At any level of basketball, who would you most want to dunk on?Shaquille O’Neal.

Does that mean you think you could?

You said if I could!

Everybody wants to be the one to take the big shot; if you had to choose one player to take the big shot besides you, who would it be?

Kobe Bryant.

What do you think about his 81 points (against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22)?

That’s insane.

Think you can do it?

Man, I wish I could. I would have to be very, very hot. That is hot on an unconscious level.

Can anyone ever beat that?

I mean it’s basketball. It could happen on any given night, with guys like Allen Iverson in the league.

You had a key group of guys from last year’s team graduate in May of 2005. What do you miss them as most: friends, mentors or teammates?

Just friends. They were some funny guys … they were always joking, always had the locker room just laughing.

How do your realistic expectations after college match up with your dreams and hopes?

Well, realistically I don’t know what’s around the corner for me. As far as my dreams, I want to play pro basketball, definitely in the NBA. I’m just looking forward to every opportunity I’m given.

I haven’t known you all that long, but I feel like I have a good read on you, and I know you’re a competitor. How do you handle a losing season like this?

I have this thing that I like to quote from Neil Dougherty Jr. called Inner Crunk. I just get really excited. I get to bouncing around, and it doesn’t show on my face but on my inside, I’m smiling real big. I get real heated.

Speaking of Dougherty Jr., I’ve heard that you’re dating his sister, also the coach’s daughter?

No comment on that one.

Well, you’re not playing along Nile.

You can just say I laughed.

Now, your last name is Murry – how often does that get misspelled?

Not too often, actually. The first time they like to put an “A” in it, but it hasn’t happened too many times. Now my first name, people always say Niles.
Like Frazier? That’s kind of degrading.

Did you ever play any other sports when you were younger?

Yeah, I ran track in high school. I ran the hurdles. I also played football, then I broke my finger.

You quit football after just a broken finger?

It wasn’t for me. It was interfering with my hoopin’ – you can’t play with a broken finger.