Jason Zimmerman, Camp Director

Emory Men's Varsity Basketball Head Coach

Emory players, and other experienced coaches and councelors will also serve as staff for the camp

Friends,

Welcome to Coach Z's Basketball Camp at Emory University. We look forward to spending the week with you. The quality and enthusiasm of our staff create an atmosphere of teaching and learning that results in a feeling of joy and satisfaction for every camper. We try to mirror the excellence of the Emory University education by hiring coaches who enjoy working with youngsters and helping them fulfill their potential. We teach the fundamentals of the game and about being on a team. When your young man leaves camp, he not only feels good about what he has accomplished, but he also has a thirst to improve upon the skills that he has learned. We can't wait for you to come join our team for the week!

Sincerely,
Jason Zimmerman
"Coach Z"

Coach Jason Zimmerman

Coach Zimmerman is an experienced and respected coach, camp director, teacher and lecturer. He doesn't just sit on the sidelines and watch -- he gets into the action and teaches young people the fundamentals of the game. His passion and energy are contagious, as he makes learning the game fun.

Jason Zimmerman was named the fourth head coach in the history of Emory men's basketball in April of 2007. In his five years of calling the shots for the Eagles, Zimmerman has compiled won-lost ledger of 71-54.

The 2011-12 campaign saw the Eagles hammer out an overall record of 19-6, the third-highest win total in schoool annals. It represented the program's third consecutive winning season, just the second time in the history of the program that the Eagles had strung together such a streak ( 1987-88 through 1989-90). Included in the team's overall record was an 8-6 ledger in UAA action (tied for third place) that marked the program's third consecutive season that Emory had finished with a record of .500 or better in league play, a first in school history. Since 2009-10, Zimmerman has guided the Eagles to an overall record of 54-21 with the win total the second-highest mark by the program over a three-year stretch, trailing just the 56 triumphs turned in from 1987-88 through 1989-90. Zimmerman oversaw the best start ever posted by an Emory squad as the Eagles raced out to a 12-0 record, bettering the previous start of 7-0 turned in by the 2002-03 and 2010-11 teams. Over the course of the season, Emory achieved its highest-ever national ranking when it was No. 4 in the D3hoops.com Jan. 24 poll. The Eagles continued to enjoy success at the Woodruff PE Center, outscoring the opposition by an 80.7-70.2 per-game average en route to chalking up a 10-1 slate in home contests.

Zimmerman's fifth Emory team maintained its reputation as a high-powered offensive juggernaut, leading the UAA in scoring offense with an 84.1 points-per-game average, good for the No. 17 position among all Division III programs and the No. 3 spot on Emory's seasonal list. The Eagles cracked the 90-point plateau on seven occasions including three outings of 100 or more points. The Emory mentor saw his club use the three-ball to its advantage during 2011-12, knocking down a school-record 232 triples with its 9.3 per-game average leading the UAA and standing 21st among all D-III programs. The Eagles converted 10 or more from beyond the arc in 14 contests including three outings of 13 treys. Emory topped the conference and ranked eighth nationally in turnover margin (+5.84) and averaged a league-low 11.3 turnovers per contest, the 17th-best effort in D-III on the year.

Zimmerman spent seven seasons on the Davidson staff, where he worked for Bob McKillop, from 1996-97 through 2002-03. During his tenure, the Wildcats compiled an impressive 122-81 record and competed in the 1998 and 2002 NCAA Tournaments. Davidson won North Division championships in the Southern Conference in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2003, and won the Southern Conference Tournament in 1998 and 2002.

"Jason Zimmerman is the type of person that you want your son to play for," said McKillop, the 2007-08 NABC National Coach of the Year. "He is a superb coach and caring individual. He will maximize the talents of those who play for him.

"He has the ability to get on the court and show what has to be done and how to do it," McKillop continued. "Jason has the unique capacity to get players to blend and play roles. He is adept at getting players to grasp the team concept nature of the game while highlighting their individual strengths."

Jason and his wife, Traci, have a son, Trevor, and daughter, Taylor.

CLICK HERE for Coach Zimmerman's full bio

Assistant Coach Chris Murphy

Chris Murphy joined the Emory basketball staff as an assistant in July of 2009.

In his two seasons with the Emory program, he has helped the program to an overall record of 35-15. In 2010-11, the Eagles finished with a 20-5 won-lost slate, the first 20-win campaign since the 1989-90 campaign. In addition, Emory finished second in the UAA with an 11-3 effort, the second-highest league win total in school annals.

In his first season with the Eagles' staff, Murphy helped guide the team to an overall record of 15-10 including a 7-7 slate in the University Athletic Association. Murphy, along with head coach Jason Zimmerman and fellow assistant Ben Wright were named the 2009-10 UAA Co-Coaching Staff of the Year.

Murphy joined the Eagles staff after serving as an assistant coach at Union College during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. In his last year there, he helped the Dutchmen compile an overall record of 13-11.

As a player, Murphy was a four-year starter at Union and served as team captain team during his senior season in 2005-06. Tabbed as his team's MVP following 2004-05, Union won a total 71 games in his four seasons and won ECAC and Liberty League championships. In his final campaign, he averaged 30.2 minutes along with a team-leading 4.78 assists per contest.

Murphy has served as a counselor at various basketball camps, including at West Virginia, Syracuse, Rutgers, and Union as well as the Five Star Camp.

"Chris's ability to get the most out of young men as a leader has been displayed throughout his career as a student-athlete and assistant coach. His work ethic, passion for the game and his ability to relate to people are characteristics that are invaluable to Emory basketball," Zimmerman said. "

Prior to his stint at Union, Murphy was an assistant coach at Iona Prep High School in 2006-07.

Murphy earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Union in May, 2006. He obtained a Masters of Business Administration the spring of 2009.