Men's basketball hires strength coach

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Darby Rich, Texas A&M's strength and conditioning coach the past six seasons, is joining University of Memphis coach Penny Hardaway's staff in a similar capacity.

A former University of Alabama basketball player, Rich served as men's basketball strength and conditioning coach at Oklahoma (2004 to 2009) and South Carolina (2002 to 2004) before taking the Texas A&M job.

At Oklahoma, Rich worked with Blake Griffin, selected first overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. After the 2008-09 season, he left to work as personal strength coach for pro golfer Anthony Kim, winner of the 2010 Shell Houston Open. Kim also finished third at The Masters in 2010.

With Oklahoma, Rich contributed to the Sooners making the NCAA tournament on four occasions (2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009) and capturing the 2005 Big 12 Championship. In his final season at Oklahoma, the Sooners went 30-6 and advance to the NCAA Elite Eight.

Before his stint at Oklahoma, Rich spent two seasons as men's basketball strength coach at South Carolina. While with the program, the Gamecocks won 35 games and earned an NCAA tournament berth for the first time in 14 seasons. Rich also worked with the women's basketball team, which reached the NCAA tournament in 2003.

His career also has included a stint in the NFL. He spent a year and a half with the Dallas Cowboys as a strength and conditioning intern, where he worked under respected strength coach Joe Jurazsek.

But most of Rich's career has been in college basketball. For three seasons (1998-2001), he served as an assistant coach at Sam Houston State. The Bearkats won the school's first Southland Conference title in 2000.

He began his college coaching career at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, where he was an assistant from 1994 to 1998. At Hutchinson, he doubled as the program's strength and conditioning coach.

An all-state player at Riverside High in Greer, S.C., he spent five seasons at Alabama, serving as tri-captain his senior year (1992) with future NBA stars Robert Horry and Latrell Sprewell. He played on Crimson Tide teams that won the Southeastern Conference in 1989, 1990 and 1991 and earned SEC academic honor roll recognition three times.

Rich and his wife, Jennifer, were married in September 2006 and have two children.

University of Memphis Athletics

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