Following-up on my NAIA DIRT from earlier this morning. Former Saint Mary-of-the-Woods head coach Mike Hunter has taken over at Shawnee State University. Here is the official release from SSU:

Shawnee State University Athletics is pleased to announce the return of Mike Hunter, former SSU associate head coach, as the new head coach of the SSU Men’s Basketball program.

“Shawnee State Athletics has earned a reputation for excellence, on and off the court,” Eric Braun, Vice President for Advancement & Enrollment Management at Shawnee State University, said. “Our students and coaching staff focus on developing strong athletes and strong students. We are confident that Coach Hunter will continue to develop our men’s basketball program, and we’re looking forward to our first season in the River States Conference.”

Hunter formerly served as associate head coach under Coach Delano Thomas. Coach Hunter left the Shawnee State program in the summer of 2019, taking over as head coach at Lakeland Community College, where he led the Lakers to two Conference championships in two of his three seasons.

He had two 20-win seasons while reaching #2 in the National Junior College Athletic Association, the highest rank the program had ever seen. Coach Hunter took over the program at soon-to-be River States Conference rival Saint Mary of the Woods this past season, leading them to a 10-17 season.

“I am extremely excited to be back in Portsmouth coaching at Shawnee State,” Hunter said about the opportunity to return. “This is a dream job for me. Despite leaving as an assistant to pursue Head Coaching opportunities I knew that someday I would want to be back here roaming the sidelines. I would like to thank Vice President Eric Braun and Athletic Director Jeff Hamilton for believing in my vision to lead this great program.”