Q&A with COACH MURRAY Assistant coach Luke Murray talks about developing perimeter players, recruiting & more.

Q: What has been your coaching career path up to this point? A: “My path as a college coach started at Quinnipiac University, a small Division I school in Hamden, Connecticut. I graduated from Fairfield University about 25 to 30 minutes away. I had developed a relationship with Tom Moore, who when I first met him was an assistant coach at the University of Connecticut for . In my final spring semester of college, Coach Moore was hired as the head coach at Quinnipiac. I called him to congratulate him for getting the job and he called me back. He had the Tom Konchalski report in his hand. Tom Konchal- ski runs a scouting service out of New York and he ranks most of the high school seniors in the northeast and he asked me to go through some of the names with him. Through our friendship, he was aware that I followed high school basket- ball closely and had an understanding of a lot of the different kids in the area. We went player by player through the entire report and at the end of the conversation he asked me if I wanted to come up to interview for the director of operations job the following week. I went up there and got the job and it kind of started me on this path. That led to a graduate assistant opportunity at Arizona,

CHRIS MACK LUKE MURRAY KAHIL FENNELL ANDREW LENTZ TY SAMPSON ANDY KETTLER HEAD COACH ASSISTANT COACH ASSISTANT COACH ASSISTANT COACH DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS ASSISTANT AD FOR MBB VIDEO COORDINATOR STRENGTH COACH XAVIER ‘92 OHIO ‘81 FAIRFIELD ‘07 DELAWARE ‘00 REDLANDS ‘04 BALL STATE ‘10 ILLINOIS ‘13 ASHLAND ‘01 @COACHCHRISMACK @COACHDINOGAUDIO @COACHLUKEMURRAY @COACHPEGUES @KAHILFENNELL @LENTZ @TYSAMPSON assistant coaching jobs at Wagner College, Towson and Rhode Island. From there, I joined Coach Mack’s staff at Xavier and now obviously here at Louisville.

Q: You’ve worked with some really good coaches. What are some takeaways you’ve had throughout your career? A: “I’ve tried to learn from everybody, starting with Coach Moore. As a 22-year old guy, I really didn’t have a great understand- ing for . Coach Moore was really gracious with his time. He pulled me aside and gave me a lot of instruction throughout the course of practice and things to think about which really helped grow my basketball knowledge. My time with Coach (Sean) Miller was invaluable because it really indoctrinated me into the understanding of a system. Coach Mack applies a similar philosophy offensively and defensively and how he runs his program so that’s really helped me to have a base and a belief system when it comes to the game. It certainly aided my transition to Xavier having an understanding for the vernacular. Coach (Dan) Hurley has a different style in terms of the way he develops players, the emphasis that we put into the individual devel- opment side and we worked on some different skills. I think that’s made me a little bit more well-rounded as a coach in terms of how I approach individual workouts, specifically with the guards. Some of the defensive drills and high-intensity segments of practice that I grew to love coaching at Wagner and Rhode Island, I’ve tried to bring with me in different spots along the way. And then Pat Skerry as well. He’s a really good basketball coach, he took a lot of what he learned from as an assistant coach at Pittsburgh and brought that to Towson. They’ve been a terrific defensive team and an excellent rebounding team. He really emphasizes those things and there are similar parallels to what Coach Miller and Coach Mack do as well. I’ve tried to learn from everybody and put that all together into as much of a well-rounded package as possible.”

Q: As you’ve moved through the ranks, you’ve developed a reputation for having an excellent eye for talent. What are some general qualities you look for when evaluating players? A: “I think it’s different for everyone. The most important thing is to have an understanding of who your head coach is and what he values more than anything. I think every assistant coach probably has their own inclination for certain elements to a player’s game, even just characteristics of their personality that you look for. But understanding that Coach Mack, first and foremost, wants tough-minded players is something I try to carry with me in every evaluation. Guys that are competitive and that can really think the game. Coach Mack wants to be around a group of guys and coach a group of guys every single day that have a high bas- ketball IQ and an understanding for the nuances of the game on both sides of the floor. For me specifically, I look at the physical. A lot of times I want to identify how a person walks, how a person runs, their legs. I’m always kind of locked in initially on lower body of a prospect. I think that can tell you the story a lot of times in terms of how they’ll evolve physically and in the weight room setting. I am a sucker for guys that can handle the basketball. If you have a true two-way handle and are able to beat guys off the bounce going right and left, really comfortable dealing with pressure, really comfortable handling in pick-and-roll situation, whatever it may be, I think it really opens up the game for you. If you’re not a great shooter, it allows you to get to the spots on the floor where you can make shots at a higher rate. If you’re not a great shooter but you’re a good passer, it allows you to create opportunities to get your team better shots or open up a clean look for somebody who is a more capable shooter from the perim- eter. It allows you to get yourself to the rim and the free throw line so I think ball handling is a skill that I really look for in guys’ ability to play the game. I’m probably a little bit more inclined to look at the offensive side of the floor. Defensively, I think a lot of players can put together one good slide. I try to see if a guy can put together multiple slides. If you can not only make the first move of the opponent but be able to make that extra positional adjustment to keep a guy in front of you, that’s something that a lot of guys can’t do. I think that transitions really well. One of the areas that freshmen in particular struggle with is their ability to guard the basketball, their ability to go from being off the ball to closing out and keeping the ball in front. If you have a propensity for that as a high school guy, I think that’s something that really aids in your transition.”

Q: You are tasked with guard develop- ment and working with the guards and the wings. What are some elements that you try to instill in your players? A: “Shooting is really important to us. Shooting is really important to the game of basketball. I know that sounds obvious, but your ability to space the floor, your ability to be a good offensive player is often aid- ed by your ability to shoot the basketball. I think for Coach Mack and how he sees the game and wants us to play offensive- ly, it’s really important that we have good spacing. We generally play with a four-out, one-in philosophy on the offensive end of the floor with four really skilled perimeter players. Having the ability to make shots and really put defenses in a bind is some- thing we place a high premium on. I would say that shooting is a main focus of ours in terms of our individual workouts. Footwork plays a huge, huge part in your ability to both shoot the ball from the perimeter and drive the ball. We spend an inordinate amount of time working on consistent, clean footwork from our perimeter players. It allows you to have great balance and leg-driving in your shot. It also makes you a hard cover because it allows you to be both a shooter and a driver. Our offense in the half-court involves quite a few ball screens within a possession. Continuing to develop our guards’ ability to play in ball-screen situations, get them more comfortable with dealing with a second defender or dealing with multiple coverages, trying to give our guards the answers for how to handle different scenarios is something we work on quite a bit. Lastly, an ability to really land in the lane. This is something we probably took a little bit from Villanova, the national champions. Their ability to drive, play off two feet in the paint, be strong and on balance and create shots for their teammates or for themselves. Moving on drives is really important. We want to be able to play off one another in concert on the offensive end of the floor. Being able to get in the lane, collapse the defense, find our teammates, put passes on time and on target is another part to our individual skill development that we really look to address.”

Q: What advice do you have for young coaches that are trying to advance their career and move through the ranks? A: “I would say as much as you can go to practices, I would encourage you to do that. When I was coming up — maybe I just didn’t know — but I didn’t have a ton of access to really good high school coaches or college coaches’ practices and I think you can learn a lot in that setting. Be there for a couple days in a row. Really lock in to taking notes and have an understanding of some of the terminology and philosophies behind these great coaches. I think that can go a long way in understanding the game better. One of the things I wish I had when I was coming up the ranks was the internet. I think there’s an unbelievable amount of information out there where you can watch the NBA, college, European basketball and have a better understanding for offense and defense, break things down and start to have a more comprehensive understanding of why teams play things certain ways defensively and why teams run certain things offensively. I think that can really help you. I would encourage coaches to com- municate the best they can with high school and college coaches throughout the country and try to grow your network. Go to the Final Four, things like that. It puts you in an environment where you can continue to build relationships with those within the profession. In this sport, it’s very often who you know, which can move you forward and up the ladder.” MAN OFFENSE | IVERSON ELEVATOR MAN OFFENSE | IVERSON ELEVATOR CROSS MAN OFFENSE | IVERSON ELEVATOR TRIPLE MAN OFFENSE | IVERSON HI-LOW MAN OFFENSE | IVERSON SBS MAN OFFENSE | IVERSON SBS HIGH MAN OFFENSE | IVERSON SBS SPLIT MAN OFFENSE | IVERSON SBS SLIP REPLACE MAN OFFENSE | IVERSON PIN MAN OFFENSE | IVERSON TURNDOWN 4