Photo of Uriah Hunter courtesy of UMHB Athletics
BELTON- Uriah Hunter is the newest addition to the UMHB men’s basketball coaching staff, as his hiring was announced on Thursday.
“I’m honored to serve in a Christian community and humbled for the opportunity Coach Clif Carroll and UMHB has given me,” Hunter said in a press release.
He comes to Belton after spending the last three seasons as the head men’s and women’s basketball coach at Fort Cavazos. He led the men’s team to a National Military Basketball Championship in 2022 and also served as an assistant for the All-Army Women’s Basketball Team, a squad composed of the U.S. Army’s best players. That team won a gold medal at the US Armed Forces Basketball Championship in 2022. Per the press release, Hunter began his coaching career with the USAG Area IV men’s basketball team in Daegu, South Korea.
“I understand the expectations at UMHB are high and I look forward to developing our student-athletes on and off the court,” Hunter said. “My goal is to be of immediate value and help the program win a national championship.”
Hunter helped 45 soldier-athletes to Military Volunteer Service Medals during his time in the Army and also coached 22 former collegiate athletes, 11 of which competed at the D-I ranks. Eight of the players he coached earned U.S. Armed Forces Gold Medals.
“We’re extremely excited to welcome Uriah to our staff,” Carroll said. “He will bring a unique perspective to our program with his distinguished 20-year career in the Army. Uriah has been incredibly impressive in every interaction so far and I look forward to continuing to build our program with him.”
Carroll and Hunter actually coached against each other in a Nov. 17, 2022 exhibition game in Belton, between Carroll’s Crusaders and Hunter’s team, the Fort Hood Phantom Warriors. It was a memorable night for both teams, as it was both UMHB’s unofficial home opener and the program’s annual “Toy Toss” game.
“That was a good experience for them,” Hunter said postgame. “Mary Hardin-Baylor has been good to us and as a whole, has been good to the installation. We appreciate the opportunity to come out and get these men some exposure.”
Hunter served the U.S. Army for 20 years as a Logistics Warrant Officer, and retired in June of this year. He served overseas on various tours, which included combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan (twice), and received the Bronze Star Medal as well as five Meritorious Service Medals.
