had i known about matt murphy i would have checked out a game in my back yard.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (WUSA) -- There is a lot of local buzz surrounding the Thomas Edison boys basketball team. This season, the Eagles are being called the "sleeper pick" in the Northern Region, and on Tuesday I found out why.
The first explanation for the hype: senior center Matt Murphy. He stands out on the basketball court like an ancient oak tree, Murphy's 6-foot-7, 285 pound frame is a puzzling yet magnificent display. He's nimble and a brute force in both facets of the game. The four year varsity starter averaged 14 points and 12 rebounds last season and is roughly 280 points shy of netting 1,000 for his career.
"I'm a versatile player because I'm big and I can step out and make a shot. I'm a good passer," said Murphy as he described his game. "I like to think that I am a good leader on the court. And I try and make everyone else better."
Second year Edison head coach Terry Henderson didn't down play the importance of his leader either.
"Wow, where do I even begin? In my opinion Matt's the best big man in the region and arguably one of the best post players in the state of Virginia," Henderson said. "It's off the court too. He's a 3.0 student and he's showing the younger kids the proper way of doing things. He means the world to this program."
And that's coming from a guy who knows the world pretty well.
A 1988 Edison graduate, Henderson was one of three starters that year to go on and play college basketball. He made a name for himself at Milligan College in Johnson City, Tennessee as a self-described rebounding machine and defender with "not much polish on offense." Over time, Henderson began attracting overseas attention to play basketball professionally.
In 1996, Henderson flew out to Antwerp, Belgium where he tried out and practiced with the pro team Brabo DC. Two weeks later he was on the next flight back over the pond to begin what would become a five year pro career (1996-2000) that also featured a stop with the Irish team St. Vincents in Dublin.
"I've implemented some things I learned over in Europe to the way I coach now," Henderson said as he recalled his pro playing days. "Basketball in Europe is fundamentally sound. If we had a practice for three hours, at least half of it would be spent perfecting the basics. We focus in on that here."
Taking better care of your body is another point that was hammered home to Henderson while in Europe. His Belgium team would put out fruit trays before, during and after games to help with cramping. Edison's pregame dining arrangement now features bananas, grapes and pineapple.
"He's brought in a lot of knowledge from his prior experiences," said Murphy about his coach.
Henderson got back into coaching in 2005, leading the Edison boys freshman team. That led to a position as head girls varsity coach at Mount Vernon. Then, his career came full circle to Edison.
"Coach just knows what he's talking about," said Murphy.
On an importance scale of one to ten, Henderson said that Friday night's game at T.C. Williams is hands-down a 10. The Titans are the elite team in the region year in and year out. Henderson said the match-up will be a good, early season gauge of how great the Eagles could be this year.
Murphy hastily agreed: "We know people there, they know people here. The history is there too. I can't wait."
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