Dejounte Murray: A High Scoring Guard In The Pacific Northwest

Dejounte Murray is a popular player out on the West Coast right now and one who saw his stock soar during a junior season at Rainier Beach (WA).  Now the 6’4” shooting guard looks to continue his rise during the spring and summer.

Last week in the first EYBL tournament of the year, Murray averaged 17 points per game on the Northwest Xpress AAU team which is comprised of the top players in the Pacific Northwest. The team opened with a loss, but Murray scored 21 points albeit on 8-19 shooting. With one game under their belt, the Xpress bounced back on Day 2 winning both of their games. 

“I think it was a whole bunch of jitters,” said Murray. “Our team didn’t know anything about the EYBL, we had never played, I had never played, but I’m used to playing in big games. As we start growing, we don’t want to lose so we were able to take care of business today.”

Murray played his best game late on day two of the live evaluation period. With only two courts of action going on, coaches were soon drawn to the high scoring exploits of the athletic guard. In a 66-53 win Murray scored 25 points on 9-14 shooting, including 4-5 from the three point line. Murray came down and drained three’s off the dribble and also utilized the pick and roll for open looks. Along with his outside shooting, Murray got to the basket off the dribble and finished at the rim for several and-one’s. All in all, it was one of the most impressive performances in Sacramento in front of a handful of college coaches. 

Who are those college coaches?

“The whole PAC-12 is after me, but only several have offered,” said Murray. “Oregon, Washington, Cal, Wazzou, USC are the ones that have offered. Gonzaga has offered me and been in touch. I’ve talked to Kansas and Kentucky a couple times. They didn’t offer yet, but they said I was on their watch list.

This past season, a senior laden Rainier Beach team led by Louisville commit Shaqquan Aaron went 29-1 and finished No. 5 in the country per Max Preps. While the team featured big names such as Aaron, Djuan Piper, and 2015 point guard David Crisp, Murray was still the main attraction for coaches such as Lorenzo Romar of the local Washington Huskies. Rainier Beach will lose a lot going into next year, but this shouldn’t stop them from winning a fourth straight title.   

First off, we are going to be a talented team next year,” noted Murray. “Khalil Shabazz (2017) and Keith Smith (2016). All we need is a big man, but I’m sure we can find someone to transfer in. I think we are going to be better than we were this year. We’ve won 3 in a row and going for 4 next year.”

Scouting Report:

Murray is a long and wiry guard that shoots well from the outside and can break down a defender off the dribble similar to 2014 five-star shooting guard Rashad Vaughn. In his first EYBL experience Murray averaged 4 rpg and 2 apg, to go along with his 17 points. He shot 47% from behind the arc and had a true shooting percentage of 53.3%. He is a high usage player and often has the ball in his hands. When he is on, he is on and there isn’t much any defender can do, but this also can lead to some forced shots at times. While quick and athletic, Murray will also need to continue to hit the weight room. During his junior season, Scout.com bumped Murray up from No. 80 to No. 46 in the class of 2015. The high scoring guard is one of the most exciting players in his class and with a few more impressive performances in the EYBL; Murray will start to increase his popularity across the country. 

Spring Riser: Brekkott Chapman

photo - Desert News

Each spring there are a few players that rapidly ascend up the high school recruiting rankings during the spring and early summer. For some of these players the jump is attributed to a spike in their performance, while for others it is attributed to increased exposure on the national circuit. For Brekkott Chapman, a 6’8” combo forward out of Roy, Utah, both of these factors played a part in his rapid ascension through the 2014 rankings.

Chapman currently sits un-ranked in Scout.com’s top 100 and at number 87 by Rivals, both of which were made prior to the spring AAU circuit.  When the new rankings are released expect to see a jump into the top 40.

As a junior, Chapman averaged 19 points and 8 rebounds a game as he lead his team to a 17-7 record and the Utah 4A state quarterfinals where they lost to Bountiful 50-44. He finished the year as a top five scorer in 4A, but was held to just two points in their season ending loss as Bountiful harassed him with physical defenders and forced him out of his comfort zone. 

In AAU and camp play, Chapman worked hard to get back into his comfort zone playing for the Utah Prospects on the Under Armour AAU circuit while also attending the Pangos All-American and NBPA Top 100 camps. 

In Charlottesville, VA for the Top 100 camp, Chapman played both forward positions on the offensive and defensive ends and looked comfortable in both spots. 

“I prefer the three, but either the three or four is fine,” Chapman said when asked about his preferred position. 

Standing at 6’8”, Chapman has ideal height for a combo forward, but it’s his jumping and shooting ability that make him a nightmare match-up on the offensive end. On the first night at the NBPA Top 100 camp, a recruiting analyst noted “I had no idea he could do that” after watching Chapman throw down another high-flying dunk. Chapman routinely caught taller defenders off guard as he blew by them on the wing for a dunk or acrobatic finish while also displaying his smooth lefty stroke when given space on the perimeter. 

During the three day Top 100 camp, Chapman showed off his dunking prowess and soft outside touch in every game he played averaging nine points per game. He played on one of the most talented teams in the camp and scored between seven and thirteen points in all seven games with a variety of shots from all over the court. He drained three’s from the wing, but also looked comfortable operating in the paint where he used fundamental post moves and soft fade away jump shots to keep his defenders off balance. 

Due to his light frame, Chapman is not as strong on the defensively as he is offensively, however he was quick to bring up his defensive efforts in Charlottesville. 

“Defensively I’ve been doing really well. I stopped my guy, played really good help defense and just tried to do what I can do,” Chapman noted

With his recent play, Chapman has drawn interest from a majority of west coast schools with Arizona and UCLA being the latest big names to show interest. While the heavy hitters in the Pac-12 are starting to pay attention it was the three local schools (BYU, Utah, and Utah State) that were on him the earliest to go along with Gonzaga and Arizona State. For now, Chapman plans to play out the summer which includes stops in LA, Milwaukee, and Vegas before deciding on what schools he wants to visit.

While Chapman is not sure about what schools to visit, he is positive that his high school team will make another state tournament run.

“I feel that we will have a better squad this year with the other juniors coming back that all work really hard and I think we can make it to the finals,” Chapman said. 

When his play over the past few months, Chapman has shown recruiting analysts and college coaches his multi-dimensional skill set. After mixing it up as a combo forward with some of the best players in the country, one can be sure that Chapman will not shy away from physical play come his senior year.

Saturday Recap - 1/19/13

Saturday’s slate of basketball games featured upsets, buzzer beaters, and blowouts. Here is a quick look back on a full day of action.

Game(s) of the Day:

College:

Butler 64 Gonzaga 63

Butler came into their much anticipated Gameday match-up with Gonzaga as 2.5 point home underdogs and also without their top player Rotnei Clarke. Butler was also down one point with 4 seconds left while Gonzaga had a half court inbounds. As Butler has proved time and time again, none of this mattered. Roosevelt Jones stole the inbounds pass and hit a floater over 7 –foot center Kelly Olynyk to win the game and set off a proper court storming. After a back and forth last minute, Butler ended up with the final shot and took advantage in a packed Hinkle Field house. Jones led the way for Butler with 20 points while Sam Dower and Elias Harris each scored 20 for the Zags.

Syracuse 70 Louisville 68

Syracuse came into their biggest game of the year in Louisville, KY without the services of James Sunderland and as 6.5 point underdogs. Syracuse held strong throughout and put together a strong final stand by holding Louisville scoreless for the final 1:58. Sophomore Michael Carter-Williams made a key steal and raced the length of the court for a rim rattling dunk with 25 seconds to give Cuse their final lead. Brandon Triche led the way for the Orange with 23 points on 9-13 shooting while Russ Smith scored 25 points for Louisville. Star guard Peyton Siva played 37 minutes but struggled mightily as he went 1-9 from the field. 

High School:

Chester (PA) 63 Gonzaga (DC) 55

Chester bounced back after suffering an upset loss in the Brandon Jennings Invitational with a strong showing against senior forward Kris Jenkins and Gonzaga. Senior forward Rondae Jefferson (Arizona) missed Chester’s loss last week but returned with a vengeance and finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, and six steals. Senior guard Darius Robinson took the game over in the final minutes and went on a person 6-0 run to put the game out of reach. On the other side, Jenkins scored a game high 23 points for Gonzaga while draining several three pointers and using his big body down low.

Upsets of the Day

College:

Utah 74 Washington 65

In one of the final games of the night, Utah pulled the biggest upset of the day. The Utes came into Seattle as 11 point underdogs and winless in the PAC-12. On the other side, Washington came into the game fresh off an easy win over Colorado and a 4-0 PAC-12 record. Washington struggled from the field and the Utes jumped on them early with a 14-4 run to start the game. The Utes led by eight points at the half and held on during a high scoring 2^nd half. Center Jason Washburn and forward Jordan Loveridge led the way for the Utes with 18 and 17 points respectively.

High School:

Paul VI (VA) Montverde (FL) 67

Montverde, the top ranked team in the country suffered a stunning loss to Paul VI in the Missouri Bass Pro Tournament of Champions only one day before their much anticipated match-up with Findlay Prep. Paul VI battled back from a 10 point deficit in the 3^rd quarter to force overtime after two free throws from sophomore Marcus Derrickson. One day after hitting a game winning jump shot against St. John Boscoe, sophomore guard Kevin Dorsey delivered again with another game winning jump shot. Both teams played in the City of Palms Classic this past December but Paul VI suffered an opening night upset loss and the teams never met up. The sophomore laden Paul VI squad has now knocked off Oak Hill Academy and Montverde.

Blowout of the Day:

College:

Florida 83 Missouri 52

The Gators gave Missouri a nice welcome to the SEC with a 31 point beat down on Saturday afternoon. Point guard Scottie Wilbekin scored off the tip and Florida never looked back starting off with an 11-0 run and a 40-23 halftime lead. Four players scored in double figures for Florida led by forward Eric Murphy and his three-point shooting. One of the top point guards in the country, Phil Pressey struggled mightily as he went 1-7 from the floor and finished with 10 turnovers. Despite two losses, Florida served notice that they should be in the conversation for top teams in the country.

High School:

Whitney Young (IL) 85 Long Beach Poly (CA)52

Long Beach Poly came in 3^rd place at the City of Palms Classic while Whitney Young placed 5^th; however the match-up yesterday was not even close. LB Poly started the game off with a 12-6 1^st quarter run and then it was all Whitney Young as they went on a quick 12-0 run to take the lead that only increased throughout. Big man Jahlil Okafor dominated inside with 26 points and seven rebounds and continued his impressive junior campaign. While Okafor led the way for Whitney Young it was the least talked about Whitney Young starter that sparked the initial run. Senior point guard Ausar Madison is often disrespected by defenders but made LB Poly pay with a 15 foot jump shot and three-pointer on back to back possessions in the first quarter. After that, the remaining Whitney Young starters in Paul White, L.J. Peak, and Miles Reynolds took over. Whitney Young’s lone defeat came to Montverde in overtime after a long day of travel in Florida and face off against the 3 time defending state champion of Illinois in Simeon next Saturday.

Other Notes:

·         The Hangover effect – Coming off big wins, both Maryland and Wisconsin suffered road defeats. Maryland got blown out in Chapel Hill from the get-go and trailed by 22 points at the half. Junior guard Reggie Bullock scored 21 points in the 1^st half and Maryland committed 15 first half turnovers. UNC only scored 18 points through the first 17 minutes of the 2^nd half, but Maryland could not capitalize. Wisconsin trailed from the get go in Ames and suffered through a 1-10 shooting performance from guard Traevon Jackson.

·         Marquette got off to a slow start at Cincinnati with 13 first half points, but almost pulled off the come from behind victory. Last week Marquette defeated Pittsburgh in overtime as 11 point underdogs and this week they lost to a hot shooting Sean Kilpatrick in overtime 71-69.

·         Florida State only scored 36 points in a twenty point defeat to UVA while shooting 1-15 from three.

·         Oregon won at Pauley Pavilion 76-67 and took possession of first place in the PAC-12 after defeating both of the Southern California schools this past weekend.