A rising star in the regional coaching ranks, Jordan Murdock has accepted Kansas Wesleyan's men's basketball coaching position. The decision was announced Saturday afternoon by the university.
Murdock will be the 30th Head Coach for a program whose history dates back to 1901-02.
"I want to thank President Thompson, Ken Oliver, and Miguel Paredes for the opportunity to return and lead the KWU men's basketball program," Murdock said. "Kansas Wesleyan has a special place in my heart and for my family, as well. When I came there four years ago, the university welcomed me and my brother with open arms. KWU has always been good to us."
Murdock spent the 2024-25 season at NCAA Division II Pittsburg State University, working on staff for Jeff Boschee, helping to lead the Gorillas to a second-place finish in the premiere MIAA Conference, tying with Rogers State University. Murdock helped coach three All-MIAA players including the conference Player of the Year in sophomore Jordan Frison.
He is no stranger to Kansas Wesleyan, having served on the Coyote staff for four years, most recently as the associate head coach in 2023-24. Murdock was a key recruiter for the team and was responsible for player evaluation and training.
He was integral in helping the Coyotes earn three trips to the NAIA National Championships during his time on staff."Having Jordan Murdock return to the program was a no-brainer," Paredes said. "During his first tenure, he did an excellent job for our program. He was a top-notch recruiter and was able to relate to the players on the team, using his experiences to help the student-athletes grow both on and off the court."
"My teams are going to play hard, we are going to represent the school in a first-class way," Murdock said. "Our goal is to win the KCAC Championship, and get back to the NAIA National Tournament. Those are our biggest goals and we will compete for a national championship. That's a goal not only for the team but also for the entire university. We want to host the KCAC championship game every year, and we want to bring the national tournament (first and second rounds) back to Salina too, that was such an exciting moment for not only the team, but the entire community."
Before his first tenure at KWU, Murdock was a two-time NAIA All-America performer for Friends University. He was a first-team All-America selection and was named the KCAC Player of the Year in 2018, leading the NAIA in scoring that season and followed with a second-team NAIA All-America performance in 2019. He scored nearly 2500 points in 93 career games at Friends, and is the Falcons' all-time scoring leader, averaging 26.7 points per game.
Prior to Friends, Murdock spent one season at Hutchinson Community College, playing for coach Steve Eck, helping the Blue Dragons to a 32-5 overall record, a Jayhawk Conference championship and a NJCAA Division I National Runners-Up finish.
"This is a slam-dunk hire for our program and for KWU as a whole," said Ken Oliver, executive vice president of advancement and university operations. "Jordan's experience as both a player and coach, across three different levels, helps him relate well to his players, and his strong ties to the regional basketball community will only be a positive for KWU. His focus on academics and attention to detail will help take our program to the next level. We can't wait for him to get started!"
Murdock comes from a strong basketball pedigree. His grandfather Mitch was a standout high school player and played at Friends. His father Johnny and uncle Jeff were standout high school players in Wichita, and Johnny continued onto a storied career at Missouri State where he was a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference player and was inducted into the Bears' Hall of Fame.
Jordan and his brother Jun were standouts at Wichita Southeast and continued to have successful careers. Jun played one season at Friends where he was the KCAC Freshman of the Year before transferring to KWU, playing three seasons, twice earning NAIA All-America honors.
Murdock has a degree in liberal studies from Friends University and a MBA degree with emphasis in Sports Management from Kansas Wesleyan, earning the degree in 2022 while serving as a graduate assistant coach for the Coyotes.