Next Cats: The secret is out on Canadian guard Jamal Murray

There probably isn't a high school basketball player in America who's had a better week on the court than Jamal Murray.

The 6-foot-5 combo guard from Kitchener, Ontario, has been getting buckets on both sides of the border the past few days.

On Saturday in Portland, Ore., Murray scored 30 points and dished out five assists to lead the World Select team to a 103-101 victory over a Team USA squad that included several University of Kentucky recruiting targets.

On Tuesday night in Toronto, he had 29 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists in the first BioSteel All-Canadian game, an event that organizers hope grows into the Canadian equivalent of the McDonald's All-American Game.

Murray was named most valuable player at both events.

He's not nearly as well known as some of the players he was competing against — Thon Maker, Malik Newman and Jaylen Brown, among them — but Murray's performances didn't surprise Larry Blunt, his high school coach at Orangeville Prep.

"I think he's probably been one of the world's best-kept secrets," Blunt told the Herald-Leader. "And that secret is starting to get out a little bit."

It wasn't the smoothest start to the high school season for Murray, who teamed up for the first time with Maker — a five-star 7-footer with recruiting interest from many of the top college programs in the country.

Early in the season, it was clear that Murray and Maker weren't having the easiest time figuring out how to play alongside each other.

Both were used to being "the man" on their high school teams, and both would have to learn to adjust.

"Thon and Jamal — those are two competitors," Blunt said. "For them, that was the first time that they had really played extended time, especially in a high school setting, with other guys that are really talented. A lot of people say we have 12 Division I players, and I think it was a sacrifice and a learning experience for all of us.

"I think Jamal has really helped Thon, and I think Thon has really helped Jamal. It's been a good exercise for both of those guys.

As the season progressed, so did the chemistry between Murray and Maker, who, according to their coach, are good friends off the court and often work on their game together outside of regular team practices.

Orangeville Prep played against top teams in the United States and Canada and earned some big victories down the stretch.

Coach John Calipari and his assistants were in the gym for a handful of those games. At the beginning of the season, their focus was on Maker. In recent weeks, that interest has extended to Murray.

"Everyone's recruiting him," Blunt said. "He has a very long list. Because he's a really good student and a really good kid who comes from a great family. I think he's the total package."

DraftExpress.com moved Murray to the No. 18 spot in its 2016 NBA mock draft following his performance at the Hoop Summit.

Scout.com ranks him as the No. 27 overall prospect in the class of 2016, but it sounds like he might be in for a bump.

"Jamal is gifted," said Scout.com director of recruiting Evan Daniels. "He's better than I think I've given him credit for. I was just impressed by how he stepped up and really competed at a high level against high-level competition.

"I thought he was tremendous in the practices and scrimmages. And then he went off in the game."

Murray's next big move might come off the court.

While technically a member of the recruiting class of 2016, he and his family are considering a move to the 2015 class, which would allow him to play college basketball next season.

Murray, who turned 18 in February, has acknowledged he's thinking seriously about reclassification, though he has coursework to complete and there's no timetable for a final decision.

Blunt said he expects his star guard to play one more season of high school.

Daniels said he wouldn't be surprised either way.

If Murray does decide to reclassify, UK probably would become a more serious option as Calipari continues to try to fill his roster following last week's exodus of players to the NBA.

And Murray he decides to stay in high school for one more year, he still could have a spot with the Wildcats.

"I think he's shown that he deserves to be in the conversation as one of the best players in his age group," Blunt said.

This story was originally published April 16, 2015 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Next Cats: The secret is out on Canadian guard Jamal Murray."