The Murphy File

Personal Information
Birthday	November 28
Hometown	Tutwiler, Miss.
Education	Ole Miss, 2000 (Bachelor's) Ole Miss, 2002 (Master's)
Playing Career	Ole Miss, 1996-2000

Coaching History
2023-Pres.	Troy - Assistant Coach
2018-23	Coahoma CC - Head Coach
2011-18	Brandon HS - Head Coach
2006-11	Tupelo HS - Head Coach
2004-06	Meridian HS - Head Coach

Murphy heads into her fourth season with the Troy Trojans with a perfect 3-for-3 mark in postseason appearances, including a WNIT Fab 4 appearance in 2023-24, a WNIT runner-up finish in 2024-25 and a WBIT berth in 2025-26.

In her third season with Troy, Murphy helped the Trojans reach 25 wins, tying the program record. With a 25-8 overall record and 15-3 mark in Sun Belt play, the Trojans finished second in the conference during the regular season before completing a 3-0 season sweep over Arkansas State in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament semifinals. Ultimately, the Trojans fell in Murphy’s first Sun Belt Conference title game appearance against James Madison, 69-52, but Troy earned its first WBIT berth against No. 2 Kansas. Murphy also helped guide Troy to key victories over Missouri, Arkansas State (three times), Marshall and Longwood, with both the Marshall and Longwood wins featuring 20-plus-point road comebacks. As a team, the Trojans led the nation in rebounds per game (49.91) for the ninth straight season while also leading the Sun Belt in assists (15.8), rebound margin (12.2), defensive rebounds (31.8), offensive rebounds (18.2), scoring (81.3) and winning percentage (.758).

Year two saw Murphy coach the Trojans to a No. 3 seed in the SBC Conference with a 24-14, 13-5 SBC record as the league’s leader in assist/turnover ratio (0.91), assists (15.4), blocks (4.7), rebound margin (plus-11.5), defensive rebounds (32.9), rebounds (49.1) – also led the nation for the eighth straight season – and scoring (80.1). She also helped Troy become the first SBC program to win the Great Alaska Shootout, joining historic programs like Tennessee, South Carolina, Ohio State and Stanford as the 41^st champions. With Murphy, the Trojans punched their ticket to the WNIT and ran to the National Championship game against Buffalo, finishing runner-up after wins over Chattanooga, North Texas, North Dakota State and Illinois State.

Her first season with Troy saw a program that ranked in the top two for the Sun Belt Conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.1), assists (15.4), rebound margin (+7.8), defensive rebounds (30.8), offensive rebounds (17.1) and scoring (80.9) while leading the nation in total rebounds at 47.88. The Trojans turned an 0-6 start into a 22-12, 15-3 SBC record with a No. 2 seed for the SBC Tournament and a historic WNIT Fab 4 run, which included the first-ever postseason victory in program history. She helped coach three All-Sun Belt players in Tai’Sheka Porchia (first), Ja’Mia Hollings (second) and Makayia Hallmon (third) and earned the new Troy D-I record for field goals made in a single season at 1,060.

Murphy, the 2022 Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference Coach of the Year, spent five seasons as the head coach at Coahoma Community College and led them to a 48-10 record during her final three seasons, including a 21-7 mark during the 2021-22 campaign. The Tigers advanced to the MACCC Championship Game and the NJCAA Region 23 semifinals that season.

The year prior, Coahoma finished the season as MACCC Co-State Champions, MACCC's North Division champions and Region 23 runners-up in a season that featured a 14-game winning streak.

In the 2021-22 season, the Coahoma program tallied four student-athletes on the NJCAA All-Academic Second Team, with one on the NJCAA All-Academic First Team.

Prior to arriving at Coahoma, Murphy coached for seven years at Brandon (Miss.) High School, five years as the head coach at Tupelo (Miss.) High School and two years as the head coach at Meridian (Miss.) High School. She led each school to the state tournament and Super Ten rankings.

Murphy experienced great success at the high school level, comprising an overall record of 326-124 (.724). She reached the state tournament five times, finishing as a three-time state runner-up. She has also won six district championships, a South State Championship and was named Daily Journal's Coach of The Year in 2007.

She played college basketball at Ole Miss, where she earned her bachelor's degree in exercise science in 2000 and her master's degree in higher education with an emphasis in student personnel in 2002.

At Ole Miss, she was an Arthur Ashe, Jr. Leadership Award recipient, NCAA Leadership Conference participant and an SEC All-Academic Team member.