Sam Houston State University is a public research university in Huntsville, Texas. Founded in 1879, it is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and the first in Texas. The school is named for Sam Houston, who made his home in the city and is buried there.
The Sam Houston Bearkats are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Sam Houston State University, located in Huntsville, Texas. Sam Houston's colors are orange and white. Sam Houston sports teams participate in NCAA Division I in Conference USA (CUSA), having joined that conference on July 1, 2023 after spending 34 years in the Southland Conference and two years in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). SHSU's primary rival is Stephen F. Austin (SFA) and tensions between the two schools can run high before major sporting events that pit one against the other.
The Sam Houston Bearkats men's basketball team, represents Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, United States. The Bearkats were one of four programs, all from Texas, that left the Southland Conference on July 1, 2021 to join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Sam Houston had previously been a member of the Southland Conference since the 1987–88 season. The Bearkats have played home games at Johnson Coliseum, a 6,110 seat indoor arena, since 1976, when it was then called University Coliseum. On July 1, 2023 the Bearkats joined Conference USA.
Jason Trey Hooten is the head coach of the New Mexico State University men's basketball program as of March 24, 2023. Hooten was previously head coach at Sam Houston State University for 13 seasons. And was an assistant coach for there for the previous six years, before being named as the Bearkats' head men's basketball coach on April 2, 2010. In his time with the Bearkats, Hooten had a 261-169 record and six 20-plus victory seasons.
The Bearkat Marching Band, also known as The Famous Bearkat Band or the BMB, is the marching band at Sam Houston State University. The band was founded in 1910 under the direction of C.W. Feuge, and is currently directed by Brian Gibbs. The band appears at Sam Houston football and basketball home games, as well as at pep rallies, the annual Battle of the Piney Woods in Houston, and occasionally at in-state away games.
The 2013–14 Sam Houston State Bearkats men's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by fourth year head coach Jason Hooten, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum and were members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 24–11, 13–5 in Southland play to finish in third place. They advanced to the championship game of the Southland Conference tournament where they lost to Stephen F. Austin. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated Alabama State in the first round before losing in the second round to San Diego.
The 2013–14 Sam Houston State Bearkats women's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by seventh year head coach Brenda Welch-Nichols, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum and are members of the Southland Conference.
The 2014–15 Sam Houston State Bearkats men's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by fifth year head coach Jason Hooten, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum and were members of the Southland Conference.
The 2014–15 Sam Houston State Bearkats women's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by ninth year head coach Brenda Welch-Nichols, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum and are members of the Southland Conference.
The 2015–16 Sam Houston State Bearkats men's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by sixth year head coach Jason Hooten, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum and were members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 18–16, 12–6 in Southland play to finish in a tie for third place. They defeated Nicholls State in the quarterfinals of the Southland tournament to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Texas A&M–Corpus Christi. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they lost in the first round to Jackson State.
The 2016–17 Sam Houston State Bearkats men's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by seventh-year head coach Jason Hooten, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas as members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 21–13, 10–8 in Southland play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They defeated Central Arkansas and Houston Baptist to advance to the semifinals of the Southland tournament where they lost to New Orleans. Despite having 21 wins, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.
The 2017–18 Sam Houston State Bearkats men's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by eighth-year head coach Jason Hooten, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas as members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 21–15, 12–6 in Southland play to finish in fourth place. They defeated New Orleans in the quarterfinals of the Southland tournament before losing in the semifinals to Southeastern Louisiana. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where, after a first round bye, they defeated Eastern Michigan in the second round and UTSA in the quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals to Northern Colorado.
The 2017–18 Sam Houston State Bearkats women's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by twelfth year head coach Brenda Welch-Nichols, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum and were members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 4–23, 1–17 in Southland play to finish in thirteenth place. They failed to qualify for the Southland women's tournament.
The 2018–19 Sam Houston State Bearkats men's basketball team represent Sam Houston State University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearkats are led by ninth-year head coach Jason Hooten and play their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas as members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 21-12, 16-2 in Southland play to finish in 1st place. As the No. 1 seed in the Southland tournament, they lost to New Orleans in the semifinals. They received an automatic bid to the NIT where they lost in the first round to TCU.
The 2018–19 Sam Houston State Bearkats women's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by first year head coach Ravon Justice, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum as members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 16–13 overall, 11–7 in Southland play to finish in fifth place. As the No. 5 seed in the Southland women's tournament, they were defeated in the first round by Central Arkansas.
The 2019–20 Sam Houston State Bearkats men's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by tenth-year head coach Jason Hooten, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas as members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 18–13, 11–9 in Southland play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They were set to on Northwestern State in the second round of the Southland tournament until the tournament was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2019–20 Sam Houston State Bearkats women's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by second-year head coach Ravon Justice, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas as members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 19–10, 14–6 in Southland play, to finish in fourth place. Before they could play in the Southland women's tournament; however, the tournament was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2020–21 Sam Houston State Bearkats men's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by 11th-year head coach Jason Hooten, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas.
The 2021–22 Sam Houston State Bearkats women's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by fourth year head coach Ravon Justice, play their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum as members of the Western Athletic Conference.
The 2021–22 Sam Houston State Bearkats men's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas and were led by 12th-year head coach Jason Hooten, as first-year members of the Western Athletic Conference.
