August 25, 2009
(release courtesy of Kerry Kahl, Cornell College sports information)
MOUNT VERNON, IOWA . . . Chad Murray, the top assistant and recruiting coordinator the past five years at North Central (Ill.) College, has been named the new head men's basketball coach at Cornell College.
Murray takes over for Mike DeGeorge, who resigned last month after five seasons at the helm including a record-setting 2008-09 campaign in which the Rams qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Murray spent the last eight years as an assistant coach at the Division III level with stints at Nebraska Wesleyan University (2001-02), Vassar (N.Y.) College (2002-04) and North Central (2004-09).
"I think Cornell really fits my experience," Murray said. "I believe my experiences at Vassar and North Central have really prepared me for this position. I'm thrilled to be a part of Cornell's program and am itching to get started. It's definitely a humbling experience. This is an opportunity I've looked for ever since I started coaching."
Murray helped spark a recent turnaround at North Central. Under Murray's guidance, the Cardinals compiled a five-year record of 79-51 after posting only one winning season in 16 years prior to his arrival.
Murray's 2005-06 North Central team captured the program's first ever College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament title, posted a school-record 22 wins and secured its first national tournament bid since 1990. North Central finished 16-10 last season and qualified for the CCIW Tournament for the third time in four years. Murray coached four all-conference post players during his time in Naperville, Ill.
At North Central, Murray worked with the post players and served as head coach for the junior varsity. He also taught courses in North Central's athletic department and oversaw the strength and conditioning of the men's basketball team.
"Chad brings a breadth of experiences and a passionate enthusiasm to our men's basketball program," Cornell Director of Athletics John Cochrane said. "I have complete confidence in his ability to very effectively lead our current group of players, to build on the foundation of success established by Coach DeGeorge, and to continue attracting the type of high quality student-athletes to Cornell who have been so instrumental in our success."
Murray is a 1998 graduate of Chapman (Calif.) University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in film and television. He received a master’s degree in education from Capella (Minn.) University in June 2005. Murray played basketball two seasons at Umpqua (Ore.) Community College (1993-95) and one at Chapman (1995-96). He was the team’s leading rebounder and third-leading scorer at Umpqua.
Murray inherits a Cornell team coming off one of its best seasons in school history. The 21-7 Rams set a school record for wins, posted their first winning season since 2002-03, claimed their first Iowa Conference Tournament title and appeared in the national tournament for the first time since 1994. Cornell returns three starters and nine letterwinners in 2009-10.
"I think Cornell is a program that can be highly successful in the Iowa Conference," said Murray, who comes to the Hilltop with his wife, Jena. "Qualifying for the conference tournament is an expectation we'll have every season. That's the first goal. Once we do that, we can build toward conference championships and national tournament berths."
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