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McPherson’s leap of faith
The junior guard announced yesterday he would forego his senior season at DePaul and apply for the June NBA draft. “This is the best time to make my move,” McPherson said. “The NBA has been something I have been thinking about, even before I came to DePaul. It’s been a lifetime dream for me. This is one of the best opportunities I’ve had to reach my dream.” DePaul basketball coach Pat Kennedy told a local newspaper that McPherson believes in his own abilities, and was supported on his decision by the coaching staff. “Paul has tremendous confidence in himself and thinks he can play in the league,” Kennedy said. “We’ve talked about this for a couple days.” McPherson had been talking like someone who would be coming back for his senior season. After the first-round loss to Kansas in the NCAA Tournament, McPherson said he hoped the Demons could take what they’ve learned in defeat and turn it into a better season next year. Instead, they will have to do it without him. “I may have been the most disappointed after the Kansas loss,” McPherson said. “I was thinking about next year. But after sitting down, I definitely think it’s the right time.” Blue Demon games routinely hosted 10 to 12 NBA scouts, so the pros have a pretty good idea what McPherson can do, Kennedy said. “In my opinion, I think he has a good chance of being a second-rounder,” Kennedy told a local paper. McPherson has spoken to neither agents nor NBA personnel, and didn’t give an idea of where he expects to be taken—or if he expects to be taken. “We have heard some things [about where I might go] but we don’t really know how true it is. I haven’t actually spoken with any general managers,” McPherson said. Is McPherson ready to accept life as a non-NBA pro? “I am definitely willing to play basketball anywhere to achieve where I’m trying to get,” McPherson said. “My main priority is the NBA. If it comes to it, I would definitely consider Europe or possibly the CBA. But right now, I’m thinking strictly NBA. Much of McPherson’s brief DePaul career could be described as dreamlike. It went by fast, and had some memorable moments along with some pockets of confusion and blankness. McPherson thrilled crowds with spectacular dunks, played defense about as well as any Blue Demon and came through in the postseason. But he also disappeared mid-season, was suspended for a game for violating team academic policy and never could truly find his place in the offense. McPherson said any academic troubles he might have had didn’t affect his decision one way or another. “It’s not about that, it’s strictly a about chasing my dream,” McPherson said. “All I want to do is play in the NBA. I am not leaving because of class or anything like that. I am definitely coming back to finish and earn the credit hours toward my degree.” McPherson began with a bang, winning the slam-dunk contest at Midnight Madness, and promising afterward that his outside jumper would make people take even more notice. McPherson proceeded to make 20 of his first 23 shots—most of them from 10 feet and closer—as a Demon. McPherson looked like the best DePaul junior college transfer since Kevin Edwards. McPherson made outstanding plays on both offense and defense. He was DePaul’s best one-on-one player (but that’s not saying a whole lot) and second-most tenacious defender after Rashon Burno (McPherson was No. 9 in conference steals). And no college player could make the claim they were a more prolific dunker than McPherson, who has a particular liking for a reverse overhead jam. McPherson’s claim that he can outleap Toronto’s Vince Carter might now get a true test. “I’ve started to work with a strength and conditioning coach and I’ve started to work on the weak points of my game,” McPherson said. But no Blue Demon player made fans “ooh” and “ahh” more at the NCAA Tournament, where he electrified the neutral North Carolina fans several times with his athletic play. McPherson also pulled stupefying disappearing acts. After scoring in double figures in eight of DePaul’s first nine games, McPherson went into a serious tailspin. He reached 10 points or better in only six of the Demons’ final 20 regular-season games. McPherson intermittently lost, then regained, his starting job to Kerry Hartfield, and ran afoul of DePaul’s academic policy, forcing Kennedy to suspend McPherson for the Feb. 2 game against Tulane. But McPherson made up for the invisibility Feb. 26 when he beat Saint Louis with a baseline basket with 2.7 seconds left, solidifying DePaul’s first NCAA bid in eight years. McPherson continued his personal renaissance with all-conference honors at the C-USA Tournament in early March. McPherson also unleashed his long-awaited outside shot. After missing all eight of his three-point attempts in the regular season, McPherson calmly swished both long-range attempts against Memphis. “I was just saving it for the playoffs,” he joked. McPherson added another bomb against Charlotte and two more against Saint Louis in the final. It took all year, but McPherson’s offensive game appeared to consist of more than the transition dunk. DePaul was the third collegiate stop for McPherson, who spent 1998-99 at Kennedy-King Junior College in Chicago and 1996-97 at Tallahassee Community College in Florida—one year and out in each case. McPherson hopes this will no longer be the case as he prepares for life in the real world.
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