Denny Hunt is entering his fourth season (2017-18) as an Assistant Men’s Basketball coach.
Prior to coming to SBU, Denny was an Assistant Coach for Men’s Basketball at Drury University from 2009-2012. Between 2008 and 2009, Hunt assisted the Girls Varsity basketball program at Kickapoo High School. From 1998-2008, he was the Assistant Varsity Boys Basketball coach and the Head Junior Varsity Basketball coach. In those 10 years, he helped compile a varsity record of 245-46. He assisted in coaching those teams to the Ozark Conference Championship 10 times, the District Championship 7 times, and the Class 5 State Championship in 2003. Before his time at Kickapoo, Denny spent 6 years (1992-1998) as the Head Boys Basketball Coach at Central High School in Springfield, Missouri. He helped lead the 1993 team to the State Quarter Finals for the first time in 29 years. From 1991-1992, Hunt was the Head Boys Basketball coach at Buffalo High School in Buffalo, Missouri. From 1987-1991, he was the Head Boys Basketball coach at Republic High School in Republic, Missouri. In his four years as Head Coach at Republic, his teams compiled an 84-25 record reaching the State Tournament in 1989. From 1977-1987, Hunt was the Athletic Director and Head Basketball and Baseball coach at Hartville High School in Hartville, Missouri. In those 10 years, he led his teams to a 177-86 record culminating in a 2nd place finish at the State Tournament in 1987. During that year, Hunt was named MSHSAA Class 2A Coach of the Year. He was also named KJEL Radio (Lebanon, Missouri) and KKOZ Radio (Ava, Missouri) Coach of the Year in 1987. Denny Hunt started his coaching career at Fair Play High School in Fair Play, Missouri. He coached Basketball and Baseball from 1974-1977. Hunt’s overall varsity record is 353-259.
Along with working as an Assistant Coach for SBU, Denny Hunt also currently works as the Executive Director for the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association. Through this, Hunt helps run and coordinate many different basketball camps including the Missouri State University and Drury University camps. He also helps with the Dick Birmingham Camp and the Kickapoo, Hartville, Republic, Buffalo, and Central High School basketball camps. He worked as the Co-Director of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame games from 1993-2009 and from 1994-1997 he was the Vice President of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association (MBCA) before acting as the President in 1998.
Denny was given the MBCA Gary Filbert Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 and named to the MBCA Hall of Fame in 2015.
Hunt is a member of the National Basketball Coaches Association, the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association, and the National Federation of Interscholastic Coaches Association.
He graduated from Southwest Missouri State University in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science in Education. He went on to earn his Master of Education in Physical Education from Drury University in 1988.
Denny Hunt currently resides in Springfield, Missouri with his wife Patti.
