Murray State Coach Steve Prohm to Step Down Amid Rough Missouri Valley Transition

The sequel has not been as good as the original for the Racers.

Steve Prohm coaches Iowa State in 2021. / Kelsey Kremer/The Register via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Murray State has long been a proud men's basketball mid-major, but coach Steve Prohm led it to its greatest heights. In 2012, the Racers went an astounding 31-2 and briefly cracked the AP top 10.

When Prohm returned to Murray State in 2023 for a second coaching stint, however, he found himself unable to summon his old magic in the Missouri Valley. Because of this, he will step down, according to a Friday night report from Pete Thamel of ESPN.

The report comes mere hours after the Racers lost 70–62 to Bradley in the Missouri Valley tournament, ending their season. As Thamel noted, Murray State has yet to finish above sixth in the league in its three-season stint in the Missouri Valley.

Sources: Murray State coach Steve Prohm is stepping down and will not return next year. They have not finished higher than sixth in the Missouri Valley in his three seasons since returning to the school. They’ve had losing records in conference in the last two years. pic.twitter.com/GlmBq11bBa

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 8, 2025

Prohm returned to the Racers after a six-season sojourn at Iowa State—a stay that included several promising years but ended with a ghastly 2-22 record in 2021.

Murray State's last NCAA tournament berth came in 2022 under coach Matt McMahon (now of LSU), when it went 31-3 and reached its second round.

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