Kitchener’s Jamal Murray heads to Pan Am Games
Posted Jul 19, 2015 07:48:49 AM.
Last Updated Jul 19, 2015 09:53:39 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A former Grand River Renegade will be headlining the crop of young talent on Canada’s men’s basketball team in the Pan Am Games.
Kitchener’s Jamal Murray has been dubbed a five-star recruit and will play at Kentucky in the fall, but first, he’ll suit up in red and white, looking to win a medal on home soil.
Murray has made the cut at point guard where many expect him to play big minutes for Canada.
He tells Sportsnet, he’s excited to pick the brains of NBAers Anthony Bennett and Andrew Nicholson.
“It’s going to be a good experience to get to see what they see in the NBA,” says Murray.
“I’m just looking to create chemistry off the court and hopefully, that’ll translate to on the court.”
The 19-year-old has been projected as a lottery pick once he’s eligible for the NBA Draft, and he reportedly turned down a seven-figure offer overseas in favour of studying and playing at Kentucky.
Murray tells Sportsnet, he wants to prove basketballers can stay in Canada for high school and still make it to the NBA.
“That’s just something that was a personal thing for me and my family — to be able to stay home and train, and continue the work that we’ve put in all those years,” he says.
“We didn’t want to just send me off and put me in the hands of somebody else; we wanted to do this as a family.”
The men’s team gets started on Tuesday against the Dominican Republic in the preliminary round.
Murray says he thinks Canada has a chance to make a deep run in the tournament.
