Busting Brackets
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Southland Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20)

By Joey Loose

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 18: Jared Johnson #3 of the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks celebrates with his bench in the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 18, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 18: Jared Johnson #3 of the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks celebrates with his bench in the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 18, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Jason Hooten of the Sam Houston State Bearkats (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Jason Hooten of the Sam Houston State Bearkats (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

9. Southland Basketball rankings – Jason Hooten (Sam Houston State, 2010-2020)

When Hooten took over as head coach in 2010, he couldn’t exactly brag about a ton of diverse experience. He had been an assistant at Tarleton State and for six years at Sam Houston State before ascending to the top job. The Bearkats were coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance, but there was no guarantee that success would continue.

In the ten years since Hooten took over, he hasn’t led Sam Houston State back to the Dance, but that isn’t to say it’s been a disappointing decade. He’s 197-138, has won over 60% of Southland games, and just won the regular-season title in 2019, finally surpassing Stephen F. Austin in the standings. He’s made five postseason appearances with the Bearkats highlighted by a 26-9 season back in 2015.

The time will soon come for Hooten to lead this team back to the NCAA Tournament, but for now, he’s built one of the most consistent programs currently in the league. His team has finished in the top 5 of this large league for eight straight years and shows no sign of stopping in the future. There’s plenty more work for Hooten to accomplish at Sam Houston State but he’s off to more than a good enough start to warrant selection on this list.