Loralyn Murdoch's buzzer-beater jump shot found the target.
It netted her a new career as UNBC's director of athletics and recreation.
Murdoch needed no introduction to the local media gathered Wednesday morning at the Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre for the announcement of her hiring, after 16 years as head coach of the UNBC Timberwolves women's basketball team.
"I think it's a really good opportunity professionally, I've been involved in athletics since a long time ago and it just seemed to be the right time to move into more of an administrative role and start helping the coaches and the other support staff with our move forward into the CIS," said Murdoch.
Murdoch replaces Jason Kerswill, who left UNBC in April to become manager of Canada Basketball's men's high-performance program. The athletics director job posting drew 33 applicants, six of which were short-listed. Three candidates were brought in for interviews. Murdoch was a late entry, applying right before the deadline.
"I waited until five minutes before the university closed on the final day of the posting," she said. "It's a big decision and I wasn't sure I was ready to throw my hat in the ring and I wasn't sure I was done coaching. Coaching has been a huge part of my life and I'm really looking forward to overseeing in a different way. We still have our club programs and I can still coach, but it was tough."
Murdoch knows the UNBC athletics program inside and out, having been involved from when it began in 1997, after two years coaching women's basketball at the College of New Caledonia. Born and raised in Prince George, she played two seasons at Grande Prairie College and finished her playing career with a two-year stint at the University of Alberta.
Bill Owen, UNBC's acting dean of student services and enrollment management, headed the hiring committee. He said Murdoch's winning ways with the basketball team and her connections to UNBC were obvious assets, but that's not what rocketed her to the top of the list.
"Her leadership skills, that's what we're looking for, and that's what we see in Loralyn and we're very excited to have her on the team," said Owen.
Murdoch assumes her new duties on Monday in Toronto, where she will gather with her peers at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport annual general meeting. She is not alone as a female CIS athletic director: Sandy Slavin at the University of Lethbridge and Karla Karch at Mount Royal University in Calgary hold similar positions.
UNBC is heading into its second season as a probationary member of CIS's Canada West Conference. Murdoch has a long record of success dating back to when UNBC was a member of the B.C. college league, now the Pacific Western (PACWEST) Athletic Association. She led UNBC to the Canadian college national tournament in 2008 and 2012.
"It's now my job to make sure we get off probation and move forward with our two sports -- soccer and basketball -- to the best of our ability," Murdoch said. "We have to do what we do well and really compete and start vying for some provincial and national championships."
Top of her priority list is finding a new head coach to replace herself. The job was posted Wednesday.
Murdoch, 41, has a two-year-old daughter, Sofie, and while her new job entails greater responsibilities to UNBC, she's looking forward to the adjustment in her work schedule.
"I don't think I could be away more than I already have been as the women's basketball coach," she said. "I think maybe I'll be home a little bit more and maybe have the opportunity to spend some time with her on weekends and take her to the events. Instead of her being with somebody else and watching me, we can be there together."
