For years, the head coaching job at Eastern Michigan University has been considered one of the better jobs in the realm of Mid-American Conference basketball due to its facilities, tradition and proximity to Metro Detroit. It is these points of pride which led EMU to hire a highly regarded, past national champion assistant coach in Rob Murphy from Syracuse back in 2011.
But those supporting factors haven’t produced the success expected in Ypsilanti. As I look at the history of Eastern Michigan basketball, I noticed a down turn with the upturn of another regional mid-major.
The Oakland University Golden Grizzlies began play as an NCAA Division I basketball program for the 1999-2000 season with the now venerable Greg Kampe at head coach.