Murphy's Law: Lincoln grad overcomes negative stigma

The criticisms against Kamari Murphy were endless. His transfer from Bishop Ford to Lincoln in December 2009 was met with outrage – against him and the PSAL, which allowed him to compete for the Railsplitters despite Ford’s allegation that he was already on its roster.

Murphy, who was a junior at the time, heard all the gripes and read the internet rumblings – he was almost being cast as everything that was wrong with New York City basketball. He took all of that in and immediately discarded it.

“I just never took it to heart and I played it out on the court,” Murphy said Sunday at the Long Island Lightning Live tournament at Island Garden. “And I came out successful.”

Denis Gostev

Lincoln's Kamari Murphy has put the critics in the rear-view mirror.

It’s hard to argue with that statement, whether or not you agree with his choice to leave Ford for Lincoln.

The 6-foot-8 Murphy graduated from Lincoln in June and will spend a postgraduate year at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. The college offers on the table are impressive – Florida, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Miami, Temple, Iowa and Iowa State – and there could be more to come.

If he sharpens his offensive skills on the wing at IMG, Long Island Lightning coach Dana Dingle says, Murphy can go pretty much anywhere he wants.

“His athleticism and his motor increased as he got older,” said Dingle, who has coached him since he was 10 years old. “That made his attributes stand out a little bit more. It made people see this kid can play on any level. He can run and jump with anybody. … The sky’s the limit because he has the other stuff you can’t teach – size, speed, athleticism.”

When he left Ford, Murphy had only mid-major Division I offers. He didn’t feel like playing there, in second-tier CHSAA Class A, helped him grow as a basketball player. Like many players do, Murphy left for supposedly greener pastures. The timing, though, drew serious ire from pundits. Murphy still believes he is paying the price for it.

“I think a lot of people in the city underestimate me – even now,” he said. “On the internet, they don’t even spell my name right. I haven’t gotten the respect that I think I deserve.”

All he has done, though, is work hard and improve every single year. Murphy’s upper body has gotten stronger. His ball handling and shooting is better. His length and athleticism make him a handful at multiple positions. This season, he helped lead Lincoln back to the PSAL Class AA city championship game at Madison Square Garden, not to mention the Brooklyn AA regular season crown and Brooklyn borough title.

That’s something he could not have done if he stayed at Bishop Ford. The other things he has accomplished? It’s debatable whether they could have been possible with the Falcons. The only thing certain is Murphy never let all the negative attention affect him.

Perhaps that was his greatest achievement.

“If I make it,” Murphy said, “I can just look back and laugh at all the people who said those things.”

mraimondi@nypost.com