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Feb. 26, 2010
Hunasker making it Happen
by John Stansberry
This feature also appeared on
FoxSports.com
In July of last year, Utah Valley University
accomplished something significant that pretty much
went unnoticed by the national media. After seven
years, the school completed its provisional status
and made the move from NJCAA into NCAA Division I.
Think about that for a second. Seven years ago, this
wasn't even a four-year institution. Now, the
school's athletic teams compete against the best
that the college sports world has to offer.
Stewardship of the men's basketball program through
this period has been the responsibility of Dick
Hunsaker, a coaching veteran who has now come full
circle in his career.
Back in 1990, Hunsaker led Ball State into the NCAA
Tournament as a 12th seed. His squad would go on one
of the more memorable runs of the last 25 years,
taking out a Gary Payton-led Oregon State team and a
4th seeded Louisville team before losing by two
points to eventual national champion UNLV in the
Sweet Sixteen.
He finished his tenure at Ball State with a 97-33
record before making the move into the CBA and
eventually back into the Division I ranks as an
assistant to Rick Majerus at Utah. He was named the
Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2001 after
serving as interim head coach during Marjerus'
absence.
His next move was over to Orem to take over at Utah
Valley in the school's final season in the NJCAA
ranks. In many ways, he was the perfect choice for
the job.
"I think my background and the variety of
experiences I've had have been a real advantage in
helping this program be more adaptable," Hunsaker
said recently when asked about the school's
transition. "It's been a very fun adventure."
Hunsaker coached arguably the school's greatest
athlete in the person of current Utah Jazz guard
Ronnie Price. From 2002-05, Price averaged 19.7
points and 3.9 rebounds. In his last two years,
which count in UVU's NCAA record books, he ranks
first in career scoring average at an impressive
22.2 ppg.
Coming into this season, Hunsaker has fashioned an
impressive 136-68 record at UVU that included a
17-11 mark last year. But with the loss of guards
Ryan Toolson and Josh Olsen, Utah Valley was lacking
a little firepower coming into this inaugural Great
West campaign. The Wolverines currently sit at 4-6
in the league and 11-15 overall.
While the Wolverines are currently a little off the
pace in the league, there's still a great deal left
to play for. That's because the school gets the nice
advantage of hosting the Great West Tournament next
month.
The fact that UVU will be playing host to the
league's first tournament is a great source of pride
for Hunsaker. "I'm excited about the efforts and the
tremendous amount of work that the Utah Valley
University community's put into hosting this event,"
he said.
A win in that tournament would garner the Wolverines
a postseason pass in the form of a bid to the
CollegeInsider.com Tournament. For a league in its
infancy, the importance of such a reward is not lost
on Hunsaker.
"It's a wonderful incentive," he said. "I think I
can speak for every member of the Great West in
saying that we couldn't be happier in having this
association with CollegeInsider.com Tournament."
John Stansberry is in his thirteenth season as
a senior writer for collegeinsider.com. Check out
John's blog
LonelyTailgater.com.
EMAIL JOHN
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