EL PASO, Texas – After spending the past season as an assistant coach at Texas A&M Commerce, Lexi Murphy will be returning to UTEP women’s basketball to serve as the director of basketball operations, head coach Kevin Baker announced on Monday.
“I am so blessed and grateful to be returning to UTEP and the city of El Paso,” Murphy said. “I consider it a home away from home now, and I am so excited to be able to go back and bring new knowledge, new skills, and create new experiences with people who I consider family, along with getting back to my favorite places that I’ve missed so much. There is nothing like El Paso! I cannot wait to return and get started.”
Murphy previously spent two seasons as the director of basketball operations for the Miners from 2019-21 and was a graduate assistant with the program from 2017-19. Murphy played two seasons for Baker at Angelo State, averaging 8.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game as a senior during the 2016-17 campaign while reaching double figures in scoring 16 times.
As an assistant at Texas A&M Commerce this past year, Murphy helped guide the Lions to a 27-5 season, including a 12-3 record in Lone Star Conference action and a 12-2 mark at home. The Lions advanced to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Semifinals. Individually, guard Dyani Robinson was selected as the Most Outstanding Player in the South Central Region by the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association to become the first player in program history to ever win the award.
Murphy graduated from Angelo State with a bachelor of science in psychology and obtained a master’s of education from UTEP.
“We are so excited to bring Lexi back to the Borderland,” Baker said. “She is such a valuable part of our team and family. She will do a great job with a position she knows all too well. Lexi is a strong up-and-coming coach in our profession and we are so happy to have her back.”
Natalie Halbleib, the previous director of basketball operations for the Miners, was recently named assistant athletic director for development at UTEP.