Hughey came to the University of Houston with 10 years of NCAA Division I coaching experience and is widely thought of as one of the basketball coaching profession's rising stars. He helped guide five different schools to the postseason each year from 2007-14, including taking six consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament with four separate programs.

From 2007-14, Hughey's teams never finished below the .500 mark, and he helped haul in three top-15 nationally ranked recruiting classes from 2010-2014 with two separate programs. "First and foremost, I'd like to thank God, because without him none of this would have been possible. I'd also like to thank everyone else who was involved in this selection process for having the confidence in me to take this program back to the top where it belongs. The University of Houston is one of the best schools in the nation and I'm elated to be here and get this thing going," Hughey said. Hughey spent the two seasons prior to taking over at UH as an assistant at Florida State (2012-14), guiding the Seminoles to two consecutive NCAA Second Rounds, while collecting a 44-22 record during his tenure there. Known for his keen ability to evaluate talent and recruit, Hughey helped develop Natasha Howard into WBCA All-American, an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American and a Senior CLASS Second Team All-American at Florida State. Howard was selected as the fifth overall pick by the Indiana Fever in the 2014 WNBA Draft, making herthe highest WNBA Draft selection in FSU history. With Hughey's help, the Seminoles placed a league-best three players on the All-ACC First Team during the 2012-13 campaign, while he helped develop forward Chelsea Davis, who signed a professional contract overseas for the 2013-14 season. On the recruiting circuit, Hughey played a big part in helping FSU sign one of the nation's top classes in 2013, as the group was ranked as the nation's No. 7 class by All-Star Girls Report and No. 11 by ESPNW HoopGurlz. The group included three top-100 players, including McDonald's All-American Kai James. Before coming to Florida State, Hughey spent two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Texas. While in Austin, he helped the program advance to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments land consecutive top-15 recruiting classes. Hughey lived up to his reputation as being one of the best recruiters in the game, signing the nation's No. 12 class in 2012 and country's 10th best class in 2011. In addition to his stellar recruiting reputation, Hughey has also shown the ability to develop talent in the state of Texas, as he worked extensively with 2012 Big 12 All-Defensive honoree Ashley Gayle, while seven different players earned all-league honors during his two-year stint with the Longhorns. Before heading to the Southwest, Hughey spent the 2009-10 campaign coaching at Rutgers University. Under the tutelage of Hall of Fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer, he helped guide the Scarlet Knights to 19 victories and the program's eighth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Hughey played a primary role in Rutgers' recruiting efforts during his time in New Jersey and led the Scarlet Knights to one of their top recruiting classes in several seasons.

Previously, Hughey served as the recruiting coordinator at UCF during the 2008-09 season. Under the leadership of current head coach Joi Williams, Hughey helped guide the Knights to one of the most exciting runs in program history, as they were able to win four games in four days to claim the Conference USA Tournament crown and the school's third NCAA Tournament berth. UCF defeated Houston in the quarterfinals of that tournament en route to hoisting the championship trophy. During his stay in Orlando, he enticed prep standout Gevenia Carter to sign with the Knights, marking the UCF program's first-ever Top-100 recruit. A native of Columbia, S.C., Hughey was also an assistant coach as South Carolina during the 2007-08 season, helping guide the Gamecocks to a WNIT Second Round appearance. Hughey earned his first Division I coaching gig at South Carolina State (2004-07), where he spent three seasons as an assistant coach. During his time with the Bulldogs, Hughey helped the 2005-06 team finish with a winning record in MEAC play.