Shaw University to Honor NBA Player and Shaw Graduate Ronald 'Flip' Murray

RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- On February 15, Shaw University will honor Ronald "Flip" Murray, who starred with the Shaw Bears in the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons, by officially retiring his number 22 Monday night before Shaw takes on Johnson C. Smith in men's basketball at C. C. Spaulding Gymnasium on the Shaw campus.

Murray, now with the Charlotte Bobcats, was named Division II Player of the Year, first team All-American and CIAA Player of the Year during the 2001-02 season when he lead the Bears to the Division II Final Four.

Current Shaw Head Coach Cleo Hill, Jr., who served as an assistant coach during Murray's time at Shaw, says Murray's impact is still felt in the program. "Any time you have a special player like Flip, he becomes part of the legacy and part of what your current players aspire to."

At Shaw, the 6-3 Murray averaged 23 points per game (the career record for Shaw), 5.7 assists per game, and 1.9 steals per game. He holds almost all of Shaw's single season records, including points, steals, assists, points per game, and free throws made.

This season, Murray is averaging ten points in 21 minutes per game. Over his seven year NBA career, he has averaged 9.9 points and 2.3 assists a game while playing for Seattle, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana, Atlanta, and Milwaukee – who selected him with the 42nd overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft.

"We are very pleased to highlight and honor the amazing accomplishments of Flip Murray," said Attorney Willie E. Gary, who serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Shaw University. "Flip is one of the most recognized names in basketball, and we are proud to have played a role in shaping someone who has become a powerhouse on and off the basketball court."

A 6:00 p.m. VIP reception will precede the game and the official ceremony will begin upon completion of the women's game against Johnson C. Smith, which begins at 5:30 p.m. The men's game will be held immediately following the ceremony.

SOURCE Shaw University