The Canadian basketball movement has spread like a wildfire throughout the last year, with Toronto native Anthony Bennett going No. 1 overall in the 2013 NBA Draft and Canadian star Andrew Wiggins being the consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2013 class across the recruiting spectrum.

Furthermore, Syracuse freshman point guard Tyler Ennis looks to be a potential lottery pick in the 2014 NBA Draft—along with Wiggins. But the pipeline is far from hitting its peak, with 2016 point guard Jamal Murray leading a fresh wave of Canadian talent that is waiting to hit the spotlight. Murray is a member of the CIA Bounce, a Toronto-area AAU program run by Tony McIntyre (Ennis’ father). Wiggins and Ennis were CIA Bounce products as well.

Murray has already gained recognition as one of the premier prospects in the 2016 class (No. 36 overall per the 247 Composite), displaying unique size at the point guard position (6’5) and all the skills that coaches could dream up in their search for a prolific playmaker. McIntyre raved about what Murray brings to the floor.

“Obviously, great athleticism. Great ball IQ. Very smart kid. Understands basketball very well. Shoots the ball really well. He’s a great leader,” McIntyre said. “I think he’s pretty special. He’s going to be a very high recruit when it’s all said and done.”

Murray’s father, Roger, echoed those sentiments.

“As a point guard, he can play all facets of the game. He can rebound. He can score at the position,” he said. “He’s a good distributor, (plays) strong defense, has good ball-handling skills and size.”

Although he cannot receive direct calls from coaches until June 15th, Murray has already gotten strong interest from Illinois, Louisville, Michigan and Syracuse (according to McIntyre).

“Those are the main ones,” McIntyre said. “I’ve talked to them several times. Just checking in—how’s he doing, what’s he up to? Where are you guys going to be, what’s his schedule for the summer?”

McIntyre said he particularly likes John Groce and the Illinois staff, as they have been following his program longer than most.

“I love their staff. Their staff is great. John Groce obviously goes back all the way to when he was at Ohio,” he said. “He’s recruited our program since then, with him and Dustin (Ford). So they’ve been recruiting our program for probably five or six years, which is one of the longest outside of probably New Mexico State and Iowa State.”

The CIA Bounce director has also fielded calls from North Carolina State and Ohio State recently—expressing interest in his star point guard. McIntyre said Murray is catching the eye of programs across the country, especially because of his size.

“He’s a 6’5 point guard right now. I think he still has some growing to do…I just think coaches are going to love him because he is extremely coachable and he’s an extremely hard worker,” he said. “With that ball IQ, he’s able to do a lot of things on the court. He’s great in the screen ‘n roll, and coming off screens and making good decisions, and he’s a really good passer. I just think he’s going to be a guy who’s going to make a team go when it’s time for him to go to college.”

Another one of Murray’s greatest assets is his leadership, which he displayed last summer playing on the AAU circuit. He was not yet even a junior, but he still took it upon himself to take control of the team.

“It’s all about heart and the mindset,” Jamal said. “No matter how old or young you are, you have to make people respect you…Show them what you can do. Someone has to take demand and tell people ‘this is how it’s going to be’, and usually that’s the point guard’s business.”

“He’s been playing since he could walk. He knows the game of basketball. The way he sees the floor—he has those leadership qualities that can help the team,” Roger said. “He does a good job of knowing players’ strengths and weaknesses so he can use them appropriately.”

Murray has had the luxury of learning from Ennis, who is receiving a great deal of notoriety for leading Syracuse to their current 25-2 record. Murray said he is close with Ennis, and he feels their games are very similar.

“Tyler is my boy. I practice with him,” he said. “I think we have similar games. I think we have the same pick ‘n roll game. The same kind of attitude on the court.”

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“They work out together. They’re very much alike. Very calm, cool, got a fiery edge to them. Good size. Don’t show a lot of emotion,” McIntyre said. “It’s actually funny because they remind me a lot of each other.”

Ennis was able to come in and be the guy right away for Jim Boeheim—setting himself up to be a very high draft pick. McIntyre said he feels that Murray can follow the same blueprint wherever he ends up.

“I think he’s got a shot to do the same thing, to be honest,” he said. “All the things that coaches look for, he already possesses. He’s got a great body in terms of his size and his length. In the right situation, he’s going to be able to go in and be able to contribute from ‘Day One’ and do all the same things he does in AAU.”

Finding a similar situation to Ennis’—in terms of being able to take the reins from the beginning—is the top priority for the Murray family down the road.

“That is probably No. 1 on his list, so that he can show his talents,” Roger said. “Obviously, we want him to go to a school where he’s going to fit…Where he can come in and play. I think also, we will look academic-wise to where it works for him. I think we want to find a place where he can play and start at point guard.”

“Any time you’re in recruiting, you look for the best situation to be able to obviously contribute right away. No one wants to sit around and wait your turn for two or three years,” McIntyre said. “You look where you can get in and have a coach that is going to allow you to adjust, make some mistakes and be able to play through (them) without having to look over your shoulder. I think that helps in the development. Those are all things that we’re definitely going to look for Jamal in the recruiting (process).”

The Murrays have been adamant that they are taking things very slowly in terms of recruiting. Roger said that he and his son are more focused on his development than anything else. But that didn’t stop Michigan head coach John Beilein from trying to convince them to come down for a visit for Sunday’s game against No. 13 Michigan State. Roger and Jamal were planning to be there watching fellow Ontario native Nik Stauskas, but they were unable to make it on Jamal’s 17th birthday.

Nevertheless, Jamal talked about what he is going to look for at the next level.

“I’m looking for a place that I can play, show my game, show my talent,” he said. “Get enough playing time, a good team—a team that I can work with.”

“Looking for a coach that understands the way I play…Preferably close to home, maybe. I want to see my parents and stuff too but that’s an outside option.”

Murray’s greatness is not the product of a small sample size, but a great deal of his hype started with being named the MVP of the 2013 Jordan Brand International Game last May. Murray scored a game-high 24 points at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York—showcasing his impressive repertoire.

“It was an amazing experience overall. Even off the court, just being in New York. It was definitely one of the better experiences I’ve had basketball-wise,” Jamal said.

The award was extremely symbolic for the Canadian basketball movement, as Wiggins took home the same trophy in 2012. But the meaning was even greater on a personal level for Murray. Roger said he did not give his son any basketball jerseys or posters growing up—just a ball. But in fifth grade, Jamal’s teacher gave him a poster of Michael Jordan, which has been hanging on his wall ever since. Now, Jamal has the MVP trophy sitting underneath that same poster.

“To win that award, it just gave me a glimpse of what I can do,” Jamal said. “But I think you have to see more than just one game…Sometimes you don’t get to show everything you want to show in one game.”

It was quite a mature statement for someone whose highlights from that game have received thousands of views. From those alone, you can find fan bases from college basketball’s major powers drooling at the possibility of adding Murray to their 2016-17 roster. Nevertheless, the Murray family feels there is so much more to Jamal than a few clips.

“Depending on how much exposure a player gets, you have to gather what you can gather. But I still don’t think everyone has seen his full game and everything that Jamal can actually do,” Roger said. “Off the court, Jamal is a standup student. He gets along with everybody. He has a great laugh. He just enjoys himself and that’s been him growing up—that’s just Jamal…He’s a great person and a great leader. I’m glad to have him as a son.”

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Roger and Jamal also believe that those who watched him on the AAU circuit last summer will see a much improved version this time around. For one, Jamal was playing with two broken fingers on his left hand—which few knew about.

“I guarantee I’ll be able to show my talent a lot better. I’ll definitely have more comfort and be a lot stronger than last year,” Jamal said. “They’ll see a better me.”

There will be flocks of coaches and fans watching it unfold in gyms across the United States, as Murray follows the path laid down by Canada’s greats before him. He is well on his way, after leading Team Canada to a bronze medal in the 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship last summer. Murray said the movement is really special to the country, and beneficial for everyone involved.

“I think the Canadian players are starting to get a lot more attention over here and that’s good for the country. I think we’ve got a lot of other guys that haven’t been seen yet,” Jamal said. “For us, we just have to keep working and help the chain of Canadian basketball players. Because Anthony going No. 1 is helping Wiggins. Wiggins is helping Tyler, who’s helping me and Justin (Jackson). The trend is good and we got to keep that up.”

Murray’s story is still in the beginning stages of one that is sure to be filled with success. Every time his sneakers touch the hardwood, the basketball world will be watching. Blame it on this Kitchener, Ontario product if some of the top coaches in the country don’t blink until Murray signs on the dotted line in the 2016 class.