Click here toe-mail Deryl Cunningham begins his fourth season on the SIUEstaff in 2014-15. Cunningham works primarily with the postplayers. Cunningham oversaw the development of Keaton Jackson during the2013-14 season. Jackson led the Ohio Valley Conference in fieldgoal percentage (.740) during the season. He also was second in theOVC with 65 blocked shots. That total is the second best in asingle season at SIUE. Cunningham also served as SIUE's recruiting coordinatorduring his first year and a half with the Cougars. He came to SIUE after serving as an assistant with theMissouri Valley Conference Champion Indiana State. Cunningham worked with the Sycamores for three seasons.Indiana State went to the postseason in two of the three seasons.During his first season with the Sycamores two post playersfinished in the top 10 in rebounding in the Missouri ValleyConference. Post player Jay Tunnell, was also named to theAll-Improved Team while finishing in the top 10 in scoring,rebounding, field goal percentage and 3pt percentage in theMissouri Valley Conference. Indiana State would also lead theconference in block shots in 2009-10. He previously spent time as an assistant coach with SouthDakota State as a graduate assistant and a full-time assistantunder former SIUE assistant Scott Nagy. Cunningham was part of theJack Rabbits' move to Division I and their first season in theSummit League. At Indiana State and South Dakota State, Cunninghamwas involved in all facets of the basketball programs, includingrecruiting, coaching, scouting, and scheduling. He worked primarilywith the post players at both schools. Cunningham was therecruiting coordinator during his final season at South DakotaState. Cunningham recruited Garrett and Griffin Callahan, brotherswho won a High school state championships in Illinois. Garrett,finished his career in the top 10 in points and assists at SDSU while also being a pre-season First teamAll-Summit selection. Griffin, who transferred to SDSU, hit theshot to put SDSU in its first ever DI NCAA tournament. Prior to his time at South Dakota State, The native ofBellwood, Ill., spent two seasons as an assistant varsitybasketball coach at his alma mater St. Joseph's High School. Heassisted legendary head coach Gene Pingatore.Cunningham helped guide St. Joseph's to a conference title in2003-2004. In 2004-2005 St. Joseph's enjoyed a school record beststart at 21-0, finishing 28-2, with a Regional Championship andSectional final appearance. The 2004-05 team was ranked among USAToday's Top 25. While a player at St. Joseph's, Cunningham was tabbed as a 1989Parade magazine All-American, which recognizes the top 25 highschool players in the country. Cunningham was elected to theIllinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2003. In2004 his jersey was retired by St. Joseph's. Cunningham is featuredin Taylor Bell's 2006 book, Glory Days Illinois Legends of HighSchool Basketball, which focuses on some of the greatest highschool players from the 1940s through the 1990s. Cunningham wasalso in the documentary Hoop Dreams. Cunningham began his college playing career at DePaulbefore finishing at Kansas State where he played three seasons withthe Wildcats under Dana Altman (now head coach at Oregon).Cunningham led the team in rebounding in back-to-back seasons in1992-1993 and 1993-1994. He remains seventh on the all-timerebounding list with 624 career rebounds with the Wildcats. His 295boards during the 1993-94 season remains the ninth-highest total ina single season in school history. Kansas State earned a six seedin the NCAA tournament during his junior year, and the Wildcatswere an NIT Final Four team in Cunningham's senior season. He was atwo-time All-Big Eight Honorable Mention selection while atK-State, while leading the league in offensive rebounds for twoconsecutive years. As a professional, Cunningham had a four-year career inthe Continental Basketball Association. Cunningham was drafted bySioux Falls where he played for current Minnesota Timber WolvesGeneral Manager Flip Saunders. Cunningham also played for formerChicago Bull assistant Mike Thibault in Omaha. He reached theConference finals with both teams. He later played one season withthe Saskatchewan Hawks where he averaged 13.5 points and 6.8rebounds per game. Cunningham also played five seasons of FirstDivision basketball for clubs in Switzerland, France, Belgium, theDominican Republic, and Mexico. Cunningham and his wife Maria have two children: Ciara andBraylon. | 