Jack Murphy resigns as NAU head coach, joins Arizona as assistant
Jun 2, 2019, 7:37 PM | Updated: Jun 3, 2019, 9:37 am
In this Jan. 4, 2018, file photo, Northern Arizona coach Jack Murphy calls to his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Weber State, in Ogden, Utah. Northern Arizona won 10 games last season, yet made enough progress for coach Jack Murphy to keep his job for the final year of his contract. (Matt Herp/Standard-Examiner via AP, File)
(Matt Herp/Standard-Examiner via AP, File)
Former NAU head basketball coach Jack Murphy has resigned to join Sean Miller as an associate head coach at the University of Arizona.
Murphy’s tenure at NAU was highlighted by a school-record, 23-win season in 2014-15 when the Lumberjacks made it to the championship game of the CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament.
The move will be a return to Tucson for Murphy who spent eight seasons on Lute Olson’s staff as a recruiting coordinator and video coordinator, among other roles.
A message of gratitude… pic.twitter.com/W5Rwx8GCUa
— Jack Murphy (@UofAcoachmurphy) June 3, 2019
He hopes to help bring Miller’s team back to the NCAA Tournament after they missed out on the postseason last year for the first time since 2012.
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Last season, Arizona finished with its second-worst winning percentage under Miller and the worst since his first year with the program.
NAU named Shane Burcar its interim head coach to replace Murphy.
Burcar was the head coach of Mesa High School for 12 seasons before joining the NAU staff prior to last season.
He led the Jackrabbits to a 2016 Arizona Class 6A State Championship.
