Jack Murphy was named head men’s basketball coach for Northern Arizona University on April 12, 2012.

"Jack is an exceptional addition to NAU athletics and brings a strong recruiting presence that will attract outstanding talent to the program," said Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lisa Campos. "Jack is committed to the university's excellence in academics and athletics, and under his leadership the Lumberjacks will emerge as a competitive force in the Big Sky."

Murphy’s experience at various levels of the game, recruiting success and knowledge gained from working with college and professional athletes make him an excellent fit for NAU, Campos said. His career includes working for three successful programs that have a combined 400 wins, 14 postseason appearances and five championships.

 “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 comes to NAU after three seasons on the Memphis staff as an assistant. He joined the coaching staff at Memphis under men’s basketball coach Josh Pastner in 2009-10, posting 75-29 record with three 20-win seasons. During Murphy’s tenure, Memphis earned made two NCAA Tournament appearances, earned an NIT berth and won a Conference USA regular season title and two Conference USA Tournament Championships.  Murphy, who handled the Tiger defensive efforts in 2011-12, was the lead assistant on a staff that guided the team to a sweep of the Conference USA titles while posting the 10^th-best field goal percentage defense in the country.

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.

In 2011-12, the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season, losing to St. Louis in the second round. Memphis wass the only team among the top-10 rated leagues in the nation to win its conference regular season title outright and also claim the league's tournament crown, finishing with a 26-9 overall mark.

Memphis also advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2010-11, dropping a 77-75 decision to Arizona in the second round to finish with a 25-10 record. In Murphy’s first season, the Tigers advanced to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and advanced to the second round.

Prior to Memphis, Murphy spent three years working with the Denver Nuggets under the NBA’s active wins leader George Karl where he served as an advance scout for the team. During his time, he gained a reputation as one of the league’s top ‘workout” trainers, working with the likes of NBA All-stars Allen Iverson, Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony, along with rising NBA star J.R. Smith.

In Murphy’s three seasons in Denver, the Nuggets averaged nearly 50 wins a season and made three straight playoff appearances. In his final season in 2008-09, the Nuggets won a franchise-record 54 games (54-28), claimed a share of the NBA Northwest Division title and earned the Western Conference No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Denver advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1985 and Billups and Anthony were named to the All-NBA third team and Billups played in the NBA All-Star game.

In 2007-08, Murphy helped the Nuggess to a 50-32 overall record and second-place finish in the Northwest Division. Denver was the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and lost in the first round. The previous year (2006-07), Denver finished the year with a 45-37 record and placed second in the Northwest Division. The Nuggets were the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and lost in the first round to the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.

Murphy spent eight years (1998-2006) in Tucson with Pastner on Lute Olson’s staff at Arizona as a team manager, recruiting coordinator, administrative assistant, video coordinator and director of operations. In his eight years with the program, Arizona went 199-66 (.751), won three Pac-10 championships, one Pac-10 postseason tournament title, made eight NCAA Tournament appearances that included the 2001 national runner-up finish and two other Elite Eight (2003, 2005) appearances.

Murphy and his wife, Michelle, have twin three-year old daughters Emma and Isabella and 10-month old son Dylan.

What They Are Saying About Jack Murphy

Jack Murphy Year-By-Year

What They Are Saying About Jack Murphy…

"Jack Murphy is a high character and high integrity guy and has a high moral compass. 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."

Josh Pastner, Head Men's Basketball Coach at Memphis

"Jack is an amazing guy. He's coming from a situation where he left his job with the Denver Nuggets to go with Josh Pastner. I think all of that is about the family atmosphere under Lute Olson and continued that with Josh Pastner at Memphis. I think he'll be a young, hard-working head coach and a guy that's going to try and bring that family atmosphere and consistency to NAU. I think that's something positive for the school and the community."

Richard Jefferson, NBA Forward for Golden State Warriors & Former UA Wildcat 

"I think Jack will do a great job. He has a great work ethic, he has a lot of experience from when he was here for eight years at Arizona. He came in as a manager and really put in a lot of work and eventually was able to come with us on the road and help us with recruiting. Along with Josh (Pastner), he was involved with bringing in Chase Budinger and some of the really outstanding people we had. Jack has a really good background, good experience and he's really excited with being back in the West. He'll do a great job, he communicates well with players and he has an extensive background with working with individual players. He'll be well-liked by the community because he's a community person as well."

Lute Olson, Former Head Men's Basketball Coach at UA

"I got hired in my first job in NBA when I was 33 years old and Murph has similar qualities to me. He's very passionate, he's an incredibly hard-working guy and he's a sponge for the knowledge of the game of basketball. I told him that Northern Arizona is a perfect fit. It's at a level where he can have success and he can move quickly. I think the alumni and the university will love his ambition and his passion. 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."

George Karl, Head Basketball Coach for Denver Nuggets

"Number one, I think he's a great hire for the school just because of the quality of human being he is. I can honestly say if it wasn't for him pushing me in college, I wouldn't be where I am now. His number one trait is his passion for the game. If you have a coach who's passionate about basketball and playing it the right way, you're going to get quality kids who play the game the right way. 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. 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."

Channing Frye, NBA Forward for Phoenix Suns & Former UA Wildcat

"I think Coach Murphy is going to be great for NAU. He obviously has some ties to the state of Arizona and Coach Murphy is one of those people that proves that if you're willing to work harder than anyone else, you can succeed in whatever you're goal is. His work ethic and his love for the game has made him a great career in basketball so far. He's one of those guys that is up early ready to work and staying up late looking at game films and doing whatever he can to give his team the best opportunity to win. On a personal note, he played a major role in helping me reach my goal of becoming an NBA player. He's going to be a great fit for NAU."

Luke Walton, NBA Forward for Cleveland Cavaliers & Former UA Wildcat

"Murph is a tireless worker who prides himself on hard work, dedication and dignity. He will be a tremendous asset to NAU."

Chauncey Billups, NBA Guard for Los Angeles Clippers & Former Denver Nugget

Jermone Riley returns to the Northern Arizona bench for the second time in his career as an assistant under Jack Murphy, coming back to the school at which he started his collegiate playing and coaching careers.

Riley has served as the Head Coach at Palo Verde High School in Las Vegas for the last four seasons. During the four-year stretch from 2008-12, Riley compiled a record of 81 wins and 23 losses. Riley guided Palo Verde to a Nevada State Championship appearance in his first season, two regular season conference championships and was awarded Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2009 basketball seasons.

Prior to coaching in Las Vegas, Riley spent the 2007-08 season at South Carolina State University as an assistant coach with Head Coach Tim Carter. While at S.C. State, Riley was responsible for player development, recruiting, scheduling and practice planning.

In his first season at NAU the team finished 18-12 overall, tied for the Big Sky Conference regular season title with an 11-5 record and advanced to the Big Sky Conference Tournament Championship Game against Weber State. NAU led Division I in three-point field goal percentage as a team at 42.6 percent. The Lumberjacks also ranked seventh in overall field goal percentage at 49.4.

Riley coached senior Stephen Sir, who led the nation in three-pointers made per game and ranked third in three-point percentage. Sir was also the only player among the Top 10 in both categories. He finished seventh in the Midas Touch Men’s 3-Point Shooting Championship at the Final Four. 

Sophomore Josh Wilson ranked ninth in the nation with 6.0 assists per game. Senior Ruben Boykin, Jr., ranked among the national leaders in double-doubles, finishing third overall behind only WAC Player of the Year Nevada’s Nick Fazekas and National Player of the Year Texas’ Kevin Durant.

Riley was instrumental in the recruitment and signing of former Lumberjack and NAU all-time leading scorer Cameron Jones.   

Riley, who played two years at NAU under current UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland, was named the 1994 Big Sky Freshman of the Year. He averaged 10 points and four assists per game before finishing his career at the University of Texas-San Antonio. At UTSA, Riley ranked second on the team in assists and steals, guiding his team to the NCAA Tournament in 1999 against National Champions UCONN in the first round.

Before reaching the college ranks, Riley served as the Basketball Director and Coach of the Agassi Stars Elite Basketball Program in Las Vegas, Nev. The program was funded by the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation. During the course of the program, Riley would develop a number of future collegiate athletes and instill the importance of balancing athletics and education with his players.

Riley enjoyed a successful prep career at Clark High School in Las Vegas, Nev., where he helped lead his team to its first-ever Nevada State Championship title in 21 years. During that year he earned All-State and Most Valuable Player Honors.

Riley received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas-San Antonio in business administration in 1999 and his master’s in educational counseling in 2003. Riley is married to the former Daria Marie Peoples from Paso Robles, Calif. The couple has two children, Jonah (8) and Jaden (5).

Matt Dunn joins the Northern Arizona men’s basketball staff after working at Memphis for the last three seasons.

Dunn worked on Josh Pastner’s staff for the last two seasons as the recruiting coordinator. He oversaw the Tigers' basketball web site, www.insidememphisbasketball.com. The site provided inside glimpses into the Memphis hoops program, along with behind-the-scenes footage and messages from Pastner. Dunn also is involved with other areas of the program's operations side.

He originally started at Memphis as the Larry O. Finch Center operations director in 2009-10.

Dunn was a member of Pastner's staff that posted a 75-29 record with three consecutive 20-win seasons from 2009-12. During his tenure, Memphis earned made two NCAA Tournament appearances, earned an NIT berth and won a Conference USA regular season title and two Conference USA Tournament Championships.

In 2011-12, the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season, losing to St. Louis in the second round. Memphis wass the only team among the top-10 rated leagues in the nation to win its conference regular season title outright and also claim the league's tournament crown, finishing with a 26-9 overall mark.

Memphis also advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2010-11, dropping a 77-75 decision to Arizona in the second round to finish with a 25-10 record. In Murphy’s first season, the Tigers advanced to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and advanced to the second round.

Dunn began his coaching career at Miami Dade College as an assistant. In 2008-09, Dunn helped the Sharks to a 26-3 overall record and a perfect 12-0 Southern Conference mark. Miami Dade, the Southern Conference champion, reached the No. 1 spot in the state of Florida junior college rankings and finished the 2008-09 season ranked No. 3 in the national junior college poll.

While at Miami Dade, Dunn worked with the team's post players and oversaw the team's strength and conditioning program. Off of that 2008-09 squad, seven players transferred to NCAA Division I schools, including Will Coleman of Memphis and Trevor Mbakwe of Minnesota.

Prior to Miami Dade, Dunn worked at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa. He served as an assistant coach for the Spartans and helped lead the team to an 18-win season and a spot in the national polls.

Prior to joining the junior college ranks, Dunn coached four seasons at the high school level with two seasons each at Hays High School and Perry-LeCompton High School. While at Hays working under Coach Rick Keltner, Dunn helped lead the Indians to back-to-back sub state finals appearances and a conference crown.

Before his high school coaching career, Dunn was head coach and director of operations for the Kansas Storm Basketball Club, an AAU program aimed at assisting underprivileged student-athletes develop on the court and in the classroom.

Dunn's past work experience includes stints with the MLS Kansas City Wizards and ABA Kansas City Knights. For the Wizards, Dunn served as an assistant to the organization's public relations director. He was the assistant director of basketball operations and a scout for the Knights.

Dunn, an Olathe, Kan., native, earned his bachelor's degree in Organizational Leadership from Fort Hays State in 2007. He is also three credits shy from completing his master's degree in Health and Human Performance.

Vic Sfera, a Southern California native, joined the Northern Arizona University basketball staff in April 2012 under first-year Head Coach Jack Murphy.

Sfera comes to NAU from the University of Virginia where he worked under Head Coach Tony Bennett as the Basketball Technology Assistant. He helped the Cavalier program advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2012 for the first time since 2007 while assisting in the day-to-day operations including opponent scouting, film exchange, recruiting, community and alumni outreach, and camps. He has expertise with several sport technology programs such as SportsTec and Synergy Sports Technology and will help to ensure the Lumberjack program keeps up to pace with the ever-changing technology demands of the industry. 

Prior to Virginia, Sfera worked on the same staff as Jack Murphy under then first-year Head Coach Josh Pastner at the University of Memphis in 2009-10 where he served as the head student manager, helping the Tigers advance to an NIT appearance.

Sfera began his collegiate coaching career as a student assistant coach and video coordinator under NAIA Hall of Fame coach Dr. Dave Holmquist at Biola University in La Mirada, California. He was involved in the Eagles’ game preparation, player development, and recruiting efforts and helped Biola advance to the 2009 NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

In 2006-07, Sfera served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Capistrano Valley Christian School under San Diego High School Hall of Champions coach Randy Wright. He has worked numerous basketball camps around the country including Colorado, Pepperdine, UC-Irvine, and Arizona. Vic also served as a head coach with the North Orange County Stars AAU program and assisted with the California Summer Pro League.

Sfera played collegiately at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, Calif., after prepping at Capistrano Valley Christian School where he was an All-Academy League selection and one of the top three-point shooters in CIF-Southern Section.

Sfera received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Memphis in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in behavioral sciences and sport studies in 2010. He is currently working on his master’s degree in Coaching & Athletic Administration from Concordia University in Irvine, Calif. Vic is married to the former Rachel Kennedy from Raleigh, N.C.