Murry Bartow

By Allyson Turner

In 1996, legendary coach Gene Bartow resigned as head coach of Alabama-Birmingham. In 34 seasons at six colleges, Bartow compiled a 647-353 record. And he built a solid foundation for the UAB program, where he averaged more than 20 victories in 18 seasons (365-204). He left large shoes to fill. It was his son, Murry, who stepped into those shoes. Murry had served on Gene's coaching staff from 1989-1996. Murry had played four seasons for his dad at UAB, and was also an assistant coach for Bobby Knight at Indiana for two years, including the Hoosiers' national championship season in 1987.

In three seasons at UAB, Murry has a 58-36 record. The Blazers' were impressive in the Conference USA Tournament with an upset over DePaul and the team received an at-large bid to get Murry into his first NCAA Tournament as a head coach. Last season, UAB won 21 games and made it to the second round of the NIT.

 

Blazers' coach Murry Bartow looks on as his team plays in the arena named after his father, former coach and current AD, Gene Bartow. (Allsport)

Which coach do you most admire, past or present?
That's easy for me because it's Gene Bartow, my father. I played for him and I worked for him as an assistant coach at UAB. He's now my athletic director. I'm very close to him because he was my coach, plus he's my father. He was one of the winningest coaches in college basketball. He had a great rapport with his players. He was an incredible game coach and obviously, I have a great deal of respect for what he has been able to do.

Was it difficult to follow in his footsteps?
They were very big shoes to fill because at UAB, all they had ever known was Gene Bartow. He came here in 1978 and started this program. They didn't have an athletic program in 1978 and he started the whole athletic program and the basketball program. When he stepped down and the president hired me, they were very big shoes to fill.

What did you learn from your father?
To do your best and always remain on an even keel. Never get too high, never get too low. I try to pass that along to our players about every day. Just be very business-like. Just do your best. If you're on a six -game winning streak, don't get too high. If you're on a four-game losing streak, don't get low. Try to remain on an even keel.

What did you learn from Bobby Knight?
Oh boy. So many different things. He's an incredible coach. I think you hear so much being said about him, but I can say that working with him was an incredible experience. In terms of his organization and his preparation and just the way he coaches, he's an incredible coach. He is highly intelligent, a great game preparation coach and just a fantastic coach. I learned a lot about the game from him, the X's and O's, but I also learned a lot about life off the floor.

What is it about you that would make a player want to play for UAB?
I'm a young head coach (37). I've been there as a player and I've been there as an assistant coach. I think I'm also a player's coach. In age, I'm really not far away from some of them. We play an up-tempo style and players enjoy that. We have a nice atmosphere and a good family atmosphere. Certainly, we push them and challenge them to do their very best on the floor. We also try to spend a lot of time with them off the floor.

What is one word or phrase that best describes you?
Competitive.

What was the greatest moment for you on the court?
I was here at UAB for four years and was a part of four NCAA Tournament teams. So there are a lot of great memories. My single greatest memory as a player was at the Alaska Shootout, when we won the tournament against Tennessee. I scored a whooping eight points and for me that was a big game. As a coach I had a lot of great memories. Obviously, the national championship game in 1987 at Indiana was a great memory. We've had a lot of good wins since I've been the head coach at UAB. This is my first NCAA Tournament and we're excited about that.

What are your expectations against this Iowa team?
They're good. They're a Big 10 team and traditionally for us, Big 10 teams have always been tough. Obviously, they're playing with a lot of emotion. Their next loss will be Tom Davis' last game at Iowa, so there's some extra incentive there and some extra emotion. They press you all over, they play a 94-foot game and that can give us some problems. There's a lot of factors. We know it's gonna be a hard game. Of course, we play a lot of tough people in our league, Cincinnati , Louisville, UNC Charlotte. It's not like we haven't played tough people. So hopefully, we will be ready.

Before a game, you always do what?
Mentally try to collect my thoughts. I always sit in my office prior to a game and I usually listen to music. Whether it's Rod Stewart or Hootie and the Blowfish or Anita Baker, I try to collect my thoughts and make sure my mind is clear and I'm ready to go.

What is the best part about being a coach?
The relationships you build with players both off and on the floor. Seeing them grow. Seeing them get their degrees. Seeing their faces when they see UAB pop up on the screen and get in the tournament.

What is the worst part?
There are some incredible valleys when you lose. There are a lot of highs and lows in this profession. You get very high when you win and naturally, you get very down when you lose. You try to remain out of those peaks and valleys. When you get beat by someone you're supposed to beat, there's a pretty deep low and you try to remain on an even keel but sometimes it's not easy.

What is your pet-peeve?
I don't like it when guys don't have their shirttails tucked in. That comes from my father, but I have to make sure they're neat and look good and their shirts are tucked in.

What are you intimidated by?
Snakes.

If you could have anyone over to dinner, whom would you invite?
There are so many things I'd like to ask a lot of different people but if I had to pick one person right now, I'd have to say Bill Clinton.

What was the greatest moment for you off the court?
I have a beautiful wife and three beautiful boys; a 3, a 5 and a 7 year old. Just my relationship with them ... I really enjoy spending time with them.

What is a perfect day?
Being down in Florida and sleeping until about 8:30 a.m. Get a good workout in and go to the golf course. Golf all day. The perfect day, would be if I was ever in a position to be in the national championship game. That's a huge goal of mine and I try to envision myself there at some point. During the off-season, I'm on the golf course a good bit.