Samantha Murphy (2014) - Hall of Fame - Grand Canyon University Athletics

Samantha Murphy

Induction:
2014
Class:
2011

Easily recognized as the most "decorated" student-athlete in the history of GCU women's basketball, Samantha Murphy's offensive prowess delivered countless pleasures to Antelopes basketball fans. When her four-year career came to an end in March of 2011, she held 17 single-game, single-season and career records at GCU, rewriting the record books and setting new standards for achievement to those that follow.

Murphy becomes the 17^th individual to join the prestigious cast of former athletes.

Murphy started her career by garnering Pacific West Conference Freshman of the Year honors while also being selected by the coaches in the conference as a First Team All-PacWest selection. She added three more First Team All-Conference picks over the course of her career and was also named PacWest Player of the Year in both her junior and senior seasons. The honors continued to grow as her scoring ability increased through her junior and senior seasons. She averaged a team- and conference-best 19.0 points per game as a junior and then topped that with a school record 24.6 points per game as a senior. The senior season brought recognition as a Daktronics First Team All-America pick plus Division II Player of the Year recognition from both Daktronics and Division II Basketball Bulletin listings.

Team success was also a key during Murphy's time at GCU. In four seasons, GCU won 72.0 percent of their games (83-33) overall and 84.0 percent of games in PacWest Conference play (52-10). The 'Lopes also won a school record 29 times in 2010-11 when they advanced to the NCAA Division II Regional Finals (Sweet 16 of the D-II National Tournament) before losing on the road. The 'Lopes were ranked as high as seventh in the NCAA Division II National Poll during that season.

Murphy's excellence was not limited to the basketball court. She was a three-time PacWest Conference Female Scholar Athlete and was the conference's Female Scholar Athlete of the Year three times as well. She twice was honored as an Academic All-American.

Even after graduating from GCU, Murphy continued to garner attention with regard to her contribution to GCU, the PacWest Conference, and NCAA Division II. In 2013, as the NCAA celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Division II, she was selected to the NCAA Division II 40th Anniversary Tribute Team. The team was honored at a ceremony at the 2014 NCAA Convention in San Diego.