NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Rhode Island of last decade

1. Erik Murphy – Florida

It’s been quite some time since Murphy was playing college basketball, but his solid career still fits in our ten-year window. Considered a top 50 prospect back then, this 6’10 forward arrived at Florida in 2009 to play under Billy Donovan. This Florida program was just a few seasons removed from those consecutive national titles, though Murphy didn’t exactly pull off that kind of feat from the Gators’ frontcourt.

He actually played sparingly as an underclassman, not getting consistent minutes until his junior season. That year saw him average 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as the Gators advanced to the Elite Eight. Murphy contributed a then-career-high 24 points in an SEC Tournament loss to Kentucky. His final year was even more impressive, averaging 12.2 points and 5.5 rebounds a game. His new career-high came again in the conference tournament, this time a 27-point effort in a win over LSU, and he helped lead Florida to another trip to the Elite Eight.

Murphy really emerged as a dynamic player as an upperclassman. He was named First Team All-SEC as a senior and was twice named to the SEC’s All-Tournament team. His shooting numbers were among the best in the conference, while he ranked top 3 in both offensive and defensive rating as a senior. Those Elite Eight runs don’t happen without Murphy’s contributions. He was a late draft pick of the Chicago Bulls in 2013 but has spent most of his career playing professionally overseas.

We have completed our deep dive into the best college basketball players of the last ten years from the state of Rhode Island; how do you think we did with today’s rankings of these players?