Eastern Michigan hires Rob Murphy as basketball coach

Rob Murphy, in 2001 / J. KYLE KEENER / DFP

Eastern Michigan has hired Syracuse assistant and former Detroit Crockett coach Rob Murphy as its men's basketball coach, the Free Press has learned.
EMU called a news conference for 11 a.m. Thursday to introduce its coach but declined to reveal his identity. Multiple people with knowledge of the hiring told the Free Press that Murphy will be the successor to Charles Ramsey, who was fired this month after going 68-118 in six seasons at EMU.
The two sides have been in negotiations about Murphy's contract the last several days, holding up the announcement.
Murphy, a graduate of Detroit Mumford, has been working under Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim at Syracuse since 2004.
After graduating from Central State (Ohio), Murphy was as an associate head coach at Detroit Central in 1996-98. The team reached the state finals his first year and won the Class A state title in 1998.
Murphy then was hired as head coach at Crockett, where he won a Class B state title in 2001 and coached future Michigan State guard Maurice Ager, later a first-round draft choice of the Dallas Mavericks.
Murphy had a record of 64-27 at Crockett and was the Free Press all-metro coach of the year in 2001.
“He’s a city guy, and he did a good job when he was at Crockett," Detroit Denby coach Charles Albright said. “I think it would be a good thing for Eastern to hire him so they can get back on track."