UConn men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley has announced the hiring of Kenya Hunter as an assistant coach, completing his on-court and recruiting coaching staff.

Hunter, a 16-year veteran of Division I coaching, comes to UConn after spending the last five years on the coaching staff at the University of Nebraska. Hunter has also had extensive coaching experience at Georgetown, Xavier and Duquesne, as well as basketball administrative experience at North Carolina State.

“Kenya has tremendous experience in some high-level programs,” Hurley said. “He’s very well-respected not only as a strong recruiter, but an extremely knowledgeable coach on the floor. It’s great when you can hire a man who you view as a future head coach and Kenya has that kind of ability. I’m very happy to add him to what I believe is an outstanding staff.”

Hunter, who has been a coach for 11 teams that reached the NCAA Tournament, completes the new UConn on-court and recruiting coaching staff under Hurley, which also includes Tom Moore and Kimani Young.

“I looked at the opportunity that UConn presents for me, working with a staff that I’m very excited about, plus I felt that I needed a change,” Hunter said. “Obviously, UConn has a great tradition of winning — four national championships and one just four years ago. It’s recent, not outdated. You look in that practice facility and at that NBA wall, it’s a place where a lot of NBA guys have come through and paved the way. I embrace the challenge of helping Coach Hurley get UConn basketball back to where the people there want it and where it has been.”

Hunter, a native of Arlington, Va., helped Nebraska post 22 victories this past season and earn a berth in the NIT. During his tenure, he also helped the Huskers reach the NCAA Tournament and he was instrumental in the development of All-Big Ten selections Terran Petteway, a conference scoring leader, and Shavon Shields, a 1,500-point, 600-rebound performer.

Hunter’s familiarity with UConn stems from his six years (2007-2013) on the staff of John Thompson III at Georgetown, where he helped the Hoyas earn two Big East titles, five 20-win seasons, and five NCAA Tournament berths. While at Georgetown, Hunter was significant in the development of future NBA stars Roy Hibbert and Greg Monroe, as well as Otto Porter, the Big East Player of the Year in 2012-13 and the No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft. His recruiting efforts helped the Hoyas land three classes that were rated among the top 25 in the country.

“UConn was always a difficult team to play,” Hunter said. “The players they attracted were impressive — tremendous guards and bigs who could do a lot of things. They would try to impose their will. You weren’t going to out X-and-O them.”

Prior to his stint at Georgetown, Hunter spent three years at Xavier under Sean Miller, where he helped produce back-to-back 20-win seasons and a spot in the 2007 NCAA tourney.

Hunter began his Division I coaching career at Duquesne, his alma mater, where he became a fulltime assistant for two seasons (1998-2000), helping the Dukes bring in the top recruiting class in the Atlantic 10 in 1999. He then accepted the job of Director of Basketball Operations at North Carolina State, where he remained until 2004, when he left to coach at Xavier.

Hunter, who starred in both football and basketball at Wakefield High School in Arlington, was a four-year point guard at Duquesne, finishing his career with 971 points, 439 assists and 218 steals. He was a three-year captain and a two-time recipient of the award for the team’s top upperclassman. He graduated in 1996 with a degree in liberal arts, then earned his master’s degree in education from North Carolina State in 1998 while serving as a student manager for the Wolf Pack.

“I’ve been fortunate to work for a lot of really good coaches and I think I can take bits and pieces of what I’ve learned from all of them and help our staff at UConn,” Hunter said. “I think I am a relationship-builder with the players and that helps get the best from them. It’s gratifying to help them grow as people and develop as players from the time they come until the time they leave.”

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