University of Nebraska men’s basketball coach Tim Miles announced Monday that Georgetown assistant coach Kenya Hunter has been named an assistant coach for the Husker basketball program.
Hunter was the longest-tenured assistant on John Thompson III’s Hoya staff, and was instrumental in helping Georgetown to a pair of Big East titles (2008 and 2013), five 20-win seasons and five NCAA Tournament bids over the last six years. His teams were ranked in the top 10 during each of the past six seasons and were either a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament four times in that span.
In his tenure at Georgetown, he played a significant role in the development of four NBA players, including all-star Roy Hibbert and Greg Monroe, who was the No. 7 pick of the Detroit Pistons in the 2010 NBA Draft. In addition, Hunter will likely produce a third NBA first-round pick this month, as Otto Porter, who was the Big East Player of the Year in 2012-13, is expected to be a top-five pick.
Hunter has worked with some of college basketball’s top coaches, including Thompson, Arizona’s Sean Miller and Arizona State’s Herb Sendek and has helped 11 of his teams reach postseason play over the last 12 seasons, including 10 NCAA appearances.
“I’m really excited to add Kenya Hunter to our staff. He brings a wealth of experience in many areas which will help the Huskers reach our goals,” Miles said. “Through my discussions with Kenya, I was very impressed with his knowledge of the game and his feel for the game, and I believe his extensive network of contacts will help us expand our recruiting boundaries.”
At Georgetown, he was involved in offensive and defensive on-court coaching and opponent scoring while also playing a leading role in the Hoyas’ recruiting efforts. Three of his recruiting classes were among the top 25 nationally, as he played a major role in the recruitment of 11 players who were ranked among the top 100 nationally by either ESPN.com or Rivals.com. His ability to develop players resulted in five players earning first-team All-Big East honors and two Big East Rookies of the Year, while Porter was honored as Georgetown’s first Big East Player of the Year since 2007.
Prior to joining the Georgetown staff, he spent three years as an assistant coach at Xavier University, where he helped Coach Sean Miller to back-to-back 20-win seasons, including a 25-9 record and a second-round appearance in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. At Xavier, he assisted in on-court coaching as well as playing a major role in recruiting.
Hunter also has experience in the ACC, spending two stints at North Carolina State. He served as Director of Basketball Operations for the Wolfpack from 2000 to 2004, and was responsible for the day-to-day administrative responsibilities for the men’s program, which made three straight NCAA Tournaments during his tenure.
He began his full-time coaching career at his alma mater, Duquesne, spending two seasons at the school. Hunter was responsible for on-floor coaching and off-campus recruiting. He helped the Dukes staff bring in the top recruiting class in the Atlantic 10 in 1999.
A four-year letter-winning point guard for Duquesne (1993-96), Hunter finished his career ranked third on the Dukes’ all-time assist list (439). He tallied 971 points and 218 steals while shooting 74.4 percent from the free throw line and 35.1 percent from the three-point arc. After starting 93 of his 103 career games for the Dukes, Hunter was a two-time recipient of the Sihugo Green Award, presented annually to Duquesne’s top upperclassman. He was also a three-year captain. During his playing career at Duquesne, Hunter spent the summers as an assistant coach for an AAU squad, the Pittsburgh Jots. He worked with Head Coach John Miller, the father of Arizona coach Sean Miller and Dayton coach Archie Miller.
In high school, Hunter starred on the gridiron as well as the hardwood. He was an accomplished football quarterback as well as a point guard at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va. Following his high school career, he teamed with former Syracuse guard Lawrence Moten to lead New Hampton School in New Hampshire to a 23-3 record prior to enrolling at Duquesne.
Hunter completed his liberal arts degree at Duquesne in 1996, and earned his master’s degree in education from NC State in 1998. While earning his master’s degree, Hunter was a student manager at NC State under Herb Sendek from 1996 to 1998 and accompanied the Wolfpack to a pair of NIT appearances.
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