Hooten leaves for NMSU, Kats left without coach
Mar. 27—HUNTSVILLE — On Sunday at 3 p.m., former Sam Houston head coach Jason Hooten was officially announced as the 28th head coach for conference rival New Mexico State during an introductory press conference.
Hooten noted his 19-year tenure at Sam Houston but kept things mostly about the next step in his career as the Aggies leader. But that move leaves a hole for Sam Houston after one of its best seasons to date.
Now, for the first time since 2010, Sam Houston athletic director Bobby Williams is looking for a new head coach and may have the top pick still on staff with the Bearkats.
Associate head coach Chris Mudge has been on staff with Hooten since 2010 and is looking for his first NCAA head coaching gig, which is what Hooten got after being on staff with Bob Marlin for six seasons before getting the head gig.
While Mudge doesn't have the coaching resume in regards to the head coach experience, he brings a lot to the table for Sam Houston.
Mudge is also earning support from the athletic staff as well as current players, according to Hoopdirt.com. This is something that the Bearkats could look for as they could lose several of their players to the portal to either follow Hooten or find a new home.
Sam Houston is already losing WAC Player of the Year in Qua Grant and three-year players in Javion May, Tristan Ikpe and Donte Powers, although with COVID years they have the potential to return to play.
Keeping a familiar face with Mudge is key as it keeps the opportunity to bring back some of the Bearkats' key players in Kaosi Ezeagu, Cameron Huefner, Lamar Wilkerson, Ronald Mitchell Jr. and Anthony Wrzeszcz on the roster to keep things stable during a transition.
The other thing is the Bearkats will be moving up to Conference USA on July 1, 2023, and keeping Mudge is another way for the Bearkats to have stability.
Mudge also has Hooten's nod of approval to get the gig behind him.
While it is not sure who will be the next head coach of the Bearkats, Mudge seems to be the leading candidate but who are some others?
Alvin Brooks III was an assistant at Sam Houston from 2010-2012 and has since moved on to help at Baylor University and before that a four-year stop at Kansas State. Like Mudge, he has been around the program before and is looking for his first division one head coaching gig.
His resume includes winning a national championship with the Bears, as well as, the Big 12 title.
Another name that I was told to keep an eye on was Rice head coach Scott Pera. It doesn't seem likely but Williams' history at Rice and the Bearkats movement up to CUSA would lay a familiar foundation for him.
Pera's Owls went 19-16 this season earning a bid to the CBI tournament where they lost to Southern Utah.
The Kats could make a push for him if they do not end up with Mudge.
While there currently is no timetable for the hire, Sam Houston would likely need to get the spot filled as soon as they can for the fact that they can start building what the team is going to look like next season for its jump to conference USA and with a new coach.
Colton Foster is Sports Editor for The Item. He can be reached at cfoster@itemonline.com
