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Ron Hunter knew early on in his budding basketball career that he wanted to be a coach.

“I knew when I was a junior in high school that I wanted to coach and to tell you the truth, (current Miami head coach) Charlie Coles was a big influence on my career decision," said Hunter, the wildly successful head coach of the IUPUI Jaguars. "When Charlie was head coach at Central Michigan, he was one of the few black head coaches at a Division One program and it was really important for an African-American kid to see that a black coach could be accepted and get the job done. I really look up to him and try to follow him by example."

It's an example that has apparently served Hunter quite well.

During his 14-year tenure as head coach of the IUPUI Jaguars, Hunter has guided a program that was far off the radar prior to his arrival as head coach in 1994. "When I got here I would take a phone call from any kid who was interested in coming to play for us. I didn't care who it was, I was going to listen," recalls Hunter. Of course that was before IUPUI made the transition from Division 2 to Division 1 in the 1998-1999 season. Now Hunter and IUPUI can afford to be a little more selective.

While on-the-court strategy is the key, the highly charged coach recognizes that it still all starts with recruiting, having just returned from Las Vegas, site of one of the largest hoops showcases for potential recruits.

"Truthfully," noted Hunter, "By the time I got to Las Vegas I pretty much knew who we were interested in and who we were going to recruit. At that stage it's just more important that the kids see you and know that you are there watching them. You may find a player or two that you did not know about, but mostly by this stage you have your players in mind. Besides, the kids aren’t playing all that hard in these tournaments so it's hard to get a genuine read on what they can offer if you base it solely on what you see there."

IUPUI Coach Ron Hunter Cuts Down The Net Following Mid-Con Championship in 2003

"You know," Hunter continued, "Recruiting is the life blood of winning and losing and today it's so important to get the right kind of kid with the APR being such an important part of the equation." Fortunately for Hunter, he appears to have found a good formula that embraces both winning and character among his recruits.

"When you recruit a kid, you have to make them feel special and first sell them on yourself as a coach. It's kinda like recruiting your wife," adds Hunter in a light-hearted moment. He has been married to the same woman for 21 years so he must know a thing or two about recruiting techniques.

"The other thing I look at when recruiting a kid, besides talent, is whether they are the type of young man that I would feel comfortable with my 14-year old son being around. If I don't feel a player would be a good influence on him, then that is somebody that I am going to stay away from recruiting."

Often a collegiate basketball coach is not just a second parent, but, according to Hunter, a first parent.

Hunter is well-known for his sideline demeanor.

"Many of these kids don't have fathers so you become like a father or an uncle, a counselor or a preacher," states Hunter. "The most joy and satisfaction I get out of this job is seeing my players doing well once they leave school." 

Recruiting the hotbed of Indiana against the likes of Indiana, Purdue and Ball State has not hurt Hunter's efforts in the least either. "It's a tough place if you don't have a good foundation for recruiting. Look what happened to Mike Davis at Indiana," notes Hunter of Davis' failed tenure as head coach of the Hoosiers. "But Purdue has done it right and has a good foothold on recruiting locally." So apparently has IUPUI.

"We just landed a commitment from the best point guard in Indiana and we are consistently mentioned in the Top 15 list of schools being considered by recruits," noted Hunter. Under Hunter's guidance the Jaguars, who "have some of the worst facilities" in the Summit League (formerly Mid-Continent) according to Hunter, have achieved recruiting success previously unseen at the Indianapolis based school.

"Recruiting comes very easy for me because I just present myself as the kind of person I am."

But what happens when a recruit arrives on campus and realizes that he is going to have to compete against other players who also believe they are going to be the main focus of the team?

"Well, then you de-recruit them a bit," laughs Hunter. "That's when you have to make them realize that anything that comes their way is going to have to be earned."

Hunter is also an unabashed booster and supporter of the City of Indianapolis, where he makes his home. "I love Indianapolis; it's one of the best cities in America." During his 14 years at IUPUI Hunter has become a fixture in the Indianapolis area and is well regarded among high school and AAU coaches alike.

"You have to gain the trust of those you are working with and the only way to do that is to be yourself and show you have integrity," notes Hunter.

Thanks to his success at IUPUI it is only natural that Hunter's name would come up in coaching searches and with an opening now available not too far from his current home base in Indianapolis, namely at Ball State in nearby Muncie, it is only natural that Hunter has become one of the top names mentioned to succeed Ronny Thompson who resigned after only one year at the helm of the once-mighty Cardinals' program.

Hunter, who recently signed an extension with IUPUI that carries him through the 2013 season, is well aware of the talk but is also quick to add that he is very excited about the upcoming season at IUPUI. "I think we have our best team returning this year that we have ever had and can't wait for the season to begin."

Still, Hunter maintains fond memories of the MAC and feels that Ball State is a sleeping giant that is just waiting to be re-awakened.

"If we had the facilities at IUPUI that they have at Ball State we would shoot off the roof! Ball State has a fan base that is absolutely starving for a winner and they deserve to have a winner," Hunter adds. "That program can be resuscitated but it is going to take the right coach that can come in and win immediately."

"They (Ball State) are the only MAC school in Indiana so they are positioned nicely but they are going to have to win and win now to get back on the radar of the local recruits. If you can't recruit a kid out of Muncie Central to play in their own backyard at Ball State, then you have a serious issue."

Hunter, a 2003 recipient of the "Images In Excellence" Award presented by the Black Coaches Association, however declined to speculate on recent racial concerns that were raised by former Ball State head coach Ronny Thompson that partially surrounded the announcement of Thompson's resignation.

"First, I have to state that I don't know the exact circumstances of what happened in that regard, but I can tell you that I know plenty of people in Muncie and have talked to people, including (former Ball State head coach) Ray McCallum, and I don't believe it's an issue. Are there certain elements of that? Sure, there are everywhere, but I am not aware of it being a significant issue in Muncie."

Asked to speculate on what it would be like if he were to coach in the MAC and have to face his hero, Charlie Coles, Hunter doesn't hold back. "It would be like coaching against my dad. But let me tell you I would whip his butt twice a year!"

"We actually played Miami here (at IUPUI) in 1999 and we didn't too well (a 75-59 Miami victory) and to tell you the truth I didn't handle it that well. I was in awe of playing against Charlie and they had a kid named Wally Szcerbiak and it was only our second year in Division One."

Hunter obviously knows a little too about the challenges of coaching in the so-called Mid-Major ranks as the Summit League faces similar challenges as the MAC. "I believe that the top third of our league (IUPUI, Oral Roberts, Valparaiso and maybe Oakland) could be competitive with the MAC but the rest of the league would struggle. One advantage that we have though is that we don't have the same funding challenges as the MAC schools who also support 1A football programs," astutely notes Hunter.

"I have just tremendous respect for the MAC. Of course I am biased since I played and coached there."

Hunter went on to become a four-year letter winner at Miami University, where Coles would ironically become head coach in 1997, starting alongside Miami great Ron Harper, twice winning the Mid-American Conference title, earning a pair of trips to the NCAA Tournament before graduating in 1986 and earning a Master's Degree in 1987. "Miami really embraced me and got me started on my professional career."

"The MAC though needs to get back to being a multiple bid league and what happened last year with Akron not getting any postseason bids was just a crime," Hunter continued in discussing the MAC. "It's a solid conference. It's just ridiculous though that a team like Akron had to sit at home at the end of last season but it’s tough to schedule a strong slate of non-conference games when you are a mid-major. Teams like Ohio State, Indiana or Michigan just aren't going to come into your place and play."

Hunter believes that the NCAA Tournament will have to expand to accommodate increasing membership and this could enable the MAC to secure multiple bids in the future. "Look, they have added 20-30 teams to Division One while keeping the bids at 65. That is going to have to change soon."

You also have to bring passion to the game according to Hunter. Hunter has developed a reputation for sideline actions that are distracting to some. "People I think misunderstand that aspect of my coaching," said Hunter. "I am very passionate and will never want to change that. The mistake people sometimes make is that they think I am trying to work the referees when I am just imploring my players to perform. In 14 years as a head coach I have only received three technical fouls. I am just very focused on my players and getting the best I can out of them. I am probably one of the few head coaches that attends every single play of every one of my team's practices."

Hunter's MAC ties, whether he eventually lands in the MAC himself or stays onboard at IUPUI, nevertheless continue to run deep as his daughter has recently enrolled as a freshman at Miami along with the daughter of former teammate and Miami legend Ron Harper.

Wherever his journey takes him, Hunter believes he has found his niche. "This (coaching) is my calling. I am so blessed to be where I am at right now. Too many people find themselves in bad situations where they are not happy. I couldn't be happier. I have a career that I love. I am truly not focused on money. I think too many young coaches today worry about their next job as soon as they land a position somewhere. That's not for me."

With a 14-year run as head coach of the Jaguars that includes 207 wins it is only natural to assume that Hunter's services will be in demand. That success could wind up leading him straight back to the MAC and not to far from his current digs at that.

After being part of two programs that have transitioned to Division One (first as an assistant at Wisconsin-Milwaukee and then at IUPUI the reclamation project at Ball State does not seem nearly as daunting.

With strong local ties and a track of record success, nobody should be surprised if Ball State comes calling. In fact, it would be stunning if the Cardinals do not have Hunter on their short list of head coaching candidates.