Following up on a story from earlier today (DRAKE DIRT)…
It’s now been made official that Marty Richter has resigned as the head basketball coach at Florida SouthWestern State College and will become an assistant at Drake. FSW assistant coach Eric Murphy has been elevated to replace Richter.
“I appreciate what Coach Richter accomplished in his time with us, particularly this past season when led our second year program to the NJCAA National Tournament and a No. 2 national ranking. We wish Marty the best in his new position,” said FSW Interim Athletic Director George Sanders. “Marty created a winning culture for our men’s basketball program and was able to quickly make our program one of the best in the country. While we are sad to see Marty and his family move on to Drake, we understand that an eventual move back to Division I was inevitable for him. We have no doubt he will continue to be successful.”
Richter departs with a 56-10 (.848) overall mark with the Buccaneers and a 22-2 (.917) Suncoast Conference record. He also saw 10 of his student-athletes earn scholarships to continue their collegiate careers at NCAA Division I institutions.
“It is hard to say good bye to so many good people,” said Richter. “My family and I are grateful to have been embraced by the FSW and SWFL community, and are very sad to depart. I can’t thank President Jeffery Allbritten, former Athletic Director Carl McAloose and current Interim Athletic Director George Sanders for the opportunity to coach at FSW. We have appreciated every part of our experience as a Buccaneer and wish the Bucs the best of luck in all their future endeavors. I will be following closely. GO BUCS!!!”
“I am very excited to join Coach Darian DeVries’ staff at Drake University,” Richter said. “I have known Coach DeVries for some time and consider him a friend as well as a positive mentor to help further my own development as a coach. Joining the Drake team not only allows me the opportunity to coach in a conference ranked 8th in the country, but it also allows me to return to my home state to be near family. Simply, the move is a win/win for my family and I. There are very few opportunities that could have led my family and I to leave SWFL. This is a testament both to FSW and the SWFL community as well as Drake and my experience with the men’s basketball program and athletic department at Drake to this point. I am really looking forward to the journey ahead. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Coach Devries and Athletic Director Brian Hardin for the chance to join the Bulldog Community.”
The recipient of the 2018 Suncoast Conference Coach of the Year award, Richter and the Buccaneers finished the season 30-3 overall, earned the program’s first Suncoast Conference championship (12-0 conference record), secured their second consecutive berth to the NJCAA District VIII Championship and were awarded the highest seed of the at-large bids to the NJCAA National Tournament (6-seed). The Bucs defeated tournament host Hutchinson Community College, 80-65 (March 21), in the second round of the National Tournament, before falling to Vincennes University (76-68; March 22) in the Quarterfinals.
As a team this season, FSW led the nation in opponents’ field goal percentage (36.8 percent) but they also ranked in the top 25 nationally in multiple categories, including blocks per game (6.9; 4th), defensive rebounds per game (32.1, 7th), assists per game (20.4, 9th), opponents’ three-point field goal percentage (29.9 percent, 11th), rebounds per game (46.0, 11th), steals per game (10.2, 12th), field goal percentage (50.8 percent, 14th), total points (2,985, 18th) and points per game (90.5; 24th).
In his first season at the helm at FSW, Richter led the Purple and Aqua, who ranked No. 31 in the final NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Rankings (Feb. 28), to a 26-7 overall record. The Bucs earned a berth to the NJCAA District VIII Championship in the first year of the program after winning a 4-team Suncoast Conference playoff, defeating SCF (98-75; Feb. 25) and Polk State (99-94; Feb.27) The Buccaneers also won 16 of their last 18 games to close the regular season and were one of four schools in the state with both its men’s and women’s basketball teams represented in the State Tournament (Central Florida, Broward, Tallahassee). The Buccaneers finished the 2016-17 regular season ranked 21st nationally in assists per game (19.4), 46th in steals (9.0) and 56th in blocks (4.1). FSW also ranked in the top 60 nationally in points (52nd, 86.7) and field goal percentage (59th, 47.8 percent).
Richter, who brought vast coaching knowledge and awareness of the recruiting landscape to FSW, spent four seasons (2011-15) on the sidelines for Florida Gulf Coast and prior to arriving at FGCU in 2011-12, Richter was an evaluator and collegiate scout for ESPN.
While at FGCU, Richter was a part of 80+ wins, three A-Sun Championship final appearances, an A-Sun Tournament title and an A-Sun regular-season championship, an appearance in the NIT and a run to the Sweet Sixteen which captivated the nation with the Dunk City phenomenon.
Richter worked with ESPN from June of 2009 until coming to Fort Myers, traveling around the country to cover high school basketball. During his two years, Richter provided ESPN with evaluations and contact information for ESPN’s national recruiting data base.
A 1999 graduate and three-year letterwinner at Simpson College (Iowa), Richter began his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater from 1999-2001. After a two-year stay at the University of South Dakota (2001-03) as a graduate assistant coach, Richter caught on to Dan Dakich’s staff at Bowling Green where he was promoted to an assistant coach from 2004-07.
Richter began his first stint as an assistant coach at Florida junior college powerhouse Chipola College during the 2007-08 season. Chipola spent 11 weeks ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA national poll, finishing the year with a 35-2 record, a regional championship and a seventh place finish at the National Tournament.
Richter then served as the video coordinator for Indiana University and interim coach Dan Dakich after his season with Chipola, joining the team for the 2008 Big Ten Championship and the NCAA Tournament. With the Hoosiers, Richter provided video edits for the postseason while helping the academic support staff.
International experience became part of Richter’s detailed resume in 2008-09, when he served as an assistant coach for the Budivelnyk Basketball Club of the Ukrainian Superleague. Richter assisted with all facets of the club, extending from game preparation, on-floor coaching, scouting of opponents, recruiting of international and American players, and individual development.
Richter then returned to Chipola College after the conclusion of the season in the Ukraine, joining the Indians for the start of regular season play. After winning another regional championship, Chipola finished third at the National Tournament with a 34-2 overall mark. Nine different players moved on to Division I programs following the season.
Murphy has helped lead the Bucs to a 56-10 (.848) overall record over the past two seasons. He helped FSW earn the program’s first Suncoast Conference championship (12-0 conference record) in 2017-18 and also helped the Buccaneers secure their second consecutive berth to the NJCAA District VIII Championship.
“We are excited to promote Eric to this position,” said Sanders. “He has helped build our men’s basketball program into a top-5 program and we believe he is ready for this opportunity and is a great fit for FSW men’s basketball. To keep our program headed in the right direction, we believed we needed stability and think it’s important to keep good people here.”
“I would like to thank President Jeffrey Allbritten and Interim Athletic Director, George Sanders, for their confidence in me and providing me with this unbelievable opportunity,” said Murphy. “I also would like to thank all of the past and current players as well as the coaching staff for their hard work and dedication in helping make FSW one of the top junior colleges in the country. In addition, I would like to thank Coach Marty Richter for hiring me as an assistant and mentoring me these past two seasons. He is a great coach, a great person and a great family man. I have learned a lot from him and feel honored to have worked alongside him. I am excited for this new challenge and am dedicated to maintaining the success of FSW’s Men’s Basketball program.”
Murphy came to Florida SouthWestern after spending three seasons as a member of the Northern Colorado men’s basketball staff. He served as the director of operations for one season (2013-14), before spending two seasons as an assistant coach (2014-16).
Prior to his stint at Northern Colorado, Murphy spent two seasons as the assistant and interim head coach at Wabash Valley College. He was the interim head coach at Wabash Valley for 11 games between Dec. 2012 and Jan. 2013.
While at Wabash Valley, he helped lead the team to an eighth-place finish at the NJCAA National Tournament in 2012 after they won the Region 24 Championship.
He spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at Slippery Rock from 2007-09 and coached the following two years at Vincennes University as an assistant coach before moving to Wabash Valley.
At all of his previous institutions, Murphy has been extremely involved in the recruiting of student-athletes and coordination of practice, scouting and game plans. He also has experience on the operational side of the game and in community and alumni relations, travel coordination, meals and housing and several other off the court activities.
Murphy played collegiately at Pennsylvania State-Beaver, Mercyhurst College and Waynesburg before beginning his coaching career. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Waynesburg in 2002 and completed his master’s degree in physical education from Slippery Rock in 2010.
