point line, The point guard dribbles toward the right and gives a quick look. "If the 3 has the shot, we'll get it to him," Kearney says. That usually isn't the case.

The reverse: If the small forward isn't open, the point--usually Martin Inglesby--brings the ball back to the left, fast. "He has to go right-to-left quickly, to avoid a five-second count," Kearney says, The 4 now screens for Murphy, who cuts across the lane. It may seem pretty easy, but it can cause a few problems for defenders. First, it is somewhat unusual to see big men screening for one another. Second, the man guarding Murphy has had to help his teammate because of the double screen and then cover Murphy as he starts to move. "Most big guys are used to defending on the low block and the high post," Kearney says. "When you get them out on the floor, there can be trouble."

The decision: Murphy comes off the screen, takes the pass and has a veritable buffet of options, He can hit the jumper, He can drive the lane. He can back his man down. Or he can work a pick-and-roll with the 4 man and look inside if he is double-teamed. "He can even wrap his cut around the 4 man and take the pass in the lane," Kearney says.

The payoff: The ball's in the hand of a versatile, 6-9 All-American. Two (or three) points can't be far away.

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