Murphy, Weidenbach reuniting on bench at Dakota Wesleyan

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Before Tim Weidenbach was hired as an assistant coach at the University of South Dakota, Shane Murphy already decided he was transferring to the Vermillion-based school to play his final two years of college basketball.

Weidenbach became an assistant at USD before the 1992-93 season, the same year Murphy left Drake University to become a Coyote.

“Shane was a great player, a guy who was a great passer, a great shooter,” said Weidenbach, who was recently hired as Murphy’s head assistant coach for the Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball team. “He was a great team player and we had a great run with him.”

Weidenbach and Murphy will share the same bench again this year for the first time in nearly 20 years. Weidenbach is one of three new faces on the DWU men’s basketball team’s coaching staff this year. The others are former DWU forward German Madueno and Jacob Brandl, a graduate of Midland University. Murphy, the head coach, is the lone face to return to the staff.

Having spent the last 10 years coaching for the Parkston High School girls’ basketball team, Weidenbach said he’s ready to get back into college basketball. Before moving to Parkston and coaching the Trojans, he spent two seasons with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, four years as an assistant at Augsburg College, two years at Sheridan College and two years at USD. All were as an assistant.

Weidenbach, 46, is replacing Josh Mueller, who is going to be in charge of player development for a basketball team in Germany, Murphy said.

“It’s really good to have someone I’m familiar with and I know is going to be loyal and will work hard,” Murphy said. “I had about six or seven guys I was interested in talking to. Over the course of time, Tim just became the guy that was going to be the best fit.”

The two started talking about the open position during a Dakota Schooler’s basketball tournament. They’ve already started discussing recruiting for the 2013-14 season and both know getting local talent to come to DWU is a top priority.

Weidenbach has a daughter, McKenzie, who will be starting her final year of high school this fall. He said leaving the Parkston girls to take the assistant job at DWU was a tough choice.

“I absolutely enjoyed my time coaching the girls here in Parkston, but I’ve always seen myself as a college basketball coach,” he said. “ … One of the hardest decisions was to leave Parkston. I’ve coached (McKenzie) and her teammates throughout their time there. They’re going to be seniors and there are seven of them. That was one of the toughest parts.”

Madueno, who finished his senior season on the team last year, will be another new face on the bench this season. He played two years for Murphy at DWU and is joining the team as a student-assistant coach.

“He’s really been interested in the coaching aspect,” Murphy said. “He’ll get to see the game from a whole different perspective and see if it’s something he wants to pursue.”

Brandl spent two years as a student-assistant at Midland, a school he graduated from in May. He played two years at Dana College before the school closed.

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