Ashton Mitchell's experience a plus for Bearkats
2/11/2010 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The senior from New Orleans leads the Southland Conference in assists for the second year in a row and is one of three players on the squad averaging in double figures.
With Mitchell running the show, the Bearkats are off to their best start in the program's 23 years in the Southland Conference. SHSU is 9-0 and closing in on its fourth 20-victory season in the last five years. Head coach Bob Marlin credits Mitchell's experience and leadership as an important reason for the team's success.
"Ashton has a great feel with everyone on the team. He has a knack for getting the ball to the guy who is hot," Marlin said. " He's the player who has been in the program the longest. He is a very good ball handler. I've been coaching college basketball 28 years. He's the fastest point guard with the ball I've ever coached. Definitely, he's the straw that stirs the drink for our team."
Mitchell is closing in on several Sam Houston milestones. He is 50 points away from becoming the 21st Bearkat men's basketball player to 1,000 career points and he stands No. 3 in SHSU all-time assists.
"Ashton has been part of a grand tour of college basketball during his four years here," Marlin said. "As a freshman, he played at UCLA, which has won the most NCAA Tournament championships. As a sophomore he played on our team that beat Texas Tech, coached by Bob Knight, the winningest coach in Division I history. And, as senior, he played at Rupp Arena against Kentucky, the winningest program in college basketball."
Mitchell points to Sam Houston's performance in a narrow 10-point loss to Kentucky as which milestone opponent that meant the most to him.
"The UCLA game my freshman year and playing against Bobby Knight as a sophomore were great experiences, but I had limited playing time in both games," Mitchell said.
But at Kentucky, Ashton was part of history as his roommate, guard Corey Allmond, set an Adolph Rupp Arena record with 11 3-point baskets. Mitchell totaled eight assists and scored nine points in the game.
"That was a special night," Mitchell recalled. "Corey definitely was on fire."
Marlin, who has directed Sam Houston to the best record in the Southland during his 12 years as Bearkat head coach, believes Ashton's most important accomplishment came in the classroom.
"Ashton has already earned his college degree," Marlin said. "He did it in three years and will be working on a second degree this year."
Mitchell earned his degree in criminal justice. He took 42 hours of classes each of the first two years (15 per semester, plus 12 in the summer). Then he realized a degree was in sight.
"That's when I really pushed for it," he said of taking 19 hours each semester last school year, plus 13 hours in the summer.
This semester, Mitchell is taking 12 hours and working toward a second degree, in sociology.
"I'm glad I did it," he said of having a degree completed. "I'm focused only on basketball. I have a lot of free time."
Mitchell, who ranked sixth nationally in assists last season (6.8 per game), overcame several hurdles to end up at Sam Houston State.
He lived in New Orleans until his senior year of high school. That's when Hurricane Katrina led his family to make their usual evacuation to Austin, Texas, where an uncle lived. This time was different because Katrina's devastation meant no quick return home.
Mitchell and his mother stayed in Austin, where he spent his senior year of high school at Round Rock Westwood. Averaging 21.3 points and 4.7 assists per game, he caught the eye of the Bearkat coaching staff.
"I wasn't sure what was going to happen with recruiting after the move," Ashton said. "But I knew that if I went out and played the best I could, something would happen. My coach at Round Rock really helped me get noticed. I decided to go to Sam Houston because they were the winningest team in the conference and I liked the coaches."
Mitchell finally was able to return to New Orleans and attend graduation at St. Augustine High School. His family also returned to their home in New Orleans. Every time the Kats play in Hammond or Thibodaux, LA, homes of Southland rivals Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls, a large group of family members travels to see their hometown hero.
Now, as the only four-year player on the 2010 squad, Mitchell believes he has an important role as a leader.
"This is my last shot at winning a conference ring," Mitchell said. "It's important for the younger players to know how much work that takes and what's at stake. We've had a great year so far, but we have to keep focused on playing our best and improving every game."
The Bearkats have three more big home games coming up in February, hosting A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday Feb. 13, McNeese Wednesday Feb. 24 and UT-Arlington Saturday Feb. 27.
Sam Houston State students are admitted free to all home games at Johnson Coliseum on presentation of their BearkatOne Card.
For more information about tickets to Bearkat athletic events, fans can go on-line to www.gobearkats.com, visit the Sam Houston athletic ticket office at Bowers Stadium or call the ticket office at (936) 294-1729.
Following the regular season, the top eight teams meet at Merrell Center in Katy for the annual Southland Conference tournament March 10-13 to decide the league's NCAA playoff representative. For ticket information about the tournament see the Bearkats' Southland Conference Classic post-season tournament link.
