Hornung joins Eustachy’s CSU basketball staff

Pierce Hornung, one of CSU basketball’s most popular players in recent years, is returning to the program in an administrative role.

Hornung, an undersized power forward and relentless rebounder for the Rams from the 2009-10 to 2012-13 seasons, is the new director of basketball operations for coach Larry Eustachy’s program. He replaces Tiffany Bekham, who resigned to move back to her home state of Mississippi.

Hornung, an Arvada native, is No. 3 on CSU’s career rebounding list with 799. The 6-foot-5, 210-pounder was trending worldwide on Twitter while pulling down 17 rebounds in a 2012 NCAA tournament game against Murray State.

“I love this school, and I love this basketball program, so being back and having a small hand in the team, it’s fun,” Hornung said.

Concussion issues prevented Hornung, 24, from pursuing a professional basketball career after graduating from CSU with a finance degree in the spring of 2013. He had been working at Bank of Colorado, working primarily with commercial loans, before accepting Eustachy’s offer to join his staff. Hornung has been a constant presence at CSU home games the past three years, missing only one or two, he said, and he frequently stopped by the basketball office to talk to Eustachy and assistant coaches Leonard Perry, Steve Barnes and Ross Hodge.

Hornung’s new role puts him in charge of many of the administrative duties for the program, including travel arrangements and making sure players know when and where they’re supposed to be for practices and other team functions.

“He’s coming from banking, so he gets the administrative part of it,” Eustachy said. “And he does add a basketball side, a very intuitive basketball side in meetings that only helps the staff and gives us a better chance to win. So I think we’re all excited to have him back, starting from me all the way through the fans.”

Willie Glover, who worked with Eustachy as a student assistant at Southern Mississippi and spent the past three years as the Rams’ video coordinator, is expanding his role this year and serving as the program’s director of player development. Glover was instrumental in introducing and incorporating the high-end analytic programs used by NBA teams into the CSU program last season.