Sunday morning reports emerged that five-star guard Jamal Murray would not only be moving into the Class of 2015 but also announcing his college choice at some point this week. Tuesday afternoon a definitive time for his announcement was learned, with Canadian television network TSN sending out a press release that Murray will do so on live television Wednesday evening.
Many reports have Kentucky and Oregon as the top two choices for Murray, a talented guard analysts view as one of the top prospects in basketball regardless of class. The Ontario native, who attends Athlete Institute and played alongside Thon Maker at Orangeville Prep this past season, was one of the top stars at April’s Nike Hoop Summit as well.
Teaming up with Kentucky signee Skal Labissiere, Murray scored 30 points in leading the World team to a 103-101 win over the United States in Portland. Murray made 12 of his 23 shots from the field and also dished out five assists in the win.
For both Kentucky and Oregon, Murray would be an incredibly valuable commitment due to his abilities as both a scorer and a distributor.
At Kentucky he would team up with Tyler Ulis, junior college transfer Mychal Mulder and freshmen Isaiah Briscoe and Charles Matthews, giving the Wildcats both depth and talent in the aftermath of the departures of the Harrison twins and Devin Booker. Kentucky also returns Dominique Hawkins and E.J. Floreal on the perimeter.
As for Oregon, the Ducks added former Villanova guard Dylan Ennis this spring and they also welcome freshmen Tyler Dorsey and Kendall Small. Oregon returns sophomores Casey Benson and Ahmaad Rorie. Both teams have options at the point, but the addition of Murray would provide quite the boost in regards to the 2015-16 campaign.