East Chicago Central coach Alaa Mroueh said star senior Dominique Murphy is “too humble” to mention such things.
But the 6-foot-5 guard/forward is within hailing distance of the Cardinals’ career scoring record. That mark is held by E’Twaun Moore, who became an icon at Purdue and put together a solid NBA career that included two seasons with the Chicago Bulls.
“He’s about 390 points away from being East Chicago’s all-time leading scorer,” Mroueh said of Murphy. “He has an opportunity. He’s never been self-centered. He doesn’t worry about stuff like that. But that’s the fruits of his labor. If he gets it, if he gets to that point, he’s very deserving. It just stamps the legacy he’s created for himself at East Chicago, the impact he’s had on East Chicago.
“We always tell these guys that none of them are bigger than East Chicago. But if you’re able to make an impact on the city, on the school district, on East Chicago athletics in general given the tradition and just the rich excellence that the school has had, that really says something about a player like him. I’m hoping he reaches it, and we’ll go from there.”
Murphy has already accomplished a great deal in his time with the Cardinals. He averaged 20.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists last season. He led East Chicago (22-5) to its first sectional title since 2017 — navigating a gauntlet with victories against Merrillville, West Side and Munster — before a loss to Mishawaka in a Class 4A regional.
“The bar is set pretty high,” Murphy said. “We have to meet those expectations.”
Murphy was also named an Indiana Junior All-Star and posted 17 points and four rebounds against the Indiana All-Stars on June 5.
“It was a good experience,” he said. “The atmosphere was good. It was fun. I felt good out there with the other good players.”
After securing a starting spot early in his freshman season, Murphy averaged 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 steals as a sophomore. He was selected for the inaugural Indiana All-Stars Futures games.
Yamauree Wallace, a 6-6 senior forward/center, understands Murphy’s impact.
“He’s a great player, great teammate,” Wallace said. “He speaks up when he feels like he needs to speak up. He just brings a lot to the table.”
Murphy has continued to try to add to his repertoire. He said he has been focusing primarily on his ballhandling this summer, as well as his jump shot, and is hitting the weight room to get stronger.
“He’s always had the want-to to get better, and he’s really going to see the fruits of his labor this year,” Mroueh said. “He obviously had a great year last year, averaging 21 and nine. We want him to average double-digit rebounds this year and average about four assists a game as well. He’s just going to continue to expand his game.”
Colleges have taken notice. In June, Murphy received offers from Central Michigan and Ball State.
“It feels good to have some,” he said. “I was getting a little impatient. But to finally get some and be recognized for my hard work, it felt good.”
Mroueh believes it’s only the beginning for Murphy.
“A lot of the mid-majors, the Missouri Valleys, have been after him,” Mroueh said. “He’s going to have a lengthy list of schools when it’s all said and done.”
Mroueh said Murphy is “growing into his body,” with his best performances still to come.
“He’s progressing,” Mroueh said. “You look at his body, he’s getting slimmer and slimmer. Every aspect of his game is developing. With the time we’re allowed, he’s been grinding. He’s been in the gym. He’s been listening.
“Everybody has yet to see his upside. They won’t see it in high school. A couple of years from now, it’s going to be interesting to see what he looks like when he’s 23, 24 years old.”
