Faith, winning drew Murrell to GCU coaching staff

No matter how often Kam Murrell pinches himself, he still is amid the reality of being in the first days of a dream life scenario as a Grand Canyon assistant coach.

Murrell and his expectant wife, S.J., prayed for him to land a position at a program that would surround him with faith as much as winning.

"I'd be really hard-pressed to find any other staff, program and university in the country that has those values we were praying for," said Murrell, 29, who is entering his seventh year on a college basketball coaching staff. "It's a 'Thank you, God' moment for us to be at GCU. It's like, 'You are listening.' That part alone has me pinching myself every five minutes."

After working at Memphis, alma mater St. Thomas Aquinas, Fairleigh Dickinson and Iona, Murrell moves back toward his Southern California roots to bring his mix of skill development, scouting ability, recruiting and more to the GCU staff.

"Kam comes with a lot of energy and with West Coast ties," Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said. "His faith and character has been an instant fit for our program."

Murrell has known third-year GCU assistant coach Marc Rodgers since they were elementary school-age basketball players. He has followed the Lopes even longer, but their friendship revealed even more about the Lopes to appeal to him.

"First off, it's Coach Drew and the program that he's built," Murrell said. "It's very special. Knowing Marc, he's told me a ton about how he coaches, how he carries himself on the day-to-day and how he runs the program.

"As we continue to grow our family, being around other people who are faith-based was extremely attractive to us. We're on top of the moon right now."

Murrell played on state championship teams for a prep powerhouse, Long Beach Poly, before utilizing a post-graduate season at another prestigious program at IMG Academy in Florida.

That led to his collegiate career, which began with two seasons at George Mason with an instant role of 12 minutes per game as a freshman. He transferred to Division II stalwart St. Thomas Aquinas in New York, where his relationship with head coach Tobin Anderson pivoted his life.

As Anderson's only senior on the 2018-19 team, Murrell was made St. Thomas Aquinas' captain and was included on coaching staff meetings.

"I got my foot in the door a little bit on that side of it, and then I just fell in love with that side of the game," said Murrell, whose team reached the NCAA Division II Tournament's Sweet 16.

"Players don't understand how much stress we, as players, are putting on the coaches day to day. Me seeing that other side of it, the sweat equity that coaches put into it and the time they spend away from their families to invest in us as players was big for me. It's something I want to give back to this next generation of players."

Murrell landed a graduate assistant position on Penny Hardaway's Memphis staff for 2019-20 and 2020-21, including an NIT championship team.

Armed with a master's degree in sports and hospitality, Murrell returned to St. Thomas Aquinas to assist Anderson and followed him to coach on his staffs at Fairleigh Dickinson (2022-23) and Iona (2023-25).

Their FDU team made a national splash by becoming the second No. 16 seed in NCAA Division I Tournament history to knock off a No. 1 seed (Purdue). That led Iona to tab Anderson and his staff to succeed Rick Pitino when he left for St. John's in 2023.

Last season, the Gaels won 12 of their last 17 games and reached the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament championship game. Anderson commended Murrell for "an incredible competitive fire and passion unlike any others."

"I think I'm a really good connector when it comes to the players and the staff from my playing experience," Murrell said. "I bring high energy. I put my hat on high energy every single day, getting the guys better in the gym."

Now in the GCU Basketball Practice Facility daily, Murrell is absorbing everything from systems to player skills but keeps noticing the Havocs mural on the building's south interior wall.

"My eye keeps getting caught by this little girl in the pigtails in the stands," Murell said, noting a toddler in a Lopes cheerleader outfit. "I noticed her and thought, 'That's going to be my daughter.' "

Grand Canyon University Athletics

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