After a championship in Year One and adversity in Year Two, Mudge emphasizes leadership, selflessness, and ties to Huntsville.
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Now entering his third season as head coach and his 15th year overall at Sam Houston, Chris Mudge says he is focused less on transactions and more on relationships as he continues to lead the Bearkats men’s basketball program.
“Year number three definitely brings a lot of new challenges,” Mudge said. “I’ve been here 15 years here at Sam Houston, which has been such a blessing, and then being in the head coaching role, each year has provided a lot of different obstacles.”
Lessons From Adversity
Mudge reflected on the highs and lows of his first two seasons in charge.
“Year one, we won the conference championship, which was obviously a great year,” he said. “Then last year, we just had a string of injury and events and things really out of our control. But it honestly helped me grow more as a coach than even year one did because we had to stick together as a team with a short roster in one of the hardest conferences in America.”
The Bearkats sometimes dressed just seven players, yet closed the season winning five of their last seven games.
Coaching Beyond Basketball
As he prepares for the upcoming season, Mudge said his role goes beyond wins and losses.
“My most important job is to lead these young men and help them grow in who they’re going to be for a 40-year plan — what kind of men they’re going to be, what kind of fathers, what kind of husbands,” he said. “How can I do that better, in a way that has a lasting impact, in a relational sense, not transactional, especially with the way college sports is going?”
Mudge said the program is built on the pillars of discipline, energy, love and toughness. “When you start with a place of selflessness, then really good things happen for you,” he said.
Recruiting With Culture in Mind
Mudge said the team’s recruiting philosophy is rooted in finding players who embrace connection.
“With all of the college sports landscape changing, we’re hoping to find guys that want to be part of a tight-knit family, want to be part of winning, want to be selfless,” he said. “One of our strengths when we have our best teams is our connectedness and how we serve each other as opposed to looking out for ourselves.”
Deep Roots in Huntsville
Mudge said one of his favorite aspects of his tenure is how ingrained his family and program have become in the community.
“One of the best things about being at Sam Houston for so long is how ingrained we’ve gotten in the community,” he said. “Throughout the year, we do lots of community service — the Boys and Girls Club, local schools, summer camps. We’ve also put together the HB Shooting Stars program, which rewards school kids who have done something great that their school wanted to honor them for.”
The Bearkats are also active in outreach programs such as High Five Fridays and reading days in area schools.
Upcoming Events
Mudge said his team will remain visible in Huntsville and beyond this year.
- A youth elite camp is scheduled for Aug. 24.
- The program’s Casino Night fundraiser is set for Oct. 3, followed by a golf tournament on Oct. 4.
- The historic Piney Woods rivalry game against Stephen F. Austin returns Oct. 25 in Houston.
“We love Huntsville and we want to be people that pay forward all the blessings we’ve been given,” Mudge said.
Building Selfless Leaders
As the new season approaches, Mudge said his vision for Bearkat basketball remains clear.
“If I wanted to define what a Bearkat basketball player would be, it would be a selfless leader who cares about others more than themselves,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of guys that have exemplified that, and I think this group is going to do the same. I can’t wait for Huntsville and the people around to meet them.”
Background and Career:
- Promoted to the 20th head coach in program history on April 3, 2023, after 13 seasons as an assistant.
- Guided Sam Houston to a 21–12 record and the Conference USA regular-season title in 2023–24, earning C-USA Coach of the Year honors.
- Helped recruit WAC Player of the Year Qua Grant and built six postseason teams as an assistant.
Full Interview from August 2025 below.