By Whitney Rister

It all started 20 years ago, when Coach Bob Marlin walked through the doors at Sam Houston not knowing that soon he would make a name for himself and the players that played for him. Sam Houston State’s Men’s Basketball team is one of the most consistent athletic programs in the Southland Conference and at SHSU. Coach Scott Cross, The University of Texas at Arlington’s head coach said, “Sam Houston has been one of the top programs in the SLC over the last ten years or so while Coach Marlin has been in charge. Without a doubt, Coach Marlin is one of the best coaches in the SLC, maybe even one of the best in the country. Year in and year out, he does an outstanding job getting the most out of each and every one of his players. I have no doubt that Sam Houston is going to be one of our toughest games of the season.” This is one of many coaches who have an enormous amount of respect for this team and Coach Marlin. They have beaten odds, they have beaten teams that many thought were unbeatable, and they have had players who have broken records that many seemed unbreakable. This year though, is dif! ferent; they have a drive, a passion, a NEED to win and be the best, not only in the Southland Conference, but place as high as possible in the NCAA’s.

Ryan Bright, a senior forward this year at SHSU has enjoyed his stay here at Sam and wouldn’t trade it for the world, “Looking back, this definitely seems to be the right place for me. I’ve done well on the court and in school, and met some great people. My teammates have become friends I will have for a lifetime. Coach Marlin was one of the biggest reasons I came here. He is a great coach as well as a great man. He has his priorities right and makes sure his student athletes do too.” Although Bright came this far, he’s not the only one; every player on the team has had great memories playing basketball at Sam, “I will never forget some of the memories I have made on basketball travel trips, those are the best, but most importantly the life lessons I have learned are what I will always carry with me,” said James Barrett.! Barrett who came all the way from Brooklyn, New York definitely had a culture shock when first attending Sam Houston, “I love it here, yes it’s different from New York but everyone is so nice and helpful. As for the team, I couldn’t ask for a better one.” Each and every player although different, brings a quality to the team that makes the concoction of their success. With a lineup this year to scare even a Big 12 school with opponents such as Fresno State and St. Gregory’s, Sam Houston is ready to take each opponent on with vengeance. With 70 straight home conference wins, their opponents as well are a little intimidated by the Bearkats. Assistant Coach for the Southeastern Louisiana Lions Morris Scott said, “As I coach ev! ery year I notice that the Bearkats have a strong program and ! take gre at pride in their hard work ethic and it definitely shows in each and every one of their players.” With attendance the best it’s been in the past five years the team will definitely have a reason to bring home the Southland Conference Championship back to Huntsville. The last conference championship for SHSU was in 2002-2003, which was the second in Sam Houston history, the first being in 1948 when Sam Houston was in the Lone Star Conference.

Coach Bob Marlin has coached nine years at Sam Houston; he has made the men’s basketball team a high standard not only for the players but the recruits coming in. Not only does he coach, but he has the daunting task of recruiting, something that in any sport coaches despise. Coach Marlin’s assistant coach Scott Gernander said, “Recruiting is very hard and strenuous, but it is the key aspect in building a successful team for the next year and for the future.” He also said that, “When we go to high school games and look for potential players, we not only look for their talent such as speed, agility, and game smarts, but also how well they will work with the other teammates; having that chemistry is the most important aspect with a winning team.” After interviewing a Huntsville High School senior hoping for a basketball scholarship from Sam Houston, he said, “I really want to play for this team, everyone on our team knows that they are good and that you have to work hard each and everyday to show you deserve to be on the team, yeah there are other schools that are good at basketball, but for me I’m hoping I get to play for the Kats and better my chances for playing in the NBA.” Every guy on the team excels not only on the court but in the classroom as well; with Sam Houston winning the top academic award for the Southland Conference last year, each and every sport contributed to that success.

Bobby Jordan, the assistant athletic director for athletic development has high hopes for the Bearkats this season, “You can definitely tell this year is going to be different; they have a deep roster and they have numerous players that can easily start and play very well.” When asked about the Kats weaknesses he had a hard time coming up with any, “Just like any team on any level you always need to have a strong def! ense, minimal turnovers, and high percentages in shooting accuracy.” Coach Marlin is known all around campus, especially for winning, “Marlin is an intense coach in a positive way, he works his players hard and has low tolerance for anyone who doesn’t play to their potential, and that’s what a good coach is,” Jordan said. When talking to Jordan, he kept bringing up the Tech game and how unbelievable it was to witness the Kats defeat this legendary team and coach.

A crowd of 4,842 was there November 14th 2007 to cheer the men to victory; not only did they beat the Texas Tech Raiders they surprised them. The crowd was the third largest at Johnson Coliseum; which is the third behind 5,068 at the Southland Conference final vs. Stephen F. Austin in 2003 and 5,002 at a regular season game with SFA in 1982. The defense being the key aspect in the victory, they held the Raiders to just 39.1 percent in shooting from the floor. Shamir McDaniel scored 18 points and a three pointer with 44 seconds to play that left the Kats with the winning points for the game. After that memory-making game it extended the Bearkats winning streak to 31 games, which is the third-longest in the nation behind Utah State and Duke. Listening to students before the game you could hear bets that Tech would beat Sam easily or the other way around; but in the end it was Sam. The game itself was exciting but the fact that legendary coach Bobby Knight was present wasn’t! too bad either; the yelling at referees and players and the signature red face was what everyone expected out of the infamous coach. All in all it completed a fairytale story for the men they will always remember. Sam Houston handed Knight his first loss as coach at Texas Tech in December, 2002; so Knight was coming in with a vengeance and wanting victory, but he did not receive it because the Kats were strong enough to hold off the Raiders. “That was one of the most exciting games I have ever seen, I’ll never forget it! All my friends who go to Texas Tech had bets going on that we would lose but I was happy to rub it in their face when we won!” said fellow Bearkat fan Joey Dodder.

When we look back at our college day and reminisce about all of the our friends that we haven’t talked to in ten years, the parties we went to, the 20 page papers we did in one night; the Sam Houston State men’s basketball team of 2007-2008 will never forget the teams they’ve not only played ! but beat. They won’t forget the odds they’ve beaten and the pr! actices they thought would never end; all for one purpose: because they love it. Ryan Bright, “I am a better man not only because of my education I have received at Sam, but because of the friends and life lessons I learned through playing basketball, these guys are like my brothers.”