You may know him from Murphy Basketball Camp, or from his role as an assistant on the Newtown High School girls’ basketball bench. Matt Murphy, Newtown resident and basketball fixture in and out of town throughout the years, is the new face of the Newtown High School boys’ basketball program. He was named head coach by Newtown High School Athletic Director Matt Memoli on June 9.

Murphy’s coaching experience includes his tenure with the Newtown High girls’ freshman team, as well as his role with the varsity group, both since 2010, plus a decade of boys’ basketball coaching, including the head role from 2001-07 with the Carmel High team in Carmel, N.Y. Additionally, Murphy, who is the Mathematics Department chair and a teacher at Carmel High, coached the New York school’s varsity golf team from 2010 to 2020.

“I’m excited to be a head coach again. It’s a new challenge. It’s exciting to take over something that I think has a ton of potential. I think all the pieces for success are there. It’s just a matter of me putting my stamp on it,” Murphy said.

Those pieces include a great community, large town and youth feeder program, and support of the athletic department, as well as talented players, Murphy said.

As for the stamp he looks to put on the program: Murphy considers himself to be extremely competitive, yet will not take the approach of gauging success on wins and losses.

“I think effort and intensity on a daily basis are number one, and a commitment to each other and the program is most important. I think if that level of commitment is there and the effort is there the success of the program will follow,” Murphy said.

Speaking of commitment, Murphy has had plenty of that with the NHS girls’ program. Memoli noted that Murphy essentially had a head coaching role alongside Head Coach Jeremy O’Connell, and that they led the team to top-ten status or at least discussion about being among the top teams in the state every single season.

O’Connell views the girls’ program as just that — one program with all coaches and players having equal roles — and pointed out that Murphy certainly had a significant hand in the success it has had. The coaches have all had a say in everything from scouting to game plans to practice drills throughout the years, O’Connell said.

“Matt was such an incredibly crucial part of all the success we’ve had for the last 13 years,” said O’Connell, whose teams won a state championship and pair of South-West Conference titles, and have been not only in the postseason but in contention for championship status throughout this stretch.

“Ultimately, that’s the direction I want to take the boys’ program,” said Murphy, adding he is looking forward to taking on the tough SWC competition on the boys’ side now.

Murphy is leaving behind a program that is important to him.

“There’s a part of me that’s very sad about leaving the girls’ program. It’s been an important part of who I am and what I’ve done over the last 13 years and I’ve enjoyed every second of it,” Murphy said.

What’s more, he will be stepping away from coaching his daughter, Moira, a rising junior on the team. That means, due to frequently overlapping boys’ and girls’ game times, much less opportunity to see her on the court.

“That was probably the most difficult part of this decision,” said Murphy, adding that his daughter recognized that this head coaching opportunity is not likely to come about in a couple years when she graduates.

Murphy, 47, and his wife Deirdre, have two more children: Keenan, a senior at the University of South Carolina; and Shea, a junior at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga.

Along with his brother Mike, Matt Murphy, in 1998, took over the summer Murphy Basketball Camp that their dad started. The familiarity with Newtown’s basketball community is certainly a big plus for the new head coach taking over the Nighthawk boys this coming winter.

“I could not be more excited. I couldn’t be happier with the way things worked out,” Memoli said. “This is a huge win for everyone.”

Murphy has experienced success, with multiple New York sectional and state, as well as National Federation of High Schools Northeast Region coach of the year awards for golf and basketball. He also earned a league championship in basketball and state title in golf at Carmel.

Murphy will continue to teach at Carmel High. An earlier dismissal time has allowed him to get to Newtown for after-school coaching all of these years and things will remain the same with a new program getting his attention and expertise.

“I’m more than excited for him. It’s an absolute home run for Newtown basketball and the community. He’s been a pillar in the community,” O’Connell said. “He’s just a great human being. He’s great with kids — he’s super knowledgeable about the game.”

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.