Eric Haut (‘04) begins his fifth season on the Kent State bench in 2012-13 and his ninth overall in the coaching profession.  

Haut was the first hire for Kent State Head Coach Rob Senderoff in April 2011 after he took over the Golden Flashes program.  By welcoming back Haut, Kent State returns one of the cornerstones to the finest era in program history.  Haut who has now been associated with Kent State for eight years as a student-athlete and assistant coach, returned to his alma mater following a three-year stint at Texas Christian.

“I could not be more excited to welcome Coach Haut back to Kent State,” said Senderoff.  “He has been an intricate part of our tradition since his playing days and time as an assistant coach and knows what it takes to win at Kent State and in the Mid-American Conference.”

In his first season back on staff in 2011-12, Haut helped continue the strong postseason tradition that he helped established.  The Golden Flashes began the year with an 80-70 win at West Virginia before capping off a 21-win campaign with an appearance in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

In his eight seasons with the program, Kent State has played in seven post seasons and won 193 games and three MAC Championships.  

While at TCU, Haut was primarily responsible for the development of the TCU guards. In each of his first two seasons with the Frogs, he helped guide a pair of All-Mountain West Conference selections in point guards Hank Thorns (2010-11 Third Team) and Ronnie Moss (2009-10 Second Team).

“Kent State has always been a special place for me and I am thrilled to be back with the opportunity to continue the championship success of the storied program,” said Haut.  “This is where my heart and loyalty is so I am both thankful and appreciative to Coach Senderoff and the Kent State Administration for allowing me to return and be able to build upon the strong roots of the Kent State basketball family.”

During his first stint on the Kent State staff Haut helped lead the program to a pair of NCAA appearances and a 74-20 overall record in just three seasons.  The 2007-08 campaign saw Golden Flashes capture a 28-7 record en route to winning the Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament titles which led to a number-nine seed in the NCAA Tournament, which was the highest seed in program history.  Just two years earlier he held the Director of Operations title while Kent State compiled a 25-9 record and the MAC regular season and tournament titles.  The ensuing NCAA appearance was the first for the Golden Flashes since Haut donned the Blue and Gold himself.

A four-year standout and Second Team All-MAC selection during his playing career, Haut was a member of the finest team in MAC history as Kent State won a league record 30 games and advanced to the Elite Eight during the 2001-02 season.  The Lansing, Mich. native was one of the top three-point marksmen in school history and concluded his playing career ranked second behind only Trevor Huffman in the Kent State record books with 200 three-pointers.

Haut wrapped up his career with 983 total points for the Golden Flashes and connected on 40.5 percent from three and 83.9 percent from the foul line.  In all he appeared in 123 games and helped Kent State post a 98-34 overall record to go along with three consecutive MAC East Division titles and four MAC Tournament Championship game appearances.

“Having already been part of the Kent State family for seven years, the experience Coach Haut has with our program is invaluable,” said Senderoff.  “As a coach he is a great teacher of the game and does all the work needed to recruit the best student-athletes that will enable the continued success of our team.”

Following his highly successful playing days, Haut launched his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at Western Kentucky during the 2004-05 season under former WKU head coach and current University of South Carolina head coach Darrin Horn.

A 2004 graduate of Kent State, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business and is a member of the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches).  Haut and his wife, Tonya, were married in the summer of 2009.