Preston Murphy, 26 years later, can help Alabama basketball avoid same Elite Eight fate

LOS ANGELES — Preston Murphy wouldn't let Rylan Griffen on the elevator.

Alabama basketball had just returned to the team hotel after a shootaround during March Madness. Griffen and others wanted to go up the elevator. But Murphy, a Crimson Tide assistant coach, turned the ride exclusive.

You can only get on this elevator if you've been to the Elite Eight.

None of the Alabama players had at that point. Not like Murphy, who reached the Elite Eight as a junior at Rhode Island in 1998.

But that's about to change. With a victory over No. 1 seed UNC in the Sweet 16 on Thursday, Alabama earned a spot in the Elite Eight for only the second time in program history on Saturday.

"After the (UNC) game," Griffen said, "I was like, 'Can I get in the elevator now?'"

When the Crimson Tide faces No. 6 seed Clemson at Crypto.com Arena, Murphy, Griffen and the rest of the Alabama players and staff will look to rise to a new level for everyone: The Final Four.

Murphy lost in the Elite Eight as a player 26 years ago, and he hasn't been back since. Not as a player or a coach. Now an Alabama assistant, 40 minutes from the Final Four, he has a chance to help his players do something he couldn't.

"Just understanding what’s at stake and the opportunity that lies in front of us," Murphy told The Tuscaloosa News on Friday, "I feel very blessed and fortunate and I thank God for having another opportunity to go to the Final Four."

REQUIRED READING: Inside the speech that changed Alabama basketball season en route to March Madness run

GRANT NELSON: Alabama basketball has been waiting for this Grant Nelson, and he got Tide to Elite Eight

NICK SABAN COMMEMORATIVE BOOK: Relive Nick Saban's epic career with our special book. Preorder here.

Murphy was oh so close a quarter century ago. A Final Four sat within Rhode Island's reach. It had a 71-65 lead over Stanford with 53 seconds left. But Murphy's team just couldn't hold on. No. 3 seed Stanford outlasted No. 8 seed Rhode Island 79-77 at the Kiel Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

"This was actually a lesson Stanford taught us, just to fight to the end," Murphy said. "They could have easily folded then and given up, and we would have been able to walk through to the Final Four. To their credit, they didn’t. They fought, they got steals, they fouled, we missed free throws, they played and persevered."

Murphy realizes he can't change what happened that day against Stanford. Instead, he hopes his experience there can help him guide his players in 2024.

The loss didn't stick with him at the time. As a young player, he didn't realize he wouldn't be back in that spot again, one win away from the biggest stage in college basketball. It took time for him to gain the perspective of just how hard it is to return to the Elite Eight.

"(Rhode Island) players were like, ‘Oh we’ll be back next year,'" Murphy said. "A lot of things have to go right for you to go to the situation we were in."

Rhode Island lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament the next season, Murphy's senior year. And Rhode Island hasn't been back to the Elite Eight since.

"It's easy for young guys to not understand how special and how rare of company they’re in, that they made it here," Murphy said. "You really can’t take it for granted."

That's been Murphy's message to the players, Griffen said. Stay focused but cherish the moment. It's key to not only enjoy the experience but also stay motivated to take the next step.

"My advice to myself is I want to give us every opportunity, every advantage, everything I can do to help us gain an edge," Murphy said, "and be in position to make the Final Four."

Murphy wants to make the most of Alabama's chance to beat Clemson. He knows all too well how seldom those opportunities can come around.

Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Preston Murphy aims to change Elite Eight fate 26 years later