It is the start of a new era for Apollo High School girls’ basketball, as Laurel Murphy was recently named the program’s new head coach. A longtime basketball referee, Murphy has spent multiple stints coaching at the middle school level and was an assistant coach for the E-Gals under Natalie Payne when they won the 3rd Region in 2021.
On July 13 at 6:00 p.m. in Apollo’s cafeteria, Murphy will be available for a meet and greet.
“It’s a little bit surreal. I graduated from there 30 years ago and started playing there when I was a freshman,” Murphy said. “So, it’s been a long time coming, but it’s good to be back.”
Many factors played into Murphy’s decision to apply for the Apollo job, but a major catalyst was an opportunity to be closer to family.
“My late husband Ryan Murphy, who was also an Apollo grad, his brothers are part of the Apollo program,” Murphy said. “They work with the volleyball team, keep the clock for basketball games, and announce. It was a lot of factors to even apply for this job, and that was a big one. To be around family still.”
Her love for basketball dates back to her childhood, attending multiple camps, including Rex Chapman’s. She played at Burns Middle School and later was a member of Apollo’s varsity team in 1995 and 1996. A multi-sport athlete, she also competed in soccer and softball and was an integral part of the softball team’s 1995 State Championship.
After graduating, she attended Western Kentucky University, joining the school’s flag football intramural team – sparking her eventual and successful tryout for the All Girls National Football Association. Murphy spent a stint as a professional before transitioning full-time to refereeing basketball, which she has done for 22 years, dating back to 2003. In 2010, she also started refereeing football and this fall will mark her 18th season on the job.
Murphy’s foray into the coaching world dates back to 2002 when she joined Burns Middle School as an assistant volunteer. After two years, she became the school’s seventh-grade head coach, and two years later she joined Apollo as an assistant. Once her first stint with Apollo ended, she took some time off from coaching and continued to ref full-time before spending time in Bowling Green, rejoining Burns and then later Apollo.
This marks Murphy’s first year as a head coach at the high school level.
“It’s surreal, it’s exciting, and I am a little bit nervous,” Murphy said. “I have learned from the best. I played under Willis McClure, who is a legend in KHSAA, and Ronnie, who is another coach who is close to me and helped me out when I was at Burns. I coached with Natalie Payne and played together at Apollo. I am excited to be in this position.”
Returning to her roots, Murphy stated that taking the Apollo job is a full circle moment.
“I bleed blue and always have,” Murphy said. “I always supported Apollo athletics and Apollo High School. When I was there, I played three sports and was class president my senior year. I was involved, and I am really excited to be back and to be able to get involved again in a high capacity this time.”
