Talvin Hester

Biography

For head coach Talvin Hester, who enters his fourth year at the helm of the Bulldogs, attitude and effort are the two pillars that define the Louisiana Tech men's basketball program. In a game full of variables, he believes these are the two things you can always bring and always control. Emphasizing attitude and effort helped the 19th head coach in program history orchestrate a 20-win campaign in his latest season and three All-Conference selections, highlighted by Daniel Batcho who was named CUSA Defensive Player of the Year. Hester was named NABC District 11 Coach of the Year and a Ben Jobe Award finalist after guiding LA Tech to a 22-10 overall record in his second season at the helm. Hester brought 20 years of coaching experience to Louisiana Tech, including three seasons as an assistant coach with the Bulldogs before departing for Texas Tech, where he helped the Red Raiders reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. During his three successful years at LA Tech under Eric Konkol, Hester helped the Bulldogs register three winning seasons of 20-plus victories, including a 24-8 overall record in 2020-21 when the team claimed a CUSA West Division title and a third-place finish in the National Invitation Tournament. Hester also spent three seasons at Houston under Kelvin Sampson, helping turnaround the Cougars program which reached the 2020 Final Four. As a student-athlete, Hester played at Dallas Christian College during the 1996-97 season and received his bachelor's degree