Wofford College men’s basketball head coach Jay McAuley announced his staff for the upcoming season on Thursday, April 18. Will Murphy remains on staff, while Paul Hemrick and Dwight Perry join the Terriers.
Murphy has been with Wofford for two seasons, first as Director of Basketball Operations and then as assistant coach. Paul Hemrick spent six seasons as assistant coach at Gardner-Webb, helping the team to the 2019 Big South Championship. Dwight Perry has spent the past five seasons as an assistant coach at Furman University and has experience at VCU and Stanford.
“Assembling a talented staff has been one of my top priorities since the announcement was made on Monday,” said McAuley. “These guys are well-respected winners in our profession and will bring an immediate impact to all areas of the program. Each of them brings a versatile skill set to our championship culture, but what I am most proud of is the character and integrity that they bring to the table. Wofford College welcomes each of them and their families to this community.”
Paul Hemrick completed his sixth season as an assistant coach with the Runnin’ Bulldogs, after serving as Director of Basketball Operations the previous two years.
“Paul is a rising star in our profession and will be a great asset for me and our players heading into next season,” said McAuley. “The guy is not only an incredible teacher and developer, but he is a great evaluator on the recruiting trail. We are excited to bring on board such a talented coach that is terrific at building relationships, as well as championship teams.”
Since joining Tim Craft’s bench in 2013-2014, Hemrick has been instrumental in Gardner-Webb’s steady climb in the Big South standings. He has been a part of 132 wins over the past seven seasons with a string of six consecutive winning seasons. In 2018-19, the team was 23-11 overall and defeated Radford to win the Big South Championship. In the first NCAA Tournament appearance for the Runnin’ Bulldogs since moving to Division I in 2000, the team was defeated by Virginia Tech.
Gardner-Webb has also made two additional postseason appearances during Hemrick’s tenure with the program, hosting a game in the CIT during his last season as Director of Operations (2013) and traveling to Colorado for a CBI appearance in 2015.
During his two seasons as Director of Basketball Operations, Hemrick had a hand in all aspects of the program, from administrative duties on a daily basis to overseeing the team’s student managers and responsibilities for all video exchange and editing.
The John’s Creek, Ga., native came to Boiling Springs after spending two seasons as head varsity men’s basketball coach at Westminster Christian Academy in Watkinsville, Ga. He directed the squad to a 17-8 record in his first season, improving the previous season’s win total by eight games. He directed the Lions to a pair of state tournament appearances and had five players named All-Region in two seasons.
Hemrick spent four seasons as a student manager at the University of Georgia from 2005-2009, coordinating film exchange in addition to responsibilities for equipment and filming. Hemrick graduated from Georgia in May 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration-management and a Bachelor of Science in education-sports management. He recently completed his Master of Business Administration at Gardner-Webb in May 2013. He and his wife, Melissa, are the proud parents of Eloise Grace.
Will Murphy enters his third season on the Wofford’s men’s basketball staff in 2019-20. He joined the staff as Director of Basketball Operations on June 16, 2017 and was elevated to Assistant Coach in October 2017.
“I am very thankful to have Will continue to be on our staff moving forward,” said McAuley. “He has been instrumental in continuing our program’s success over the past two seasons. As a young and hungry coach, he brings great versatility and energy to our program daily. The only people more excited than I am to hear that he will be staying are our players!”
This past season the Terriers posted a 30-5 overall record, including a perfect 18-0 mark in Southern Conference play. They won the Southern Conference Tournament title. In the NCAA Tournament, the Terriers were a seventh-seed and a win over Seton Hall sent Wofford to the second round, the league’s first NCAA Tournament victory in 11 years.
The team was ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time ever, ending the season at #19. They were also ranked #18 in the final USA Today Coaches Poll. Fletcher Magee was named Southern Conference Player of the Year, along with honorable mention All-America recognition and Lou Henson National Player of the Year recipient as the top mid-major player in Division I. Cameron Jackson joined Magee on the first team All-Southern Conference team by both the media and coaches.
In his first season in 2017-18, Murphy primarily helped with the guards. Junior Fletcher Magee (SoCon Player of the Year by the media and First-Team All-SoCon) and Storm Murphy (All-Freshman Team) took home conference honors as Wofford finished 21-13. He also handled all travel logistics and prepared scouting reports on opponents.
Before joining the Terriers, Murphy spent the previous season as the Director of Player Development for Wake Forest.
Prior to that role, Murphy spent three seasons in Winston-Salem as the video coordinator and the Director of Technology and Scouting for the Demon Deacons. In his role as Director of Player Development, he served as a mentor for the student-athletes and assisted in their academic and professional development. He was responsible for recruiting organization as well as assisting in opponent scouts.
Murphy started his career at Wake Forest as a student manager before joining the active roster as a walk-on guard.
He graduated from Wake Forest in May of 2013 with a degree in mathematical business. Murphy is a native of Murfreesboro, Tennessee and resides in Spartanburg.
Dwight Perry joined the Furman men’s basketball staff in July of 2014 and spent five seasons with the Paladins.
“I couldn’t be more excited to add a coach that displays the total package,” said McAuley. “Dwight’s experiences playing and coaching college basketball at the highest level is something that our program will benefit greatly from. He is a relentless recruiter, ferocious competitor, and impacts winning in every way imaginable.”
Last season Furman was 25-8 overall and finished third in the SoCon with a 13-5 record. They began the season 12-0, which included victories over 2018 Final Four participants Villanova and Loyola, to earn a spot in the AP Top 25. Matt Rafferty (first team) and Jordan Lyons (third team) earned All-Southern Conference honors and Noah Gurley was named to the All-Freshman Team.
During the 2017-18 season, the Paladins went 23-10 with a school-record 22 regular season victories. In 2016-17, Furman earned a share of the Southern Conference regular season title, posted a 23-12 record and Devin Sibley captured Furman’s second straight SoCon Player of the Year scroll. The Paladins advanced to the semifinal round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
In the 2015-16 season, the Paladins posted a 19-16 overall record, finished third in the SoCon with an 11-7 league mark and captured their first postseason victory in 40 years by downing Louisiana Monroe in the opening round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Senior guard Stephen Croone garnered consensus SoCon Player of the year honors and first team All-SoCon accolades.
In his first season with the Paladins, Furman advanced to the Southern Conference Tournament finals for the first time in more than a decade. The Paladins downed Chattanooga and Mercer en route to a berth in the tournament championship game where they were defeated by Wofford. Stephen Croone captured All-SoCon and NABC All-District accolades, while Devin Sibley was named SoCon Freshman of the Year.
Perry, a native of Durham, N.C., served as a graduate assistant under Virginia Commonwealth head coach Shaka Smart for two seasons before being named as the Rams’ video coordinator for the 2013-14 campaign. During his three-year stint in Richmond, Va., the Rams posted an 82-26 record and made three consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, including appearances in the round of 32 in both of Perry’s seasons as a graduate assistant.
A 2010 graduate of the University of Kentucky, Perry played three seasons for the Wildcats and earned a degree in business management. He served as an intern with Stanford’s men’s basketball program for two years before joining VCU, where he earned a master’s degree in sport leadership in May of 2013. Perry married the former Brittany Gee in August of 2016.
https://woffordterriers.com/news/2019/4/18/jay-mcauley-names-mens-basketball-coaching-staff.aspx
