Court Magician

As Niagara University took to the court for a game against the University of Pennsylvania in the first round of the post-season N.C.A.A. tournament, all eyes were on Niagara's Calvin Murphy. While the sellout crowd in the Princeton gym roared its approval, Murphy moved into the keyhole and fed passes to teammates moving around him in a fast, figure-eight weave. Looking one way and passing another, he fired the ball behind his back, around his neck and through his legs. At one point, he fell down but somehow kept dribbling the ball while rolling on the floor. Then, twirling the ball on one finger, he took two steps, lifted his small 5-ft. 10-in. frame up, up and away toward the basket --and actually stuffed a shot down through the net.

Then the game began. As usual, the warmup show was just a preview of the court magic that Murphy would perform in the game. Though Penn, the eighth-ranked team in the country, had everybody but the cheerleaders guarding him, he broke loose repeatedly, sprang high above the heads of his much taller defenders, and loosed long jump shots that seemed to loop out of the locker room. Just when he seemed caught in a tangle of defenders, he would uncork a pass to a teammate standing wide open under the basket. Late in the game, in a desperate attempt to contain Murphy, Penn switched to a zone defense (illegal in the pros), but it was too late. Underdog Niagara won 79-69, with Murphy hitting for a game-high total of 35 points. Last week Villanova went into an aggressive zone defense at the tipoff and, with four and even five players hounding Murphy at once, held him to a low 18 points to win 98-73.

In a season that saw Louisiana State's Pete Maravich break the career-scoring record of Oscar Robertson, Murphy's achievements tend to be overlooked. In three seasons, Murphy averaged 33.6 points a game, the third highest mark in major-college history--quite a feat for a fellow so comparatively small that most high school coaches would turn him down at first glance.

Had he chosen to, Murphy might have done even better in the scoring records. In his first varsity season with Niagara, he finished second to Maravich, with an average of 38.2 points a game; the following year he averaged 32.4. Unfortunately, it was strictly a one-man show as Niagara's record for the two years was 23 wins and 25 losses. This season, shooting less and passing off more, Murphy let his average drop to 30.4, but he led Niagara to a 21-5 record and its first invitation to the N.C.A.A. tournament.

Show-Biz Instincts. Though Murphy will undoubtedly be an early choice in the professional basketball draft, some scouts feel that he is not tall enough to make it in the pros. Perhaps not, when he is just standing there--5 ft. 10 in. of him relaxed and at rest. But when he uncoils into one of his fantastic jumps, he is clearly a man to look up to. Rival coaches simply shake their heads when he blocks the shots of players nearly a foot taller; Murphy's spring is so remarkable that in several games he has actually been charged with goal tending. As for his ability as a pass-intercepting ball hawk, says St. John's Coach Lou Carnesecca, "If you open your mouth, Murphy will steal your teeth." Nothing if not confident, Murphy has scrimmaged against such pro stars as Jerry Lucas, Rick Barry and John Havlicek at summer basketball camps. His conclusion about the big leaguers: "I can hold my own."

If the pros do not book his pre-game show, Murphy can satisfy his show-biz instincts elsewhere. Raised in Norwalk, Conn., by a 6-ft. mother who once played on a touring basketball team called the Bomberettes, he was a high school All-America as well as the state champion baton twirler. For two seasons, he and his baton were part of the half-time show at the Buffalo Bills' home football games. If unable to continue twirling for the Bills after graduation, Murphy will spend his spare moments at what he says is his favorite sport: roller skating.

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