PAC-12 Focus

In a weekend void of upsets, Oregon came through on Sunday with a home victory over the favored Utah Utes. Meanwhile, ESPN spent the weekend in Tucson for their game of the week which featured Arizona as a 14 point favorite over the visiting UCLA Bruins. Two weeks remain in conference play as teams battle for conference tournament seeding. Arizona sits all alone at the top but they travel to the Rocky Mountains to face off against Colorado and then Utah, which sits one game back in the loss column. Oregon has won eight out of their last 10 games and sits comfortably in third place.

Player of the Year:

Joseph Young, SG, Oregon (19.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.3 apg)

Oregon Live photo - Joseph Young

Predicted to finish eighth in the conference in the pre-season, senior guard Joseph Young has led the Ducks to a 10-5 conference record and a third-place standing. Young did not have his best game of the year in the Utah upset this past weekend but he has been the toughest cover in the Pac-12. He is second in the conference in scoring at 19.3 points per game and has scored in double figures in 14 out of 15 games. To go with his scoring exploits, Young added six assists against both Colorado and UCLA. Young is tops in the league in free throw shooting at 92.9% and is ninth in three point shooting at 40.7%.

All-Conference:

Delon Wright, PG, Utah (12.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 5.5 apg)

Wright is a leader for All-American honors despite a dip in his personal statistics. Last year Wright averaged 16.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in conference play but with a stronger team this year his assist numbers have rose and the talented point guard comes in just behind TJ McConnell. Despite the most recent loss to Oregon, a game in which Wright scored 20 points in 40 minutes, a golden opportunity awaits this week when the Wildcats come to town. In an earlier loss, Utah hung around for the first half, but now the All-American candidate will look to improve on the 10 points he previously scored. A win here would be significant for both the Utes and Wright as well.

Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona (13.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.14 spg)

The top freshmen in the Pac-12 had his worst shooting performance of conference play on Saturday against UCLA, but he still managed to contribute in other ways grabbing 10 boards in 32 minutes. Johnson has put up double figure games in all but four and is also averaging close to seven rebounds a game from the small forward spot. In a Thursday night blowout of USC, Johnson went for 13 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in just 25 minutes. 

T.J. McConnell, PG, Arizona (12 ppg, 5.71 apg, 56% FG)

Arizona’s point guard makes his first appearance on the All-Conference list during his Arizona tenure. McConnell’s scoring is up this year at 12 points per game and he also leads the conference in assists and is third in assist to turnover ratio. In addition, McConnell is also fifth in field goal percentage. In the Wildcats last loss, a rivalry game at Arizona State, McConnell scored a season high 25 points. His assist numbers are up and McConnell is playing at a very high rate having recorded an offensive efficiency rating of 100 or more in all but his first conference game.

Chasson Randle, SG, Stanford (20.3 ppg, 3.07 apg, 1.36 spg)

Randle is the leading scorer in conference play at 20.3 points per game and most recently scored 19 points in a rivalry win over California. He’s struggled shooting the ball over the past three games, but he has Stanford at fourth place in the conference (barely). The senior has also scored in double figures in every conference game and is also seventh in steals.

On the Verge: Anthony Brown (Stanford), Tyrone Wallace (Cal), Gary Payton II (Oregon State), Nigel Williams-Goss (Washington), Norman Powell (UCLA)

Freshman of the Year:

Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona

Other Top Freshmen: Kevon Looney (UCLA), Dillon Brooks (Oregon), Jordan McLaughlin (USC)

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.