Cowboys Forward Granted Transfer Release

Oklahoma State junior Kamari Murphy has been granted his release to transfer on Thursday, according to multiple reports.

The 6-foot-8 forward from Brooklyn saw significant playing time in each of his two seasons in Stillwater, averaging 6.1 points and a team-leading 6.3 rebounds per contest in 2013-14. Murphy began the season coming off the bench but took over the starting center role when Michael Cobbins suffered a torn achilles.

While Murphy's thin frame limited him in one-on-one duels against heavier big men (see Niang, Georges), he was athletic enough to be a decent help-side defender at the rim. Murphy was ninth in the conference in blocks at 1.2 per game.

Murphy will have two years of eligibility left. The Cowboys, meanwhile, have even less post depth going into 2014-15. They will have Cobbins back and Le'Bryan Nash will start at the other forward spot, but aside from senior center Marek Soucek, Travis Ford has no other returning options. Incoming freshman Mitch Solomon and junior college transfer Anthony Allen will be the only other bigs on the roster unless small forward (emphasis on the small) Leyton Hammonds counts.

Murphy joins Brian Williams and Gary Gaskins on the list of transferring players this year. In total, 13 players have transferred early during the Ford-era.