Tayshana (Chicken) Murphy, the star sophomore guard who left Bishop Loughlin this week, has enrolled at St. Michael Academy and will start classes at the Manhattan school Monday, Eagles girls basketball coach Apache Paschall told The Post last week.
Though CHSAA rules typically state that a player must sit out a full calendar year after transferring to another member school, Paschall said that Murphy is a special case. She left Loughlin after getting into a fight at a boys basketball game last month and left the Brooklyn school for her safety and academic future, Lions coach Rocco Romano said.
“Because of the severity of what happened, her folks are moving,” Paschall said. “So she will be able to play right away [next fall].”
St. Mike’s won the New York State Federation Class AA title last year in Glens Falls and has spent much of the last two seasons ranked nationally. The Eagles are currently sitting at No. 5 in The Post’s New York City rankings after inhabiting the top spot for the majority of the season.
Murphy, a 5-foot-6 slasher with shooting range, is touted as one of the top players in the country in her class. She led the Loughlin JV to the CHSAA Brooklyn/Queens Division II title last season.
“St. Mike’s is a problem,” Paschall said. “And she just added to it.”
Bishop Loughlin JV coach Kasim Alston, also Murphy’s godfather, told The Post that she was involved in a fight at a boys basketball game against St. Raymond on Jan. 22. Murphy did not play in Loughlin’s next two games against St. Peter’s and Bishop Kearney following the incident.
Rumor swirled last week that Murphy would be expelled in the wake of the fight. Alston said that the school was investigating the matter further. Instead, Murphy, the cornerstone of the program, pulled out of the school.
“It is a sad situation and we will miss her,” Romano said. “I am confident that Tayshana will be successful where ever she ends up. I look forward to following her basketball career now as a fan instead of a coach.”
