Matt Hundley Leaving Topeka West for Barton

Hundley leaving West for Barton
Coach attributes opportunity to Cinderella story of season ago
BY RICK PETERSON
Created May 17, 2010 at 6:42pm
Updated May 18, 2010 at 12:07am
Topeka West boys basketball coach Matt Hundley, who led the Chargers to a runner-up finish in the Class 5A state tournament, is leaving West to become a men's assistant coach at Barton Community College, located in Great Bend.
Hundley was 28-60 in four seasons at West, but the Chargers were the Cinderella story of last season, winning nine straight games late in the year before losing to Miege in the 5A championship game. West was 16-9.
The 30-year-old Hundley, who played at Washburn, said even though he has mixed feelings about leaving West, getting the job at Barton, as an assistant to Craig Fletchall, is the realization of his goal to get into college coaching.
"At some point, I knew I was going to have to do this," Hundley said. "I was fortunate enough to be at Topeka West for four years and just had a wonderful time. The administration and the people that I work with and all the players that were part of our program are just unbelievable.
"I wouldn't change that for anything, the experience we've had here. Just having this opportunity with Barton and coach Fletchall being such a great guy, I think this is just an unbelievable opportunity for me that I can't really pass up."
Hundley credited West's banner season for getting him the opportunity to move to the college level.
"Any time you have success, then you're definitely going to get the attention of people, and that's obviously somewhat of what's happened right now," he said. "You hate it for the kids who are still here, because I had such a great time coaching them and being a part of them, but you know at some point, some class down the line, you're going to have to leave.
"This just happens to be the opportunity for me that I can't pass up, and the timing's just right, I guess."
Hundley said he has no problem with being an assistant coach to start his college coaching career.
"My ultimate dream would be to be a head coach in college some day, at any level," Hundley said. "In order to do that, you have to go back to being an assistant. Not very often do you get a chance to go from being a head high school coach to head college coach. It just doesn't happen. So in order for me to do this, I'm going to have to be an assistant coach in college."
West graduated all five starters off its state runner-up team but does return Tegan Michael, Austin Roberts and Aaron Plump, who were valuable reserves last season.
Hundley is the second straight boys coach to leave West to become a junior college assistant. Chad Eshbaugh left the school to become an assistant at Cloud County and was recently named head coach at the school.
Rick Peterson can be reached at (785) 295-1129 or rick.peterson@cjonline.com