Skyline basketball: Derek Bunting profile

In mid-October, I interviewed Skyline (Utah) boys basketball coach Derek Bunting. I'm writing his bio for the Skyline 2012-13 boys basketball program, which will be available for sale at all Skyline home basketball games later this year. Here is the article for the program.

Skyline Coach Derek Bunting:

 Fifth-year mentor has Skyline playing

a rare, but proven, basketball style

 

By Bruce Smith
Matchup

             In the mid-1980s, Derek Bunting walked on to play basketball at the Ivy League’s Dartmouth College.

            For a while, the coach couldn’t remember his name, but recognized that he was excited to play. When Bunting graduated in 1988, the school created an award for him, naming it after John Dilorio (a similar-style player in the 1950s) Award for “hustle, drive and determination.”
            Now, almost a quarter-century later, Bunting’s attitude is being passed on to the basketball players at Skyline High School.
            "The kids look at their need to step up as an opportunity," said the 46 year-old Bunting. "Our teams are balanced and unselfish, and if we maintain our consistency, we will be pretty good."
            Bunting has come a long way. He grew up near Manchester, N.H., played basketball there and went on to be part of coach Paul Cormier’s Dartmouth teams in the late 1980s. He wasn’t a standout player, but became known for his “court smarts.” It was the experience he gained there, as well as the team’s opponents, that still affect him today.
            “We played against Princeton and their offense, and it was the most difficult team to prepare,” he said.
            Princeton was coached by Pete Carril, and employed what it known as the “Princeton offense.” Dartmouth had a good, sharp-shooting team back then, but still couldn’t beat them. Later, Princeton drew heavily favored Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament’s first round and lost just 50-49.
            The game drew national attention, and so did Carril’s playing style. Bunting has spent countless hours since then studying it.
            “I’ll never forget it,” Bunting said. “We had more talent, but that offense was difficult to defend. They took good shots, played great ‘help’ defense, dictated the tempo and stayed in games.
            “The offense requires that every player be able to dribble, pass and shoot. We have to be able to move our kids around and utilize space. We have so much flexibility.”
            Bunting earned an English degree at Dartmouth and followed it with a Masters in Education at Stanford. He taught and/or coached in Hawaii, Maine and Massachusetts before coming to Utah, where he first accepted a job at Rowland Hall-St. Mark’s School. In his fourth (and final) season there, the team finished 15-6 and advanced further in the 2A state tournament than any time in school history.
            Skyline recognized him for his exemplary teaching schools, as well as his coaching success, and now every Eagle opponent has to be ready for what is known here as “Bunting Ball.”
            In four seasons, Bunting’s record has been 55-32 (.638). That’s second-best in Skyline’s 50-year history. Only Neil Roberts, who won two state championships here in the 1970s, has fared better.
            “It’s the style of play … not me,” Bunting said, smiling. “It works well for us because history has shown that we don’t have a lot of size but we do get intelligent kids who know the fundamentals. If they don’t, there will be trouble. But it’s something we can teach them.”
            Bunting replaced Paul Jeppesen in 2006 and, after an 8-11 record, hasn’t had a losing season. In 2008-09, the Eagles got local attention for winning their first 11 games en route to an 18-4 season. That year, their tallest player was 6-foot-4.
            Bunting resigned shortly afterward for personal reasons and moved to Portland, Ore. and then back to the Boston area. Last year, he returned and Skyline administrators were happy to grab him.
            Bunting was also happy to be back. This time, he is married (Cynthia, a physician) and anxious to see if Skyline basketball can have as much success as the school’s storied football program.
            “Not sure if we can do that, but we’ll certainly try. The football team has shown what it can do with the same type of athletes. We try to create a chemistry and the kids take it from there.”