Luke Murray is headed in one direction in the ranks of college basketball coaches - up.

Murray, entering his second season with the Tigers, was an integral part in bringing in the 2012-13 Towson recruiting class which ranked as the best in the CAA and No. 6 in the country among non-BCS schools according to CBS Sports. Murray was also selected as one of the Top 5 mid-major assistant coaches that will make a major impact due to his recruiting abilities.

"Luke is one of the rising young star assistant coaches in the East," said Tiger head coach Pat Skerry. "He's a terrific, relentless recruiter with deep contacts in the entire Northeast from New England down to New York and into the New Jersey, Philly and Maryland areas. He's a guy who knows how to get in the trenches and get results. Additionally, Luke has already worked with some terrific coaches in Sean Miller at Arizona, Dan Hurley at Wagner and Tom Moore at Quinnipiac. He came to Towson highly recommended from all those guys."

Murray embarked on his coaching career while a freshman at Fairfield University when he began directing AAU programs. His teams were successful, his players were advancing in the college ranks and he was meeting a ton of people, becoming known especially among collegiate coaches.

Murray attended St. Luke's School in New Canaan, Conn. A four-year letter winner at point guard on the varsity basketball team, he also played football, receiving All-Conference and All-Region notice as a strong safety. He would return to St. Luke's as an assistant basketball coach, helping the Crusaders capture the 2004-05 New England Class D Championship.

A 2007 graduate of Fairfield with a degree in sociology, Murray spent one year as the director of basketball operations at Quinnipiac on Tom Moore's staff before moving on to Post University in Waterbury, Conn. as an assistant to Mike Donnelly, helping the Eagles to a 17-10 record.

In 2009-10 Murray was in the Southwest, serving as a graduate assistant on Sean Miller's Arizona Wildcat staff while working on a Master's degree in Educational Psychology. His last stop before Towson found him back East in Staten Island, N.Y. where he served as an assistant to Dan Hurley at Wagner College.

In addition to his college experience Murray has been a familiar figure in the AAU circles, coaching the New England Playaz and the New York Gauchos. His former players have moved on to the college game at Boston College, Connecticut, Michigan, Georgetown, Maryland, Kansas, Florida, Duke and West Virginia.