Bio

Coach Mark Hester is entering his 19th year at the helm of the Indiana University East Red Wolves men's basketball program.

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 11 varsity sports by the 2014-15 school year.

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 guided the Red Wolves to another trip to the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship in 2011-12. IU East reached the No. 8 spot in the national rankings in December, the best ranking in the program's history. The season included a win against then-No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan University in December, IU East's first win against a top-ranked team.

Hester's 2012-13 team produced the program's fourth 20-win season in the past five years. Just 18 schools in the NAIA Division II have achieved four 20-win seasons in the past five years.

IU East enjoyed a record-setting season in 2014-15. The Red Wolves went 26-8, setting a program record for wins. IU East finished with the most wins in the KIAC for the first time, and also won the program's first KIAC tournament title. The Red Wolves returned to the national tournament for the third time in five years.

It was a "Fab" season for IU East in 2015-16. The Red Wolves broke through to the "Fab Four" at the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship and finished sixth in the national postseason poll. IU East repeated as KIAC Colonial Division champions. The Red Wolves also received the Buffalo Funds Five-Star Champions of Character Team Award for men's basketball for the third time in seven years.

IU East remained among the nation's elite in 2016-17. Despite significant injuries to key players and other adversity, the Red Wolves set a program record with 28 wins, three-peated as conference division champion, and won the River States Conference tournament for the second time in three years. IU East advanced to the Elite Eight at the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship.

It was a banner year for IU East in 2017-18. The Red Wolves led the NAIA with 34 victories and reached the Round of 4 at the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship for the second time in three years. IU East finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Coaches Poll. The Red Wolves successfully defended their River States Conference East Division and tournament championships. Hester was recognized as the River States Conference Coach of the Year.

It was another elite season for IU East in 2018-19. The Red Wolves reached the Round of 8 at the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship for the fourth consecutive season - one of just two programs in the nation to reach the national quarterfinals every year from 2016-19. IU East also won a share of a River States Conference division championship for the fifth year in a row.

The championship run continued in 2019-20. A late-season surge carried the Red Wolves to another 20-win season, a fourth RSC Championship title, and the program's eighth national tournament berth.

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.

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 sons, Bryson and Braxton, reside in Richmond.

COACH HESTER YEAR-BY-YEAR RECORD