Murray State University Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Coach/Director of Defensive Strategy
Luke Adams joined Murray State Basketball as an Assistant Coach/Director of Analytics ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Adams comes to the Racers after spending two seasons at Tarleton State and one season at Southern Miss. He joined the Golden Eagles' staff in June 2025 after helping Tarleton State establish multiple program records during his two seasons with the Texans, including a Division I-era record 25 wins in 2023-24 and a program-best 16 victories in Western Athletic Conference play. Tarleton State finished second in the WAC standings in 2024-25 and advanced to the conference tournament semifinals for the first time in program history.
Before his time at Tarleton State, Adams served as the Director of Player Development at Texas Tech during the 2022-23 season under his father, Mark Adams. He spent four seasons as the head coach at New Mexico Junior College, compiling 63 wins in three seasons of competition. During his tenure, the Thunderbirds reached the Region V semifinals in each of those seasons. Throughout his coaching career, Adams has mentored two All-Americans and 14 all-conference selections while helping 41 players advance to the NCAA Division I level.
Adams began his coaching career as an assistant at South Plains College, where the Texans went 53-11 over two seasons and finished third at the NJCAA National Tournament following a perfect 29-0 regular season. He later spent the 2017-18 season as an assistant coach at Seward County Community College, helping the Saints improve from a last-place conference finish to eighth place and reach the Region VI Tournament quarterfinals for the first time since 2015.
A four-year letterwinner at Texas Tech, Adams played in 64 games for the Red Raiders from 2011-15 under head coaches Billy Gillispie and Tubby Smith. He also competed for the USA Deaf National Team in Bulgaria during the summer of 2013, helping the team earn a bronze medal while averaging 10 points, 3.9 steals, 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
Adams earned his bachelor's degree in Exercise and Sport Science from Texas Tech in 2014 and a master's degree in Sports Management from Texas Tech in 2015.
