Murphy talks about coaching search

This week, Spec Sports’ basketball beat writers Michele Cleary and Zach Glubiak had the chance to ask Athletic Director M. Dianne Murphy questions about the search for the new men’s basketball coach. Below are her answers.

Spec: Could you give us a quick overview of what the coaching search is like?
Murphy: The athletics program is already developing a list of top candidates. We have been in contact with athletics directors, conference commissioners, professional organizations, NCAA officers, and many others in the basketball industry. If we hope to get the best candidates, and protect the integrity of the search, we must ensure their confidentiality.

We have hired Ted Gregory, CC ’74, of the search firm DHR International to lead the search. I plan on having a small three-to-five-person alumni advisory group to provide input to the athletics program throughout the search process. I will also be consulting with President [Lee] Bollinger and other key University stakeholders. As always, we are committed to diversity in our search.

We know that we will be able to hire a first-rate head men’s basketball coach for Columbia who can lead us win the Ivy League championship.

S: What are you looking for in the next head men’s basketball coach for Columbia?
M: We are looking for a great leader to be the head men’s basketball coach at Columbia. In order to be a successful NCAA Division I head men’s basketball coach, you need to possess many skills, qualities and competencies—but nothing is more important than leadership. We envision that the head coach will be the CEO of the men’s basketball program. Our head coach will lead all facets of the men’s basketball program, from recruiting and teaching to game-day coaching.

Whomever we hire must be the right fit for Columbia. He must be a terrific mentor and role model. Our head coach will have a commitment to integrity, and appreciate the concept that Columbia student-athletes are truly both students and athletes. We will hire someone who understands and appreciates the value of the Ivy League model for intercollegiate athletics, which states that all student-athletes are representative of the student body at-large, and are only eligible for need-based financial aid, not merit-based athletic-grants-in-aid (scholarships).

We are committed to success in men’s basketball. It is important to us that our next head coach is a proven winner. Joe Jones did a fantastic job rebuilding Columbia men’s basketball. We are in a much better place than we were before he arrived, and we are ready to take our men’s basketball program to the next level. Our goal is to win the Ivy League championship.

S: Are ties to Columbia important? What about Ivy League experience?
M: We are looking to hire a head coach who is the right fit for Columbia. An important factor in this area will be our next head coach’s appreciation of the Ivy League model for intercollegiate athletics. We recognize that the Ivy League is unique in NCAA Division I athletics, and we are proud to be a founding member of this wonderful athletics conference.

Experience coaching men’s basketball at one of the eight Ivy League schools may be a plus, but it is not a requirement for the position. Having ties to Columbia would also be an added bonus, but will not be the deciding factor. That said, we believe that having a coaching perspective from someone outside our league can be valuable too.

S: What about the ability to recruit without offering scholarships? How important is it for a candidate to be able to recruit from the New York City area?
M: Any time a head coach comes to a new institution, there will be a learning curve. There are nuances to each head-coaching position, at every school. I am confident that whomever we hire as our next head coach will be successful in working within the Ivy League model.

The Ivy League model ensures that our student-athletes are representative of the student body at large. Our next head men’s basketball coach will need to be able to identify and recruit basketball players who can be successful at Columbia both academically and athletically. Because the Ivy League recruiting pool is smaller than it is for other NCAA Division I schools, our recruiting focus must be as broad as possible.

If we wish to meet our goals of building a men’s basketball program capable of winning the Ivy League championship, we need to ensure that we find the best student-athletes who can meet the rigors of an Ivy League education and play NCAA Division I men’s basketball. We need to do the widest possible recruiting search to find those individuals capable of achieving excellence in the classroom and on the court, which means we have to recruit nationally, if not internationally.

S: Have you considered meeting with high school coaches from high-profile schools in the NYC area?
M: We are committed to looking at every candidate who meets our established criteria. Our preference is to hire someone with experience coaching men’s basketball at the NCAA Division I level. We would also prefer someone with collegiate head coaching experience.

There is a significant difference between high school and NCAA Division I basketball, especially from the standpoint of managing recruiting and day-to-day operations of a competitive NCAA Division I basketball program. Given that Columbia student-athletes must manage so many commitments from academic, personal and athletic standpoints, we need a head coach who will be able to relate to these time demands.

S: How are you going to address the transition to the student-athletes, and how will they be incorporated into the search process?
M: We have already met with our team. Obviously our student-athletes are disappointed, but they understand that this is a great opportunity for Joe and his family.

For the time being, Assistant Coach Damien Strahorn will be managing the men’s basketball program during the transition. He is already involved in managing practices and workouts for our players. Our other assistants are also working closely with the team, and we value their contributions very much during the transition.

As we get closer to the end of the search process, we anticipate asking three select student-athletes to meet with our top candidate(s). We value the input and advice of our student-athletes. They will have to work more closely with our new head coach than anyone else.

S: Do you have a timetable for installing the next coach?
M: Our goal is to work efficiently and effectively to find the next head men’s basketball coach. We will do a thorough, confidential national search to make sure we find the right fit for Columbia. While we are not on a specific timetable, we believe we can complete our search and hire a top-flight head men’s basketball coach within a month or less.

S: How have the recruits been contacted, and what kind of responses have you gotten from them?
M: After Joe made his announcement, he contacted all of our recruited men’s basketball student-athletes to explain his wonderful opportunity. Our coaching staff has also been in touch and I have emailed each recruited student-athlete, and talked personally to some of them.

We are very excited about our incoming men’s basketball recruiting class. All of them are exceptional students and talented athletes. Each one of our men’s basketball recruits in the Columbia Class of 2014 is important for the future success of our men’s basketball program. We value their talents and look forward to welcoming them to Columbia in the fall.

S: Are you concerned they’ll de-commit?
M: There are many reasons why individual student-athletes make their decision to attend and play for a particular college. While we know that our recruits were excited for playing for Coach Jones, we also know that each one chose Columbia for his own personal reasons. While basketball is very important for each of our student-athletes, it is only one part of the college experience.

Columbia is a premier educational institution in the best city in the world. We believe that each of our recruited student-athletes is looking forward to his Columbia experience and we can’t wait for them to join us in New York.