Red Wolves - IU East

Coach Mark Hester is in his fifth year at the helm of the Indiana University East Red Wolves Athletic Program.

Hester serves as IU East's athletic director and men's basketball coach.

Hester led IU East's transition from club sports to National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) membership in 2007. IU East has grown from three varsity sports in 2007 to 10 varsity sports for the 2010-11 school year.

Hester oversees the largest NAIA athletic department in the Indiana University system.

Hester quickly put together an exciting team for IU East's first NAIA basketball season in 2007-08. IU East finished second in the nation with 92.6 points per game. IU East also led the nation with 22.1 assists per game. IU East was third in the nation in 3-point field goals per game and fourth in the nation in blocks per game. The foundation for a successful intercollegiate men's basketball program was in place.

Hester led IU East to one of the biggest turnarounds in the NAIA during the 2008-09 season. The Red Wolves finished 23-9. IU East's 14-win improvement was the second-best turnaround in the NAIA. The Red Wolves received votes in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches poll, the first IU East team to do so. IU East finished second in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season standings. The Red Wolves also finished second in the KIAC tournament - just one win away from advancing to the NAIA National Championships.

Hester's 2008-09 team also earned recognition for its off-court accomplishments. IU East received the Buffalo Funds Five Star Award for Division II men's basketball. The award honors teams committed to the NAIA Champions of Character program's five core values of respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship.

The Red Wolves continued to earn respect at the national level during the 2009-10 season. IU East received votes the NAIA Top 25 Coaches Poll throughout the first half of the season. The Red Wolves defeated a team ranked the NAIA Top 25 Coaches Poll for the first time when they beat then-No. 3 Indiana University Southeast on Feb. 20.

Hester guided the Red Wolves to a banner year in 2010-11. IU East went 23-10 and won a share of the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship for the first time. The Red Wolves East capped the season with the program's first trip to the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship. IU East also won the Buffalo Funds Five Star Award for Division II men's basketball for the second time in three years.

Hester also served as the Red Wolves' track and field coach during the 2009-10 school year. IU East's athletes combined to win three events in their first appearance at the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference meet.

Hester came to IU East from Bethel College in McKenzie, Tenn. Hester spent six years with the men's basketball team at Bethel, serving as the assistant coach, head junior varsity coach, intramural director and instructor. Bethel made it to the NAIA Division II National Tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16� in 2002. Bethel had winning seasons from 2001-2006.

Hester is originally from Glasgow, Ky. He is a 1992 graduate of Barren County High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from Western Kentucky University. Hester received his Master of Arts in Education from Bethel College in 2003. He is currently pursuing a second masters degree in Sports Management from the United States Sports Academy.

Hester was part of the Western Kentucky University Hilltopper basketball program for two seasons. WKU won Sun Belt Conference Championships and earned berths to the NCAA Tournament in 1994 and 1995.

He served as an assistant boys basketball coach for Warren East High School under legendary Coach Tommy Compton. Hester has also worked as a financial representative for National City Corporation in Lexington, Ky., where he resided until 2000.

Hester and his wife, Rebeckah, and their son, Bryson, reside in Richmond.