Prior to serving on the Memphis staff, Murphy was an advance scout and video coordinator for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Born in Las Vegas, Nevada, Murphy served in several roles at Arizona from 1998 to 2006, beginning as a student manager and eventually moving to recruiting coordinator, video analyst, and director of operations.
In Murphy's time at Arizona, the Wildcats made eight straight NCAA tournament appearances, reaching the national championship game in 2001.
[2] After being promoted to Director of Basketball Operations at Arizona in 2006, Murphy was hired by the Nuggets, where he provided scouting information on upcoming opponents, as well as organizing off-season workout sessions for players.
During his time at Arizona and Denver, Murphy developed relationships with many current NBA stars, including Gilbert Arenas, Luke Walton, Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby, Chauncey Billups and Kenyon Martin.