University of Connecticut Athletics
Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- lukemurray@uconn.edu
Luke Murray joined Dan Hurley’s UConn basketball coaching staff as an assistant coach prior to the 2021-22 season. He completed his fourth season on the UConn staff in 2024-25 and his eighth season with Hurley across three programs.
Murray was on staff for the 2023 and 2024 back-to-back champions and has helped guide the Huskies to five-straight NCAA Tournaments – tying a program record. Both title teams featured First Team All-Conference post players recruited and mentored by Murray and boasted top-five offensive units, which he played a heavy role in implementing. The 2023-24 squad set a program-record with 37 wins and was the dual BIG EAST champions before concluding the most dominant two-year stretch in modern NCAA history.
UConn’s offense ranked No. 22 in Murray’s first season, per Kenpom, then soared to No. 3 in his second season before peaking as the nation’s top offense in 2023-24. The ’24-25 unit finished 15th in adjusted offensive efficiency and was the BIG EAST’s most efficient attack. His frontcourt players helped the Huskies lead the nation in blocked shots in 2024-25 and rank top-10 nationally in two-point percentage defense in each of the last four seasons.
While at UConn Murray has played a vital role in all aspects of the program, including recruiting, scouting and player development with an emphasis on the post position. Under his tutelage the Huskies have developed All-Conference frontcourt players including Final Four MOP and All-American Adama Sanogo, Donovan Clingan, Alex Karaban and Liam McNeeley. During his four years in Storrs the Huskies have produced eight NBA players and three lottery picks.
In Murray’s four seasons at Connecticut the Huskies boast a 115-32 (.782) record - marking the winningest four-year span in program history. He has helped the Huskies reel in three-straight top-10 classes – boasting the top class in the BIG EAST in each of the last three cycles. Out of high school he was the lead recruiter on a lottery pick in Clingan and a trio of McDonald’s All-Americans in McNeeley, Braylon Mullins and Eric Reibe. Out of the portal he led the charge in recruiting First Team All-Conference selection and NBA draft pick Cam Spencer.
Murray has been in the college basketball coaching ranks since 2007, breaking in as the director of operations for Tom Moore at Quinnipiac before going on to assistant coaching roles at Post, Arizona (GA), Wagner, Towson, Rhode Island, Xavier and Louisville before UConn. He has linked up with Hurley on three occasions, joining his first staff at Wagner in 2010-11 and spending 2013-15 as an assistant to Hurley at Rhody. He would go on to spend 2015-21 alongside Chris Mack at both Xavier and Louisville before reuniting with Hurley in Storrs.
At Louisville (2018-21), Murray helped the Cardinals to the No. 1 spot in the national polls in December 2019 and landed a top-10 recruiting class, making one NCAA Tournament and compiling a record of 57-28 (.671) in his three seasons.
Prior to UofL Murray spent three seasons with Mack at Xavier (2015-18), going 81-26 (.835) and making three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. The Musketeers were a No. 1 seed in the 2018 Big Dance and made the 2017 Elite Eight.
In Murray’s three seasons at Rhode Island (2013-15) the Rams showed marked improvement, going from eight wins in his first year to a 23-win campaign in 2014-15. As an assistant at Towson for two years from 2011-13, Murray helped coach Pat Skerry and the Tigers turn around a one-win team to an 18-13 outfit, setting an NCAA record for the best one-season improvement of all time.
At Wagner under Hurley in 2010-11 he helped the Seahawks to an eight-win jump from the prior campaign. While on the Arizona Staff in 2009-10 the Wildcats had a winning record and he helped Post to a 19-9 record as an assistant on the 2008-09 staff. Quinnipiac went 15-15 with Murray handling operations for Moore in 2007-08.
Murray graduated from Fairfield University in 2007 with a degree in sociology and has been recognized by ESPN, The Athletic and 24/7 as one of the top young assistants in the sport. He and his wife Kara have four children; Luke Jr., Cash, Celine and Leila.
THE LUKE MURRAY COACHING FILE
2007-08 – Quinnipiac – Director of Operations
2008-09 – Post – Assistant Coach
2009-10 – Arizona – Graduate Assistant
2010-11 – Wagner – Assistant Coach
2011-13 – Towson – Assistant Coach
2013-15 – Rhode Island – Assistant Coach
2015-18 – Xavier – Assistant Coach
2018-21 – Louisville – Assistant Coach
2021-pres. – UConn – Assistant Coach
