My Two Cents: Kenya Hunter Doesn't Have Indiana Ties, But He Still Knows the Deal

New Indiana assistant basketball coach Kenya Hunter has known Archie Miller since he was a kid, and now he's here to help restore the Hoosiers' program to prominence.

Tom Brew | Sep 11, 2020

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Kenya Hunter grew up in Virginia, and he's coached in a half-dozen other states from Nebraska to Connecticut a few spots in between. But until he was hired by Archie Miller last week, he had no connection to Indiana.

But that doesn't matter. It shouldn't matter. It won't matter.

And why not? Because Kenya Hunter is a great recruiter, and now that's his job at Indiana. His marching orders now are to bring the best possible players to Bloomington, and it doesn't matter where they come from.

Nor should it.

"It's been a while since I've been on this side of the Midwest, but the one thing I'm very excited about is the opportunity that presents itself. It's Indiana, and the history and tradition is rich,'' Hunter said Friday when he met with the local media for the first time via a Zoom conference call. "Arch and Tom (Ostrom) and Mike Roberts, they have a very good grasp of this state. When Indiana was (number) one or two (in 2012-13), they had the best players in Indiana mixed with a few East Coast kids. Where I can help is bringing in a couple of kids to help them.''

Hunter knows a lot about Indiana's program because their paths have crossed often during his 20-year coaching career. For instance, he was an assistant at Georgetown, and he coached against that 2012-13 Indiana team that was ranked No. 1 in the country that November.

"What I know about Indiana is that they always have talent,'' Hunter said. "I coached against Victor (Oladipo) and them at Georgetown, and when I got to Nebraska coaching against Tom Crean and then in my later years when Arch took over, they've always had talent. So I know what they've had.''

He also knows what they could be.

In Hunter's eyes, there's nothing to hold him back in chasing the best players in the country for Indiana. He did that at UConn, which has the No. 6-ranked 2021 class in the country right now, with three four-star commits. That's his influence, in large part, as a key recruiter on Dan Hurley's staff.

He's also known Miller since he was a kid, because Hunter coached AAU basketball in Pittsburgh with Miller's father, John. He also worked at N.C. State when Miller played there, and he's paid attention to his career ever since.

He's watched Miller grow up in this business. And he's thrilled to be able to help.

"I'm big on relationships, especially when I recruit. Arch and I and his family have known each other for a very long time, so that was my reason for this time, coming to Indiana right now,'' Hunter said. "There were not too many jobs where I would pick up and move my family. But because it's a person I've know him for a very long time and I trust him and believe in him, that was the reason for me coming to Indiana.''

He's loved watching Miller work during his first week here.

"The other day we had a Zoom call with a recruit,'' Hunter said. "People kept telling me on the staff that Arch is impressive on Zoom calls with recruits, going over why it's the best situation for a recruit. It just opened my eyes to how good he is. ... I was really impressed how he could go through the program from A to Z.

"Arch is very confident in knowing the game and teaching the game. He's a player's coach. He played at the highest level, and he's still out there on the floor with the players, getting in the mix. We call that sweat equity. I like to get on the floor too, so we're kind of cut from the same cloth like that.''

He knows the plan, plain and simple. Find great players, and then coach them up. Make them better, and win some games. Win some titles, too.

Why not?

"I want to be able to add value,'' Hunter said. "Don't get this twisted, I'm here to recruit, but I know I can bring value on the court as well and that's what me and Arch have talked about.

"Developing kids with skill development and helping them get better, I've done this for a long time. I just feel I can come in and be a person to add to that success, and on the recruiting part, I'll just do my job in bringing talented kids here to Indiana.''

He's been to Assembly Hall as the opponent, and he's ready to be on the other side now. Relationships mean everything to him. With Miller, and now with everyone associated with Indiana's program.

He's a Hoosier now, and he's all in.

"I'm big on relationships. I follow Arch, follow his brother (Sean, the head coach at Arizona), and I've looked at Indiana a lot with Arch being here,'' Hunter said. "And Bruiser Flint — (the Indiana assistant he replaced) — was a friend of mine in this business.

"Indiana, you go all the way back to Isiah Thomas and knowing that history, you know it. Coming here with Nebraska, you just know the history of what it means to come into this building.''

Now, at long last, its Kenya Hunter from Indiana. He's a Hoosier now, and he wants to win.

That makes him a perfect fit for this Hoosier family.

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