A coach's homecoming

WASILLA -- Students lined the upper track at Wasilla High School Tuesday afternoon as the Liberty University men's basketball squad used the Wasilla Gym as a practice facility.

The Liberty basketball squad, which is participating in the Carrs-Safeway Great Alaska Shootout this week, is in an environment almost completely foreign, but a pair of coaches on the Flame staff are a bit familiar with the surroundings.

Liberty head coach Randy Dunton returns to the state. Dunton won a pair of state titles at Anchorage Christian School.

But it was Liberty assistant coach Chuck Martin who was most familiar with his surroundings on Tuesday. Martin spent four of his 14 years as a prep basketball coach in the Valley at Wasilla High School.

"It was great," Martin said of his homecoming. "I had a great four years at Wasilla."

Martin established himself as the most successful prep hoops coach in the Valley, winning 283 games at Houston, Colony and Wasilla.

Martin led the Hawks to a pair of 3A state championships and missed the state tourney in only two of his 14 seasons.

Martin won eight region titles and led his team to an undefeated region record six times.

After making the Hawks one of the top programs at the small school level, Martin moved on to become the first head coach in Colony boys' basketball history. Martin built a successful Knights program and later did the same at Wasilla.

Martin is in his second stint on the Flame coaching staff. Just prior to the 1997 prep basketball season, Martin got an offer he could not refuse. Dunton was hired as Liberty's interim head coach just 10 days before the Flames' first game and asked Martin to be on his staff.

"It was a very, very difficult decision," Martin said. "I loved the kids and we had the most talented team coming back."

Martin served on the Liberty staff for a season. Following an 11-17 year in which the Flames nearly made the NCAA tournament, Dunton and his staff was not retained. Liberty opted to go after and sign Mel Hankinson, a West Virginia assistant coach who had help lead the Mountaineers to consecutive appearances in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 portions of the NCAA Tournament.

The hiring of Hankinson sent Dunton to Binghamton University, where he served as an assistant, and Martin back to the Valley, where he took the helm of the Warrior basketball program.

And after a four-year downfall, Liberty fired Hankinson and brought back Dunton to be its head coach. Dunton again wanted Martin on his staff.

"It was everybody's assumption that I was going to take the job, but it wasn't that easy," Martin said. "My wife and I had 15 years with the school district and my kids were thriving in the Valley. I was content and loved living in Alaska "

"Coaching in college was not a life-long dream," Martin added.

Martin said even though becoming a college coach was not at the top of his list of aspirations, he enjoyed his prior stint on the college level and when the opportunity came up, he could not refuse a second run at Liberty.

With the many differences between coaching on the high school and college levels, Martin is enjoying his new opportunities and challenges.

"The circumstances are different, the basketball is the same," Martin said. "The preparation is so much different. System-wise what you coach is what you coach."

Martin's primary responsibilities at Liberty, in addition to teaching on the court, are the budget of the basketball program and academic advising. Martin said that he is directly responsible for a $250,000 basketball budget.

Martin also assists in recruiting.

"A lot of guys do not enjoy recruiting," Martin said. "At Liberty we have four guys that all recruit and we all have done good."

Martin said that the first recruiting class of the Dunton era was rated 47th of the 236 Division I programs in the nation.

Martin does not know where his future will take him, but he would like to become a head coach again.

"I want to be a head coach," Martin said. "If it is on this level, great."

Martin said he is not sure whether or not he would return to the high school level right now, but it would not be a disappointment. He added that he is very happy as a part of Dunton's staff at Liberty, the competitive nature drives him to want that role.

"Even if you believe in your head coach, you get used to running things," Martin said. "The competitive satisfaction you get, it is something I want to do again."