Bio

Cornelius Hester is in his fourth season as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Defiance College and fifth year overall with the program in 2020-21. In the 2016-17 season, Hester served as a recruiting assistant.

Hester started his coaching career more than 20 years ago in the Defiance youth basketball program where he served as the junior high coach and freshman head coach. He would later go on and work at his alma mater, Defiance High School, under future hall-of-fame coach Kirk Lehman. 

During Hester's time at DHS, he helped lead the boys program to three Western Buckeye League championships, along with numerous sectional and district titles.

Hester is also the founder and director of the Ohio Reign AAU basketball team, which is one of the premiere AAU programs in northwest Ohio.

After graduating from Defiance, Hester went on to attend the University of Toledo for one year before transferring to Tri-State University (now Trine University), where he earned his bachelor's degree in business administration in 1996.

Hester is currently the owner of Custom Tees & Apparel, a retail store located in Defiance since 2006. With 15 years as a small business owner, Hester is very respected in the Defiance community, volunteering his time at the Defiance YMCA for numerous basketball camps and clinics.

Hester has three kids. Breanna graduated from Ohio Northern University and received her master's degree in accounting at Tiffin University while Cornelius Hester II is finishing his bachelor's at Purdue University Fort Wayne, majoring in business administration. He also has a younger daughter, Faith Hester.