Kenya Hunter Talks Relationship with Archie Miller, Excitement About Joining Indiana

Kenya Hunter has known Archie Miller since Miller was 15. The two go way back, and Hunter is excited to be joining his staff in Bloomington.

Dylan Wallace | Sep 3, 2020

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — A few weeks ago, Kenya Hunter received a text from Archie Miller that read, "Coach, can we talk?"

He knew he had to take it.

The first domino fell when Kenny Payne left Kentucky to join Tom Thibodeau's staff on the New York Knicks. Then, Bruiser Flint left Indiana to reunite with John Calipari and replace Payne. So it left a void on Miller's staff, so he reached out to someone he knows very well.

The text didn't come out of the blue. Hunter said he and Miller have stayed in contact for many years. Hunter has been intertwined with the Miller's during multiple stages of his career.

He worked with Miller's dad, John, on the AAU scene in Pittsburgh. He worked with Miller's brother, Sean, at Xavier from 2004-2007. When Hunter was the director of basketball operations at NC State, Miller was a player for the Wolfpack.

The two have always kept in touch over the years, and Hunter knows Miller's wife, Morgan, and his daughter, Leah, very well.

"I've know Arch since he was about 15," Hunter said. "They are like family to me."

So when Hunter took the phone call from Miller, it didn't take him long to accept the position as Indiana's new co-associate head coach.

Indiana basketball officially announced the hire on Wednesday, but Hunter arrived in Bloomington about a week ago.

Indiana's new co-associate head coach has been here before, coaching for five years at Nebraska under Tim Miles. Mike Lewis, a former Indiana basketball point guard, was also on that Cornhusker staff, so he would show guys around Indiana's campus.

But being here now, Hunter is shocked at how many sorority and fraternity houses he has seen.

"I didn't know Bloomington was like this," he said with a chuckle.

In his one week around the team, he's impressed with the talent on the roster. Hunter already knew who most players on the team were because he had to game plan for them last season when Indiana played UConn in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.

Indiana won the game by three, and in the weeks that followed, the Huskies staff would joke with center Josh Carlton that he got "brunked" after Joey Brunk scored big baskets for Indiana down the stretch.

He also remembers Rob Phinisee, who was returning from injury in that game, playing well and making things difficult on UConn's guards.

The player Hunter knows the best on Indiana's team is Race Thompson. He recruited Thompson when he was at Nebraska, so he knows Thompson's family well.

During Hunter's first week, it was a voluntary week for Indiana's players, but Hunter said every player came in to either get shots up or lift in the weight room.

"It's been a pretty smooth transition," Hunter said. "All in all, I'm pretty impressed with the talent that they have here."

Hunter is bringing 22 years of coaching experience to Indiana, and he said he's hoping to help out in a number of ways, especially recruiting.

Since Hunter's hire, Indiana has already offered three recruits from the east coast — Justin Taylor from Virginia, and Rodney Rice and Masai Troutman from Maryland. They have also offered five-star Hunter Sallis, who is from Nebraska, where Hunter used to coach.

"Tom (Ostrom) does a good job recruiting the Midwest," Hunter said. "Hopefully I can bring a little east coast flavor. Guys from the DMV, North Carolina, or wherever.

"Arch and Tom told me that one of the biggest things that sells at IU is getting the kids to be on campus, so we’re trying to figure out how to bring the campus to them."

Hunter knows the tradition Indiana basketball carries throughout the state. He watched Bob Knight coach and Isiah Thomas play. He knows Victor Oladipo personally and was impressed with what he was able to accomplish while playing at Indiana.

He coached against Juwan Morgan and admired his four-year career with the Hoosiers. Max Bielfeldt, who Hunter recruited while at Nebraska, reached out to him to congratulate him on the new position.

“I know the history and tradition here," Hunter said. "I know the expectation here. I’m just excited to hopefully make Indiana proud."

Hunter is married and has two kids. His son is a sophomore at Old Dominion and his daughter is a senior in high school. His family will be joining him in Bloomington this week as he continues to acclimate himself to the town and program.

Hunter is excited to be in Bloomington, and he thinks Miller is the right guy for the job. He said he wouldn't be here if he didn't think Miller has what it takes to make Indiana a top team.

The Hoosiers were expected to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in Miller's tenure last season, and Hunter believes advancing in March is what this Indiana team is capable of.

"The sign of a good team is a player-led team," Hunter said. "These guys are locked in. All of them are excited about the opportunity of making that happen."

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