University of North Texas Athletics
Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
Last updated April 2, 2026
Jay Shunnar was hired as UNT's men's basketball assistant coach to head coach Daniyal Robinson's first staff on May 19, 2025.
In his first season in Denton (2025-26), Shunnar helped guide the Mean Green to a 19-14 overall record and a 9-9 league record. North Texas finished tied for fifth in the American Conference standings and reached the quarterfinals of the 2026 American Conference Tournament. UNT's 19 wins were the second-most in program history by a first-year Mean Green staff and its nine conference wins were also the second-most by a first-year UNT staff. North Texas' .576 win percentage was the second-best ever by a first-year UNT staff in its DI era and the best in 50 years.
UNT featured the league's top scoring defense, holding opponents to 67.4 points per game and racked up 308 steals on the year, which were the second-most in a single season in program history and third-most in American Conference history.  UNT featured the second-best turnover margin in American Conference history (+3.7) and the third lowest turnover per game average in program history (11.3).
North Texas had notable victories throughout the season. On Jan. 4 they defeated Tulsa at home 72-67, snapping the Golden Hurricanes' then 10-game winning streak. At the time of the game, Tulsa was ranked No. 38 in the NET. It was UNT's highest ranked NET win since upsetting Purdue in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.Â
The Mean Green also had notable wins over Memphis on Feb. 12, 76-69, Florida Atlantic on Feb. 22, 73-72, and at UAB on March 1, 62-58. North Texas also defeated FAU in its conference tournament opener, 74-70, continuing its streak of consecutive seasons with a conference tournament win to seven in a row.Â
Shunnar was critical in the development of sophomore guard Je'Shawn Stevenson who earned second-team American Conference All-Conference honors as he averaged 17.3 points per game and 2.0 steals per game. His 572 total points scored was the fourth-most in the league that year. Stevenson led UNT in 3-pointers with 74 and his 66 steals were the second most in program history and led the league that season.
Point guard David Terrell Jr. also had a breakout season. The then junior who came to UNT from UTEP set single season career highs in every statistical category and became just the second player in North Texas history to score 400 points (446) and have 150 assists (160) in a single season. Terrell's 160 total assists were the fourth most in a single season in program history.
Shunnar came to North Texas after spending the previous three seasons on Robinson’s bench at Cleveland State. Robinson was hired as the Mean Green’s head coach on April 4. In addition to his three years as an assistant coach at CSU, Shunnar had stops at Butler University, Michigan, Ann Arbor Huron High School and in the NBA with Cleveland Cavaliers.
In his three seasons at Cleveland State, Shunnar was instrumental in helping guide the Vikings to three consecutive 20-win seasons including 23 wins in his final year with the Vikings, which was the program's most single season wins in 14 years. CSU finished second in the Horizon League standings and were the runner ups in the 2025 College Basketball Invitational.Â
In his three years with the Vikings, CSU had 13 Horizon All-League honorees and were consistently one of the top defensive teams in the league.
Cleveland State in 2025 ranked in the top two in the Horizon in offensive efficiency and defensive efficiency. The Vikings won 13 straight games from Dec. 7, 2024 through Jan. 30, 2025, their longest win streak in over 28 years.
Shunnar arrived to Cleveland State in 2022 from Butler where he served on staff for head coach LaVall Jordan for two seasons as the Bulldogs’ director of basketball operations. Butler had two AP top 10 wins during Shunnar’s time with the Bulldogs.
Prior to Butler, Shunnar spent a season in the NBA under legendary head coach John Beilein with the Cleveland Cavilers as a special assistant to the head coach. With the Cavs, Shunnar worked closely with then Cavs associate head coach, later head coach and Detroit Pistons’ head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. He was also responsible for analyzing film, preparing scouts for assistant coaches, assisting in practice planning and game planning. Shunnar worked closely with the development of guards Collin Sexton and two-time NBA All-Star Darius Garland.
Shunnar was also on Beilein’s staff at Michigan from 2018-19 where he was a graduate assistant. Beilein brought Shunnar with him to the NBA.
From 2012 until 2018 Shunnar was a high school and AAU coach. He was the head boys basketball coach at his alma mater Ann Arbor Huron High School from 2016-18 and its assistant coach for the one season prior. He also served as an assistant coach at Ann Arbor Skyline High School from 2012-15. In addition to his prep coaching, he was also the head coach of Common Bond, an AAU program for U15-U17 throughout southeast Michigan, for three years (2012-15). There he coached nine athletes to college scholarships.
The Ann Arbor, Michigan, native was a walk-on at Toledo and played for the Rockets under head coaches Gene Cross and later Tod Kowalcsyk from 2008-11. He played in 64 total games over three seasons and made 20 starts his junior year. He scored a career high 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting in his final collegiate home game on March 1, 2011 versus Central Michigan.
Shunnar left Toledo prior to his senior year and transferred to Michigan to pursue a degree in Material Sciences from U-M’s College of Engineering. He holds an engineering degree and a master’s degree in higher education and post-secondary education from Michigan.
Jay Shunnar Coaching Career
North Texas, Assistant Coach (2025-present)
Cleveland State Assistant Coach (2022-25)
Butler, Director of Operations (2020-22)
Cleveland Cavilers, Special Assistant to the Head Coach (2019-20)
Michigan, Graduate Assistant (2018-19)
Huron High School (MI.), Head Coach (2016-18)
Huron High School (MI.), Assistant Coach (2015-16)
Skyline High School (MI.), Assistant Coach (2012-15)
