Director of Athletics Bobby Williams has announced the promotion of Chris Mudge to be the the 20th head coach for the Sam Houston men’s basketball program.
“I couldn’t be happier to name Chris Mudge as the next head coach for our basketball program,” Williams said. “While going through this process it became evident from everyone I spoke with that he was the right person for this job. He understands the culture that has been built here and what it’s going to take to succeed as we head to Conference USA.”
Mudge was the first hire to former head coach Jason Hooten’s staff in 2010 and has been a big part of one of the most successful stretches in program history. Over a 13-year span, the Bearkats won 261 games, a conference championship and earned six postseason appearances. In June of 2021 he was promoted to associate head coach.
While directing the recruiting efforts for the last nine years, Mudge played an integral part in bringing in this year’s WAC Player of the Year Qua Grant and last season’s first team WAC selection Savion Flagg, as well as 2019 Southland Player of the Year Cameron Delaney, SLC Newcomers of the Year, Jabari Peters (2014) and Kai Mitchell (2019) and 2015 SLC Defensive Player of the Year Michael Holyfield.
“First off, I want to thank Dr. Alisa White and Bobby Williams for giving me this opportunity,” Mudge said. “The tradition that Coach Bob Marlin and Coach Hooten have put in place over the last 26 years is just incredible, and it’s an honor to be chosen as the next head coach to carry that into Conference USA. None of this would be possible without the tremendous young men who have helped shape the winning culture of this program. I am proud to have been a part of helping these players grow as they have become amazing men, husbands and fathers.”
Prior to joining the Bearkat staff, Mudge served as the assistant coach at Midland College for two years, helping lead the Chaparrals to a 63-7 record and back-to-back National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national top-10 rankings.
He is a graduate of Stony Point High School in Round Rock where he was the starting point guard and led his team to a top-10 ranking in the state.
Mudge earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2006 at the University of Texas where he served under head coach Rick Barnes with the Longhorn basketball team as head manager, recruiting assistant, camp coordinator and assistant video coordinator. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Mudge was elevated to graduate assistant with the Longhorns, where he helped work with future NBA stars such as Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge and P.J. Tucker.
Mudge and his wife, Lindsey, are the parents of two daughters, Jordan and Taylor, and a son, Colton. Lindsey is an accounting professor at Sam Houston.
“When you get into coaching, you never know when your next move will occur,” he said. “My wife Lindsey has been very supportive of me and my profession. In the last 13 years we have built a family here and along with our three amazing kids, Huntsville has become our home. We are just so happy that the next step in our journey is right here.”
Mudge will be officially introduced at a press conference on Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Johnson Coliseum. All Bearkat fans are encouraged to attend and welcome Mudge as the new head coach. The press conference will also be streamed live on ESPN+.
https://gobearkats.com/news/2023/4/3/mens-basketball-chris-mudge-promoted-to-head-coach.aspx
