Eastern Michigan Athletics
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Rob Murphy: Looking Back on His First Three Years
11/12/2014 10:32:00 AM | Men's Basketball
EMU Head Men’s Basketball Coach Rob Murphy begins his fourth season Friday, Nov. 14
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Laying a foundation for continued success is no easy task for any type of team or process. Men's basketball at Eastern Michigan University is no exception to that rule, but EMU Head Men's Basketball Coach Rob Murphy has done just that in three short seasons in Ypsilanti. He will begin his fourth year at Eastern Michigan Friday, Nov. 14, when the Eagles take on Saint Francis (Ill.) at the Convocation Center with tipoff slated for 1:30 p.m.
In just three seasons since arriving from Syracuse University, Murphy has made great strides at Eastern. At the conclusion of the 2013-14 season after guiding the Eagles to a 22-15 record and the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament, Murphy was named a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award. The Eagles' 22 victories were the most since the 1996-97 season and tied for fourth-most in EMU history. Under Murphy, EMU reached the second round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT), marking the first time the Eagles had competed in postseason play since the 1997-98 season. During the historic season, the Eagles led the nation in field goal percentage defense behind the 2-3 zone Murphy implemented upon arriving at EMU. In addition to the team success, Murphy coached Da'Shonte Riley into becoming Eastern's first ever MAC Defensive Player of the Year during the 2013-14 campaign. Thus far, Murphy has coached a pair of All-MAC Third Team award winners, in addition to an All-MAC Honorable Mention student-athlete.
In Murphy's second season at EMU, the Eagles registered a 47-44 victory against Purdue. It was the first time since the 1996-97 season that EMU had beaten a Big Ten opponent. During the 2012-13 campaign, the Eagles used their stingy defense to beat Northern Illinois, 42-25. In that contest, the Huskies scored just four points in the first half and converted on 8-of-61 field goals, including holding NIU to just 1-of-33 3-pointers in the game. The Huskies 13.1 percent field goal percentage was the lowest in NCAA history since the shot clock was implemented. The season concluded with EMU winning two games in the MAC Tournament for the first time since the 1997-98 season to reach the quarterfinals.
After Murphy was hired prior to the 2011-12 season, he and his staff worked tirelessly to implent his defensive philosophy and begin the process of reviving the EMU men's basketball program. During Murphy's inaugural season, 2011-12, the Eagles won Eastern's first-ever MAC West Division Championship. For his efforts in leading the team to that West championship, Murphy was named MAC Coach of the Year and Co-Coach of the Year in the NCAA District 14 Division I ranks by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Fans can get a behind the scenes peak at Coach Murphy and his squad's run to the 2012 MAC West Division Championship by clicking here.
In just three seasons since arriving from Syracuse University, Murphy has made great strides at Eastern. At the conclusion of the 2013-14 season after guiding the Eagles to a 22-15 record and the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament, Murphy was named a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award. The Eagles' 22 victories were the most since the 1996-97 season and tied for fourth-most in EMU history. Under Murphy, EMU reached the second round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT), marking the first time the Eagles had competed in postseason play since the 1997-98 season. During the historic season, the Eagles led the nation in field goal percentage defense behind the 2-3 zone Murphy implemented upon arriving at EMU. In addition to the team success, Murphy coached Da'Shonte Riley into becoming Eastern's first ever MAC Defensive Player of the Year during the 2013-14 campaign. Thus far, Murphy has coached a pair of All-MAC Third Team award winners, in addition to an All-MAC Honorable Mention student-athlete.
In Murphy's second season at EMU, the Eagles registered a 47-44 victory against Purdue. It was the first time since the 1996-97 season that EMU had beaten a Big Ten opponent. During the 2012-13 campaign, the Eagles used their stingy defense to beat Northern Illinois, 42-25. In that contest, the Huskies scored just four points in the first half and converted on 8-of-61 field goals, including holding NIU to just 1-of-33 3-pointers in the game. The Huskies 13.1 percent field goal percentage was the lowest in NCAA history since the shot clock was implemented. The season concluded with EMU winning two games in the MAC Tournament for the first time since the 1997-98 season to reach the quarterfinals.
After Murphy was hired prior to the 2011-12 season, he and his staff worked tirelessly to implent his defensive philosophy and begin the process of reviving the EMU men's basketball program. During Murphy's inaugural season, 2011-12, the Eagles won Eastern's first-ever MAC West Division Championship. For his efforts in leading the team to that West championship, Murphy was named MAC Coach of the Year and Co-Coach of the Year in the NCAA District 14 Division I ranks by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Fans can get a behind the scenes peak at Coach Murphy and his squad's run to the 2012 MAC West Division Championship by clicking here.
Players Mentioned
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