Nebraska suffered its first major loss of the offseason on Monday afternoon, as assistant coach Kenya Hunter announced he would be leaving the Huskers to take a job as an assistant coach at UConn.
Hunter, who had been a member of head coach Tim Miles’ staff since 2013, will join first-year Huskies coach Dan Hurley.
A native of Arlington, Va., who coached at Georgetown and Xavier before coming to Lincoln, Hunter returns to his East Coast roots and leaves NU searching to fill some big shoes this offseason.
"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 in a UConn press release. "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 It's recent, not outdated.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’s departure leaves a huge void for Miles to try and fill over the next few months.
Not only was the 16-year veteran assistant an important part of Nebraska’s X’s and O’s, he was also far and away the Huskers’ most productive recruiter over the past five years.
Of the eight scholarship players currently on NU’s 2018-19 roster, five were directly recruited by Hunter: James Palmer Jr., Isaac Copeland Jr., Glynn Watson, Jordy Tshimanga, and Thomas Allen.
Additionally, Hunter was the lead recruiter on two of the three members of Nebraska’s 2018 recruiting class - Xavier Johnson and Karrington Davis.
"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."
