Sam Houston head coach Chris Mudge has announced the hiring of a new assistant coach to join his staff for the 2025-26 season.
Veteran coach Angres Thorpe is coming to Huntsville after spending the past two seasons at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). This past season, the Cougars won the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament after going 22-12 and 13-7 in league play.
SIUE went 17-16 in Thorpe’s first season and 9-9 in OVC play before bowing out in the second round of the conference tournament.
“Coach Thorpe is a proven winner that has been a big part of several NCAA Tournament teams over his long and successful career,” Mudge said. “He has a track record of creating strong relationships with student athletes and helping them develop both on and off the court to help them be their best. I am so excited to bring him into our family, and he will immediately make a strong impact on our program and to the Huntsville community.”
Before SIUE, Thorpe had a four-year run on the staff at Buffalo, where he spent the 2022-23 season as the associate head coach. The Bulls compiled a 70-49 record with Thorpe on staff.
In the 2020-21 season, Thorpe helped the Bulls to a 16-9 record in a COVID-19 shortened season. The Bulls earned a trip to the MAC Championship game and an appearance in the NIT, just the second in school history.
In 2019-20, his first season with the Bulls, Thorpe helped the Bulls to a 20-12 record, including a win on the road at DePaul in nonconference play. Thorpe was an instrumental part of the Bulls’ game planning and helped develop several all-conference players.
Thorpe has also made coaching stops at Kansas City, Toledo, Green Bay, Saint Louis, Ball State, Division II Lewis and Division III Loras.
A native of Chicago, Thorpe was a two-time All-Catholic League performer at Fenwick High School. He went on to become a four-year letterman at St. Leo College (Fla.), where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business management.
https://gobearkats.com/news/2025/6/26/mens-basketball-kats-hire-longtime-assistant-hoops-coach.aspx
