Report: Former Western Carolina coach Larry Hunter suffers stroke

Former Western Carolina and Ohio basketball coach Larry Hunter has suffered a stroke and is on life support, according to a tweet sent Sunday afternoon from ESPN’s Seth Greenberg.

Hunter stepped down as Western Carolina head coach in March following 13 seasons at the helm.

In early February, Hunter won his 700th game as a head coach, with Western Carolina knocking off Samford. He finished his career with 702 wins.

During his time in Cullowhee, Hunter’s best team was the 2009-10 Catamounts, who finished 22-12 and made the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. They also played in the CBI in 2016.

Hunter helped the Cats to regular-season division titles in 2009 and 2011, but was not able to bring them to the NCAA Tournament.

In five out of his last nine SoCon Tournaments, Hunter led Western Carolina to the semifinals, with two appearances in the championship game.

Hunter has had success each step of the way in his career as a head coach, helping transform the Ohio basketball program into perennial MAC contenders in the early 1990s. While at Ohio, Hunter brought in the likes of All-American and future lottery pick Gary Trent Sr., who came to be known as the “Shaq of the MAC,” and helped to the 1994 MAC Tournament title.

The 68-year-old coach has logged an incredible 38 seasons on the sidelines as a college basketball coach.

Western Carolina welcomed in new head coach Mark Prosser just last month. Check back for updates on this developing story.