How did former Pistons star Lindsey Hunter end up as the new coach in rural Sparta?

Lindsey Hunter helped the Detroit Pistons win the 2004 NBA Championship. On July 2, 2025, he was hired as the boys basketball coach at Sparta High School in Sparta, Mich. (Photo | Scott Cunningham of Getty Images).

SPARTA, Mich. - Joel Stoner couldn’t believe his luck.

When the Sparta High School Superintendent saw the resume of former NBA player Lindsey Hunter land on his desk, he was surprised.

Sparta announced the hiring of Hunter as the new varsity boys basketball coach on Wednesday, July 2.

“We are very excited to hire a coach with the resume that Mr. Hunter possesses,” Stoner said via e-mail. "His experience is an unquestioned asset to our athletes. When we saw his application, we were overjoyed. He has shown us in many different ways that he cares. He wants to grow athletes. He is a teacher at heart. His resume is awesome but we are hiring a person to work with our most important asset, our students.”

Hunter might be the most overqualified person in the state to be a high school coach. He played in the NBA for 17 years, including 12 seasons with the Detroit Pistons, where he became a fan favorite after helping the team to the 2004 NBA Championship.

After he retired, he was an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors. Then he was the head coach at Mississippi Valley State University from 2019-22.

Sparta basketball players, from left, Sawyer Jansma, Wyatt Burleson, Landen Reister and Grady Busen during in a regional semifinal game on Thursday, March 6, 2025. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).

So how did Hunter end up at a rural high school in West Michigan?

“Coach Hunter has a well established relationship with the Gullekson family,” Stoner said of Sparta student Griffin Gulleckson, a basketball player who battled cancer. “Their son's, Griffin, courageous battle with cancer touched Coach Hunter and his family. He has spent time in West Michigan connecting with the family and has held some developmental camps for athletes. In the process, Coach Hunter developed an affinity for our community. Sparta is a special place. Coach Hunter felt that. He is a coach and teacher of the game, we are fortunate to receive his efforts.”

Sparta is a Division 2 program with an enrollment of 809 students. The Spartans play in the River Cities Alliance conference. The boys basketball team was 11-11 last season, including a district championship. They were coached by Scott Berry, who retired after the season.

On May 30, Sparta announced it had hired Matt Hansen, a West Michigan native, as its new boys basketball coach. But the school pivoted and let Hansen go suddenly. Stoner declined to comment on the move. 

“Coach Hunter has high expectations for the quality of his work,” Stoner said. “I have not had a discussion about where he will live. I know he understands the obligation being the head of a program requires. He is ready to meet that obligation and go beyond.”

Tyler Pangborn, one of the top returning players for Sparta, was a toddler when Hunter retired from the NBA in 2010. But the senior guard has heard of Hunter.

“I had definitely heard about him before,” Pangborn said. “And have heard many good things about him. I am very excited to get to work and learn a lot from him.”

Sparta’s Tyler Pangborn during in a basketball team camp at Wyoming High School on June 27, 2024. He will be a senior for the Spartans this fall. (Photo | Lenny Padilla).


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