Former Valley hoops coach gets new gig

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

A longtime Mat-Su Valley basketball coach has landed his first head coaching job at the collegiate level.

Chuck Martin, formerly a coach at Houston, Colony and Wasilla, accepted the position of head men's basketball coach at Master's College earlier this month.

&#8220To be able to coach college basketball at a Christian college in the highly competitive (Golden State Athletic Conference) is a dream come true,” Martin said in a press release issued by Liberty University, a school he had spent the last five years at as an assistant coach.

Master's College is a small NAIA school located in Santa Clarita, Calif. The Mustangs finished 12-17 overall and 7-13 in GSAC play last season. Master's College competes in the same league as California schools such as California Baptist, Biola and Vanguard. The California Baptist team includes Wasilla graduate and former Warrior hoopster Buddy Bailey.

Martin served four years as an assistant coach at Liberty University, and prior to last season he was promoted to associate head coach of the Flames men's basketball program. He left Colony High School in 1997 to join his friend Randy Dunton, another coach with Alaska roots, at Liberty. Dunton coached at West Anchorage and Anchorage Christian School.

After a brief stint on the college ranks, he returned to the Valley and took the reigns of the Wasilla High boys' basketball program. In 2002 Martin opted to re-join Dunton on the Liberty staff.

In 2004 Martin helped the Flames capture their second-ever Big South Conference title, and also their second-ever NCAA Tournament bid.

During his legendary run in the Valley, Martin posted a 283-89 record in 14 seasons. He won two state championships at Houston, eight regional championships and made 12 trips to the state tournament.

In 1999, while at Wasilla, he was named the state's coach of the year.