Last year, Tom Murphy's 34-year reign as head men's coach at Hamilton was cut short with Murphy the fourth-winningest coach in the history of Division III basketball with a 602-262 record.

This year Murphy will get the opportunity to add to that impressive total as he has been named head coach at the SUNY Institute of Technology by athletic director Kevin Grimmer, who is turning over the coaching reins.

Grimmer, a 1981 graduate of Hamilton and an All-American for Murphy's highly successful Continentals, hands over the reins of the Wildcat program to his former coach. Grimmer, who concludes 20 years on the SUNYIT sidelines -- including 10 seasons as head coach -- hired Murphy last fall as associate head coach to initiate his transition across the Mohawk Valley.

"Coach Murphy's legacy at Hamilton College is obvious," says Grimmer. "There's no question that he will have an equally dramatic impact on the rise of SUNYIT basketball. Coach has worked extremely hard this year learning about SUNYIT and focusing on recruiting. Next season's results will speak for themselves."

Murphy entered this past season at No. 44 on the all-time victories list for all who have coached men's basketball in NCAA Division I, II or III. An Associated Press report says Murphy was forced to retire at Hamilton. The school would not comment. Hamilton went 19-8 in Murphy's final season there.

"I am looking forward to the coming season and really appreciate the opportunity Kevin has given me," Murphy said. "We hope to build a program at SUNYIT that the entire college community will be proud of -- a program that will compete for conference and national championships."

"My rather modest goal for Coach Murphy is to see him join (Syracuse coach Jim) Boeheim in the 700 victory club someday here at SUNYIT," says Grimmer. "The way he works at it, anything is possible."