Head Coach Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy enters his second season as Head Coach of the Elgin Racers. In his inaugural season as a professional coach, Murphy led the Racers to the International Basketball League’s Midwestern Division championship with a 17-6 record. Additionally, the Racers advanced to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, their deepest run in playoff history. Along the way, the Racers posted impressive wins over the Battle Creek Knights and the Elkhart Express; the IBL’s first two league champions. The Racers snapped Elkhart ’s 22 home court win streak on June 15, 2007 and are still the only IBL team two beat the Express twice in one season.

Before coaching at the professional level, Murphy coached for 15 years at the high school and collegiate levels. As an assistant at the University of New Orleans , Coach Murphy helped the Privateers post their 13 th consecutive winning season, the longest streak in Louisiana . Coach Murphy was part of an extraordinary run by the Privateers that resulted in a decade of dominance. Tim Floyd, current USC head coach and former Chicago Bulls head coach, started the winning tradition at UNO and Tic Price and Joey Steibing upheld this tradition. From 1988-1998, the Privateers had five consecutive 20 win seasons, won the conference championship 7 times, produced 5 conference Players of the Year, and appeared in the NIT or the NCAA Tournament 9 times. While at New Orleans , Murphy’s primary responsibilities included on-campus recruiting, film exchange, preparation for opponents, and individual player development.

After his short stint in New Orleans , Murphy returned to the Chicago area and assumed the role of head coach at Vernon Hills High School . In March of 2000, at the age of 28, Murphy was named the first head coach in the history of this new high school. Coach Murphy was responsible for implementing all facets of the program from scratch and is still the winningest head coach in the history of the high school. During the 2001-2002 season, Murphy’s first year with seniors, the Cougars posted a 20-8 record, won the York Thanksgiving Tournament, and allowed the fewest points per game in Lake County . As a result, Murphy was asked to coach in the East/West All-Star game. During his four years at Vernon Hills, Coach Murphy helped produce three all-area players including the 2002 Lake County Player of the Year, Matt Glees. Prior to becoming a head coach, Murphy was part of the St. Rita , Bremen , and York High School coaching staffs.

Before pacing the sidelines as a coach, Murphy was a player at Illinois Tech in Chicago , Illinois . He earned All Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) honors three consecutive years. Additionally, he was named team captain and team MVP three years while scoring over 1,400 points during his collegiate career. Coach Murphy graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology with a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration. Murphy continued his education at Chicago State University , earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education, a Master of Science in Occupational Education; his Master of Arts in Counseling and Human Services is from Roosevelt University .

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