Mr. Fix It: Former handyman Gershman sparking Pima’s resurgent basketball team

Murphy Gershman posted up his defender, who was 4 inches taller.

He called for the ball, waited for the pass, but it never came.

Instead, a teammate turned the ball over.

Pima College was trailing Glendale Community College late and had no room for error.

A timeout was called, and Gershman walked to the bench.

He sat down next to four of his teammates, all to his left. Then, he turned to his right, lifted his right arm and smacked the seat of the empty chair next to him. Then again.

He had already scored 32 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, but Pima was about to lose its third straight game.

Thats not quite an anomaly, considering Pima basketballs not-so-illustrious history. But coach Brian Peabody is trying to change that.

So is Gershman, the most unlikely success story on a surprisingly good team. The Aztecs were 9-10 before Saturday nights game at Eastern Arizona.

Hes what Pima basketball is all about, Peabody said. Hes just a blue-collar, no-nonsense type of guy. He just brings his lunch pail to work every day.

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Mr. Fix It: Former handyman Gershman sparking Pima's resurgent basketball team