Time will tell, but the Boston College men's basketball program may have just hired its best head coach since the departure of Al Skinner. They have not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since he was the Eagles' bench boss.
That could soon change under Luke Murray. The soon-to-be former UConn Huskies' assistant coach has played an instrumental role in the team's success. That includes the back-to-back national championships the program recently captured.
Luke, the son of legendary actor Bill Murray, has spent the past five seasons alongside one of the top coaches in basketball, Dan Hurley. At his introductory press conference at The Heights, Murray also discussed another coaching influence of his, Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics.
"Joe and I have known each other for a while. We've just sort of stayed in touch over the years. We're pretty close in age, have sort of come through [the] basketball ranks together. He's a fan of our team. I'm a fan of his team. He comes down and comes to our games and comes to our practices and spends time with our coaching staff," said Murray, per WEEI's Justin Turpin.
Joe Mazzulla's advice to Luke Murray
Tapping into a connection that's now even closer to him, in preparation for his meeting with the media, Murray reached out to Mazzulla. The advice he got from the Celtics' head coach was as on-brand as it was laughable.
"He gave me a couple of hints on the press conferences," shared Murray. "I know he's the press conference guy, so I went to him this morning. He said, 'Keep it very short.' I know he has great expertise in doing that. He's a great guy, and I'm excited to be able to spend more time with him."
Both are excellent coaches. Time will tell if Murray can match Mazzulla at the podium.
He'll have more time to work on that before devoting his full attention to Boston College. UConn is in the Final Four. Some assistant coaches leave immediately upon getting hired. That allows them to work on the demands of the transfer portal, among other items that require attention. However, Murray committed to remaining with the Huskies for however long their tournament run lasts.
It would be quite the send-off if his last year alongside Hurley culminates in another national championship together before he heads to The Heights to take over the helm for an Eagles team and fan base that is starving for even a slice of the success UConn has recently experienced.