Jack Murphy, an assistant on Josh Pastner's staff at Memphis for the past three years, is the new men's basketball coach at Northern Arizona.
Murphy's climb up the coaching ladder began as a student manager for Lute Olson at Arizona in 1998. In eight years at Arizona (he graduated in 2002), he worked his way up to recruiting coordinator, administrative assistant, video coordinator and director of operations.
He left Arizona to join the Denver Nuggets organization in the scouting department. In addition to breaking down film on opponents, Murphy gained a reputation as one of the league's top "workout" trainers. He was with the Nuggets for three seasons before joining Pastner at Memphis in 2009.
Murphy takes over for Dave Brown, who took over as interim coach when Mike Adras resigned in December. NAU ended the season with a 16-game losing streak, finishing with a 5-24 record. Its five wins included a one-point victory at Arizona State in December.
"It's an honor to be given this position, especially at this critical recruiting time," Murphy said. "This is a program that has a rich tradition, has had past success, and I look to build on that success. I hope to be there along the way as we grow together as a university and as a basketball program."
Murphy, 32, was instrumental in Memphis securing a Top-5 recruiting class in 2010 featuring four players ranked among the nation's Top 100 and two McDonald's All-Americans. The class was ranked No. 2 nationally by Scout.com, No. 2 by Rivals.com and No. 4 by ESPN. The Tigers have signed three more Top 100 players since, including two more McDonald's All-Americans.
The hiring of Murphy comes less than two weeks after the hiring of Lisa Campos as vice president of athletics.
“Jack Murphy is a high-character and high-integrity guy and has a high moral compass," Pastner said. "He knows what it takes to win and has been around winning at the highest level. He has a very good basketball mind and an excellent recruiter and a people’s person. He is an energy giver. Northern Arizona University, the athletics department and the Flagstaff community found themselves two gems in the same week in Dr. Lisa Campos and now Jack Murphy as the men’s basketball coach.”
Olson and Nuggets coach George Karl praised the hire, as did several players who have worked with Murphy, including Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye and Chauncey Billups.
Karl likened Murphy to a younger version of himself: "He's an engaging guy, and he loves to teach basketball. We love him here in Denver and we've tried to get him back ever since he left because we think he's that valuable to an organization. He's just a positive energy guy, a positive influence guy and at the end a good basketball coach."
Frye credited Murphy for pushing him to a higher level at Arizona and said his career arc bodes well for his success.
"The respect he's got from earning his way from being a manager at UA to working his way up to a coach, he doesn't cut corners, he puts in the work," Frye said. "Without a doubt he knows the game of basketball. Right now, you've got a guy I'd love to play for if I was coming out of high school."
