NAU Picks Murphy Former Memphis Asst

NorthernArizonaNews.com INSIDE Life: Earth Week, p 13 Sports: Tennis, p 15 Opinion: Murphy Hiring, p 8 A&E: Adult Swim Carnival Tour, p 26 SINCE 1914 Issue 13, VOL 99 April 19, 2012 - April 25, 2012 NAU picks Murphy Former Memphis asst. to coach men’s basketball BY BRETT MURDOCK urrent University of Memphis assistant coach Jack Murphy has been hired to lead the NAU men’s basketball program, the school announced CThursday afternoon. “We are so pleased. This is a great day for NAU Athletics,” said Lisa Campos, the Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics. “It was a really competitive process. There was a lot of interest in this position. We know that Jack is the right person to do that and if you look at his background, he’s learned a lot from great coaches.” Jack Murphy, the Murphy has been on the new coach of the NAU men’s bas- Memphis staff since 2009, joining ketball program. the program when close friend Josh (Photo courtesy Pastner took over. Before holding Inside NAU) that position, he was a member of the Denver Nuggets organization under George Karl, acting as an advance scout while also serving as the video coordinator and leading players such as Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith in off-season workouts. “My first thanks goes to obviously Dr. Campos and President Haeger for seeing a vision in me,” Murphy The lost world of north campus said. “It’s very humbling. I’m overjoyed but it hasn’t hit me yet.” Students experiment in educational greenhouse Murphy’s coaching career started at UA, where he was a team manager before working his way up to direc- BY WILLIAM BROWN sustainability exercises. tor of basketball operations, spending eight seasons in Tina Ayers, the supervisor of the Tucson from 1998-2006 under Lute Olson, before leav- AU draws people from all teaching greenhouse, said the facility, ing for the Nuggets gig. over the world for its forested which was built in the 1960s, received Serving under three quality coaches in his young mountain landscape — and some much-needed renovations last career, Murphy has taken away an extensive knowledge Ndraws people from across Arizona for year. of how to handle programs both on and off the court. its four seasons. However, what many “The place really got a facelift “I learned from Coach Olson how to respect the do not know is that different climates last summer [when] the Dean of the game and respect your players,” the 32-year-old said. exist here on campus — and plants College of Engineering, Forestry and “With Coach Karl, I learned how he managed players from all over the world thrive within Natural Sciences bought us some new and his staff. He was an unbelievable motivator in sev- them. panels,” Ayers said. “They are Lexan eral ways. From Coach Pastner, I’ve learned how impor- These artificial climates, sus- panels that are polycarbonate plastic tant it is to bring in entire communities and empower tained within two different green- and twin walls that are energy-effi- the players.” houses on campus, provide oppor- cient and buffer the outside tempera- see MURPHY page 16 tunities for students to study biomes ture. NAU took off the old glass that TOP: Kendra Hart, a junior biology major, inspects one kept breaking and installed the [new] of the many plants located in the greenhouse. BOTTOM: not found in northern Arizona. They Students from Botany Club and Tri Beta prepare to feed FOR THIS WEEK’S STAFF EDITORIAL ABOUT THE also serve a variety of other purposes, panels.” worms with recycled organic material. (Photo by Christina HIRING OF JACK MURPHY, SEE PAGE 8 including wildfire restoration and see GREENHOUSE page 7 Breen) Go to NorthernArizonaNews.com for daily updates, multimedia packages, extra content and stories before the issue hits the stands. .

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