Proffitt finds home at Morehead State

By Jerry Tipton - jtipton@herald-leader.com

A transfer from Notre Dame to Morehead State might sound like a demotion. But not to former South Laurel star Ty Proffitt, whose move from the Fighting Irish to the Eagles became official on Wednesday.

"The only thing I care about is they have a wooden floor and two iron rims for me to shoot at," he said. "Of course, Notre Dame is a great place. But Morehead has just as many great things. Maybe not as nice of facilities, but that is stuff you don't look at. You look at intangibles."

For Proffitt, Morehead State is rich with intangibles. Third-year coach Donnie Tyndall has guided the program on an upward trajectory: 12-18 in his first season, then 15-15.

And Proffitt's family has deep and varied ties to Morehead State.

As a Nike representative, father Glenn Proffitt has Morehead State as one of his schools. When Ty was growing up, he went with his father to more than one MSU football game each fall. A cousin, Chris Collins, plays offensive line for the Eagles' football team.

"It just felt right," Proffitt said of the decision, which came after a visit to Morehead State last weekend.

Playing time also loomed large. Proffitt played in only eight of Notre Dame's games as a freshman last season. He decided to transfer after playing less than he wanted on a tour of Ireland late last month.

Before visiting Morehead State, Proffitt met with Kentucky coaches. They offered him a chance to walk on.

"I don't think there was much of a chance for me to ever achieve a scholarship at Kentucky," Proffitt said. "Maybe it weighed a little heavy on my mind."

Proffitt, whose final choices were Winthrop, Georgetown College and Duquesne, in addition to Morehead State, saw MSU's Nicola Stojakovic as a role model with the Eagles.

Stojakovic, a combo guard like Proffitt, set a school single-season record with 204 assists last season.

"That was a huge factor," said Proffitt, who will sit out this season and then have three years of eligibility.

Tyndall spoke of Proffitt as a recruiting coup for his program.

"First of all, he's a proven winner," Tyndall said in reference to Proffitt leading South Laurel to the 2005 state championship. "The great thing about Ty is his toughness and love of the game. ...

"So I think it's a perfect fit. I never promise a guy how much he's going to play. But I certainly envision Ty being a big piece of our puzzle down the road."