Q & A With Assistant Coach Omar Lowery
11/4/2015 9:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
With basketball season about to start, GoBearkats.com presents the third in a series of question and answer sessions with the assistant coaches for both the Sam Houston men's and women's programs.
Today's session feature men's basketball assistant Omar Lowery who is beginning his second season on Jason Hooten's staff. Previously Lowery served last season as an assistant at San Jose State after spending four years as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Cal Poly and three seasons at Texas State.
A graduate of Concordia University in Wisconsin, Lowery was a first team All-Lakeshore Conference selection and helped lead his team to the NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time in school history.
Question: How did you get into coaching?
Lowery: I started off coaching two years as a coaching high school and AAU in Milwaukee, WI. Then I went to become a Graduate Assistant at Eastern New Mexico University (D2) Lone Star Conference.
Question: What attracted you to the job here at Sam Houston?
Lowery: The winning culture and success that Coach Hooten and the Bearkats men's basketball program have had on and off the floor. Also, the family atmosphere here at Sam Houston attracted me to Sam Houston.
Question: What do you look for in a prospect when recruiting for bearkats?
Lowery: Student-athletes that are a fit academically, athletically and socially to Sam Houston. Also, student-athletes who want to be a part of a program that's committed to developing them as champions on the court and in life.
Question: Whats the best part of your job and the hardest ?
Lowery: The best part is working with our great student-athletes and our staff. The hardest part is the challenge of balancing work with family.
Question: What do you like to do when you have a chance to be away from basketball?
Lowery: I love to spend time with my family (my son Miles Lowery, my mom, older sister and younger brother) and good friends.
Question: The 50 victories during the past two seasons is the most in consecutive years at SHSU since the 1970's. Why has the program had so much success?
Lowery: Its an testament to the hard work of our students-athletes, the focus of our head coach Jason Hooten and our athletic administration for providing a great environment for our players to be successful on the floor and in the classroom.
Question: What is your favorite moment so far as a bearkat coach?
Lowery: My favorite moment was seeing our five seniors reach their dreams academically by graduating from Sam Houston this past June and summer -- Michael Holyfield, Jabari Peters, Marquel Mckinney, Kaheem Ransom and DeMarcus Gatlin.
Question: What is your favorite pro team (basketball or any other sport)?
Lowery: I'm from the cold state of Wisconsin so the Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Bucks and Brewers are my teams. I'm a New Orleans Saints fan also because my cousin Fred McAfee played in the NFL for them for 17 Years and is still in the front office with the Saints currently. So, I'm a Cheese-Head/Bucks/Brewers and N.O Saints fan.
Question: What is your favorite quote?
Lowery: My top three quotes are:
* “Difficult doesn't mean impossible. It means you have to work hard.”
* “Don't let your past define your future.”
* “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” -Socrates
Omar Lowery and the Sam Houston Bearkats play their first home game of the 2015-16 season on Tuesday, November 17, hosting Saint Thomas at 6:30 p.m. at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
