In his 16th year as Central Oklahoma’s head women's basketball coach is Guy Hardaker, who has turned the Bronchos into a perennial NCAA Division II national tournament contender.
A member of the UCO Athletic Hall of Fame, Hardaker took over the helm in 2006 after a highly-successful stint as boys high school basketball coach and is 281-158 with the Bronchos.
He's led UCO to its only five Division II national tournament appearances and five of the school's seven 20-win seasons, including a school-record streak of four straight from 2007-11.
Hardaker guided Central to a top-two finish in the Lone Star Conference North Division the last five years (two firsts, three seconds) in the league. He has coached 11 players to all-conference selections a combined 18 times, two Player of the Year selections, four Freshman of the Year selections, and three Defensive Player of the Year selections. Hardaker has also coached five All-Region selections and four All-Americans.
UCO finished a surprising 15-13 and was LSC North Division runner-up in Hardaker's first year in 2006-07 and then really taking off the next season.
The Bronchos gained a share of their first-ever LSC North Division title in 2007-08 and made it to the LSC Tournament finals for the first time since 1993 while also earning their first-ever Division II national tournament berth.
UCO pulled out a thrilling overtime victory in the first round of the South Central Regional before losing to eventual champion Washburn to finish 24-8, the second-most wins in school history.
The Bronchos did even better in 2008-09, winning the outright LSC North Division crown and making it back to the LSC Tournament finals in again qualifying for the national tournament as Hardaker was named LSC North Coach of the Year.
UCO picked up two hard-earned wins at the South Central Regional to make the Sweet 16 for the first time ever before falling in the finals to host West Texas A&M in finishing a best-ever 27-6.
Hardaker and the Bronchos came back with a 22-8 campaign in 2009-10 finishing runner-up in the LSC North and making a third straight national tournament appearance before falling in the first round.
Guy's best coaching performance came in 2010-11 when a team featuring just one senior and missing six players who suffered season-ending injuries used a stirring late-season run to make the second Sweet 16 appearance in school history.
The Bronchos were once again LSC North Division runners-up, pulled off an overtime upset in making the LSC Tournament finals before losing a one-point heartbreaker there and then knocked off two higher seeds in advancing to the South Central Regional finals. UCO fell short there to end a 22-10 campaign.
Central competed as a Division II independent in 2011-12 while making the transition from the LSC to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and went 16-10 despite playing one of the toughest schedules in school history.
The Bronchos got off to a solid start in their first season in the rugged MIAA in 2012-13 before a rash of key injuries led to a 9-17 finish. UCO ended up 12-16 the following year, upsetting Lindenwood on the road in the first round of the MIAA Post-season Tournament.
Hardaker got the Bronchos back to their winning ways in 2014-15 with a 17-13 finish while again making it to the quarterfinals of the MIAA Tournament before losing a close game. UCO had its best season since 2009-10 the following season, going 19-11 with a best-ever fifth-place finish in the rugged MIAA and another quarterfinal appearance in the league tournament.
The Bronchos continued their upward surge in 2016-17, tying for the second-most wins in school history with a 25-8 record that included a school-record 11-game winning streak. Guy's troops tied for fourth in the regular season league standings and then made it all the way to the MIAA Tournament finals for the first time before falling to five-time champion Emporia State.
Central earned an at-large bid into the national tournament for the first time since the 2010-11 season while setting or tying six school statistical records.
Central finished 22-7 and 13-6 in the MIAA for a fourth-place finish in 2017-18, earning UCO a first-round bye in the tourney for the first time since it joined the league. In 2018-19, the Bronchos went 17-12 and once again made a trip to Kansas City and the MIAA tournament quarterfinals. In 2019-20, Central went 18-10 and made the MIAA tournament.
Hardaker led Central to a fifth-place MIAA finish in 2020-21, with the team posting a 14-9 record. The season was condensed due to the pandemic, but the Bronchos still found a way to the postseason.
Guy started his coaching career at Edmond Memorial High School, serving as head girls golf coach and assistant boys basketball coach from 1987-93. He led the Lady Bulldogs to two state championships and one runner-up finish in golf while helping the boys basketball team to three Class 6A state tournament appearances, capped by a state title in 1993.
Hardaker moved over to Edmond Santa Fe High School in 1993 and coached the boys basketball and golf programs there until coming to UCO. He led the basketball squad to four straight regional titles and the Wolves qualified for the state tournament his last three years at the helm, winning 67 games in that span.
Hardaker led Santa Fe to the Class 6A state title in 2004-05 and the Wolves were ranked as high as 11th in the nation in 2005-06 before falling in the state tournament semifinals. He finished with a 173-148 record at SFHS.
Guy was a three-year baseball star at UCO from 1982-84, leading the Bronchos to a 101-49 record in that span before leaving following his junior year after getting drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies.
A two-time All-District 9 and NAIA All-Area pick, Hardaker was taken in the 10th round by the Phillies in 1983 and spent two years playing in the minor leagues, reaching as high as the Triple A level. He was inducted into the UCO Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.
Guy, who received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UCO, is married (Tammy) and has two children (Chance and Tate).
