Kyle Lindsted brings wealth of recruiting contacts to Wichita State

Kyle Lindsted’s desk reveals his priorities in his first week of work as Wichita State men’s basketball assistant coach — it holds two NCAA manuals and a coach’s Bible from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes with a daily devotional.

The manuals are required reading for any new hire. The Bible is just as important to Lindsted, who spent most of his adult life coaching at Sunrise Christian Academy before moving to WSU.

“The reason I’m here is because this is where the Lord wants me,” he said. “There are so many people who want these jobs.”

Lindsted, 39, got this one by showing what he could do at Sunrise and building a connection with WSU coaches. He had several offers in recent years to coach in college and began to seriously consider looking at those options. Last spring, he first discussed the possibility of him joining the Shockers with WSU coach Gregg Marshall.

When Steve Forbes left WSU in March for East Tennessee State, Lindsted sent Marshall a text reminding him of his interest. WSU placed current players Zach Brown and Eric Hamilton at Sunrise for a year of seasoning before joining the Shockers. WSU sophomore Rauno Nurger is a Sunrise product, as is walk-on Brett Barney, who joined WSU this summer. Through those connections, Marshall and Lindsted formed a relationship.

“We both believe in the importance of seeking out talented young men who also possess high character,” Marshall said in a news release. “I’ve watched him grow as a coach and builder of a program and have been highly impressed.”

Lindsted graduated from Sunrise in 1994 and started coaching the junior high team a few years later before taking over the high school team in 2000. He compiled a 332-77 record with his high school team, guiding the program from one filled with local players to one that includes an elite high school team and a post-graduate team. With six children and family in Wichita, neither Lindsted nor his wife wanted to move.

“When I got really serious, my wife (Anita) got really worried,” he said. “We wanted to be close to Sunrise, where our kids could go to school. This was the dream destination.”

Sunrise has produced 35 NCAA Division I players since 2010 and Lindsted brings a wealth of recruiting contacts and experience. His connections in the Bahamas produced players such as Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield and Michigan State’s Lourawls Nairn. Getting players to Sunrise isn’t exactly like recruiting to college, but the phone numbers, relationships and ability to evaluate talent are a good start.

“Anybody who’s followed Sunrise Christian the past four or five years has to be impressed,” Rivals.com national basketball analyst Eric Bossi said. “Trying to get kids to the States or into a prep school, the recruiting is pretty heavy. The thing that really translates is the contacts that Lindsted has developed in getting kids to Sunrise Christian are going to be many of the same contacts. When you get kids to come from there, you get to know the people that around them, the families.”

Sunrise’s growth into a nationally prominent team included Nike sponsorship, extensive travel to tournaments and national rankings. In 2014, six players from the elite high school team signed with NCAA Division I program and six, including Brown and Nurger, did so from the post-graduate team. Lindsted’s connection to Sunrise won’t change dry up. Current post-graduate coach Luke Barnwell will take over the elite high school team.

“It’s not been totally international, but I do feel like I do have some really good relationships with some of those guys that will be useful,” Lindsted said. “Obviously, there are some very good Bahamian connections. I know those coaches down there very well.”

This story was originally published June 30, 2015 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Kyle Lindsted brings wealth of recruiting contacts to Wichita State."