Oct. 9, 2006

Dave Huss is no stranger to winning ball games as an assistant coach.

He said he loved watching Dean Smith and the North Carolina Tarheels as a model for how teams should go about their business. And the Tarheels' business under the "Dean" of college basketball was winning.

As the assistant coach to first-year Head Coach Darrel Parker, Huss hopes the NJC women's hoops squad will show the similar traits that led those great North Carolina teams to so many big victories.

"Number one, they won," Huss said. "He (Smith) just knew his Xs and Os. He could definitely recruit. A lot of his kids may have leave school early, but they still end up graduating. And he had a great bond with his players. All those pro athletes still come back to see him."

Huss has yet to experience the Chapel Hill-like success, but his young coaching career suggests he's on the right track. When Huss signed on to be the assistant women's basketball coach at Northeastern Junior College, he brought with him a resume with a common theme: winning basketball games.

Huss overstresses the little things as the keys to winning basketball. "I like my teams to be fundamentally sound," he said. "Execution is a big thing for me. Work and discipline are my two favorite words."

Huss made the jump to NJC from North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, N.D. As an assistant there, he helped lead the Wildcats to a 21-10 record while keeping the players on a strict regimen. "The program was so structured. The kids went from practice to weights to study table." Huss plans to help newly acquired NJC head coach Darrel Parker implement the same structure to the NJC program. "Its all about kids doing what their supposed to do," Huss said. "He (Parker) really wants to see these kids move on to Division I and graduate as well."

Perhaps the biggest impact Huss made on the college basketball scene came from 2003-2005. As an assistant men's coach at Marshalltown Community College in Marshalltown, Iowa, Huss contributed his efforts to a 25-9 season. It was the most successful campaign Marshalltown had experienced in quite some time. "I learned a lot about winning from the head coach there-Danny Aye. We celebrated his 600th win during his second year there. He was very, very disciplined and he knew everybody. He was able to recruit legitimate D-I athletes."

"He had an old school coaching style that set well with the athletes we had," Huss said. "His offense was tough to defend. I was able to help out by doing some of the small stuff while he went out and got some great athletes. He showed me how to recruit and what to look for."

In the three seasons Huss spent in Iowa, Marshalltown earned its way back into national respectability. But Huss' success wasn't limited to the court. While playing an instrumental role in putting Marshalltown back on the map, he earned his Master's Degree at the University of Northern Iowa.

Huss helped send all ten sophomores from the 25-9, Marshalltown team to the NCAA Division I level. In doing so, he developed recruiting ties to a list of schools that include Iowa State, Southern Mississippi, Utah State and Butler. "I know a bunch of coaches I could tell I worked with coach Aye. They were always recruiting our kids. Those two years were fun. Bringing in coaches every day was like the men's program here at NJC. It was good for me to learn how the Juco system works."

Before he entered the college coaching ranks, Huss was in the process of developing quite a reputation as a coach at the high school level. Huss was the Head High School Girl's Basketball coach at Pike Valley in Courtland, Kansas. There he compiled a three-year record of 45-20. In Huss' first season at Pike Valley, he led his team to its first winning season in nine years. "It was great because the kids and the community enjoyed winning. They never saw the girls have that much success and they were more fundamentally sound. The community enjoyed watching them execute better and the kids enjoyed more people in the stands."

Success at the high school level was never a problem for new NJC women's coach Darrel Parker. In that regard, the two share a common bond and should compliment each other in style and philosophy.

"I really haven't had a chance to work with him a lot. The knowledge that he brings and the winning philosophy is going to help his players compete at this level," Huss said. "My knowledge of the Juco level on how to recruit and the rules off the court should compliment what he brings."