Little Big Man

They said I was too small to play in high school. I made All-America. Then they said I cou'dn't play in college. I made All-America three years running. Now they say I can't play in the pros. Well, damn, I know I can.

At 5 ft. 9 in., Calvin Murphy is the shortest player in the National Basketball Association--and one of the tallest in determination. When he was drafted by the San Diego Rockets last year, many of the pros predicted that he would be overshadowed like a sapling among sequoias. Now, at the midpoint of his rookie season, Murphy is developing into one of the best little big men in the league. In his last four games he has averaged 15 points while bedeviling his taller rivals with his darting speed and an incredible spring that, says Teammate Elvin Hayes, "allows him to play on a 6-ft. 4-in. level." Against the champion New York Knicks last week Murphy scored seven points in the final minutes and tied the game seconds before the buzzer. In the overtime, he added six more crucial points before the Knicks eked out a 117-113 win. Murphy ended the evening with 23 points (his .625 shooting average topped all the Knick scorers), four assists and, remarkably, seven rebounds--more than any Knick except 6-ft. 10-in. Willis Reed and 6-ft. 4-in. Walt Frazier. Said Frazier: "We were doing the things we always do, but that little Murphy damn near did us in."

Into the Navel. Though he is more than a foot shorter and 75 Ibs. lighter than many of his opponents, Murphy is not one to be intimidated. He had barely suited up for the Rockets in a preseason game when he found himself staring into the navel of 7-ft. 1-in. Wilt Chamberlain of the Los Angeles Lakers. "If you want to stay on the court, rookie," growled Wilt the Stilt, "stay out of the middle." The next thing Chamberlain knew, there was Murphy charging straight into the keyhole. Calvin faked one way, Wilt lunged another, and the little man followed his fake to scoot in for a layup. In the home opener against the Phoenix Suns, Murphy encountered 7-ft. Mel Counts in a one-on-one situation, and scored by vaulting up and shooting over the giant center. "Calvin has a little bit of a handicap on his jumping," says Rocket Coach Alex Hannum. "It takes him so long to come down."

It will take Murphy a bit longer to come up to his own standards. Like Rookie Pete Maravich of the Atlanta Hawks, he is still making the difficult adjustment from the high-scoring college "gunner" to the all-round player demanded by the pros. Primarily, he is working on defense and on passing off to the open man in offensive patterns --skills that were of secondary importance when he played for Niagara University and averaged 33.1 points per game, the third highest career mark in N.C.A.A. history. Murphy has no trouble hitting the hoop; though used sparingly in the early part of the season, he has so far topped 20 points in 13 games, including a brilliant 29-point burst in 29 minutes of play against the Suns. All the Rockets feel "Midget Man" will make it big in the pros, and no one is as certain as Murphy himself. "I want to be a superstar," he says matter-of-factly, "and I truly feel I have all the qualities."

No More Shoveling. There was a time when pro scouts were less convinced; in last year's draft, Murphy was the only All-America player who was not snapped up in the first round. His pride offended, he was all but ready to sign with the Harlem Magicians, a team styled after the Harlem Globetrotters. Then, reflecting on his childhood in Norwalk, Conn., he decided that he had shoveled the snow off the playground courts too many times, had practiced with weights on his ankles too many hours not "to prove myself one more time." He has. A favorite with local fans, Murphy has permanently settled in San Diego with his 4-ft. 11-in. wife Vernetta and their infant daughter Tiffani Dawn. Says Calvin: "We've got to be the shortest family in either league."

Murphy would have it no other way. "I'm happy being five nine," he says. "I've lived short all this time, I don't know whether I could handle it if I got tall." Besides, he says, there are advantages to being a mite among monsters. "When I'm on the court, people recognize me. Off the court, I blend into the crowd. Just being yourself is awfully nice."

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