Zen Murphy...

A former player described him saying, "With few exceptions, he never gets rattled." She has given him the nickname: Zen Murphy.

But Ken Murphy, wrapping up his sixth season at the helm of the Northern Arizona University volleyball program hasn't always been the cool and collected coach he displays on the Lumberjack sidelines match after match. He admits in the interview he still works hard at it and he has changed a lot since his early days as an assistant coach at Colorado State.

In this candid and engaging interview, Ken discusses how he has evolved and how his culture has helped change the direction of the NAU program. On the white board in his office, he has written the core of his program's culture and talks at great length about it in the interview.

NAU is the winningest Division I program in Arizona over the last 4+ years and Murphy is knocking on another Big Sky Division title the weekend this was recorded. 

After the interview, hours before a three set sweep of Idaho, the Lady Jacks bounded into their hour long pre-match serve and pass with smiles, energy and purpose. This late in a college season, the vibe in the gym was impressive and contagious. Ken strode around the court, pulling aside a player here and there, giving them some feedback, a chat, asking about their day. But make no mistake, this serve and pass was driven by the players. It's a tenet of Murphy's culture you'll hear about; autonomy.

Take a few minutes and enjoy Ken's views on culture, recruiting and advice for coaches interested in getting better.

A quick epilogue to this blog, days after NAU disposed of Idaho in their final home match of the season, Ken was named Coach of the Year by the Big Sky Conference.  His Lady Lumberjacks also took down all three teams in the Big Sky Conference tournament and won a ticket to the NCAA tournament. Congratulations to Ken, his staff and the NAU Lady Jacks!

Ken Murphy Interview