Former Anteater basketball standout returns to UCI as assistant

Steve Virgen

Tod Murphy will return to his alma mater as an assistant men’s

basketball coach for UC Irvine, head coach Pat Douglass said

Thursday. Murphy’s appointment is effective May 1.

UCI had a vacant assistant position open after former assistant

Len Stevens resigned for personal reasons in the middle of last

season. The Anteaters might be without another assistant, as

associate head coach Todd Lee interviewed for the head coach position

with UC Davis Thursday.

Murphy, the career-record holder for games played with 117 and the

No. 2 player in points (1,178) and rebounds (837), is excited to join

the UCI staff, which also includes Mike Johnson.

“This is an opportunity to return to UCI and let everyone know

that I plan to be part of this program for a long time,” Murphy said

in a press release issued by the school. “I am excited about the

opportunity and am looking forward to helping Coach Douglass and his

program continue the success that has been achieved over the last

several years. I always tell people that my ultimate dream job is to

be the head coach at UCI and I am looking forward to joining the

program.”

Murphy said he also wanted to make the move from UC Riverside to

UCI for his family. He and his wife, Kelly, have a daughter, Annie

Jane who was born last week, and they live in Irvine. Murphy’s

brother, Tim, is an assistant coach at Big West rival Cal Poly San

Luis Obispo. The new UCI assistant coach seemingly longed for the

opportunity to return to the Anteaters for quite some time now.

Murphy assisted in recruiting and coaching the post players at UC

Riverside, where he worked at since Sept. 2001. He was instrumental

in the recruitment of Nate Carter, the 6-foot-7 guard who earned Big

West Freshman of the Year honors this past season. Murphy also helped

develop the progression of Vili Morton, a 6-8 forward who redshirted

the 2002-03 season, but is expected to return next season as one of

the premier players of the conference.

“[Murphy] knows UC Irvine and he’s been living in the area,”

Douglass said. “We’re just really excited to have him join our

staff.”

Murphy, 39, graduated from UCI in 1986. One of the most prolific

players in UCI basketball history, he was the CIF Player of the Year

at Lakewood High in 1981-82 and then competed for the Anteaters from

1982-86 under Coach Bill Mulligan. Murphy, who was selected by the

Seattle Supersonics in the third round (53rd overall) of the 1986 NBA

draft, was inducted into UCI’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.

Murphy enjoyed an 11-year professional career, which included time

in the CBA, Spain, the Minnesota Timberwovles, the Houston Rockets,

Italy and Japan. He served as an assistant coach at Capistrano Valley

High before joining the staff at UCR.