Bailey to remain on men’s basketball coaching staff
4/13/2023 2:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HUNTSVILLE — Sam Houston State men's basketball coach Chris Mudge has announced that assistant coach Justin Bailey will remain on staff for the upcoming season.
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Bailey will be elevated to a higher position after having spent the previous two seasons serving under former head coach Jason Hooten. Since Bailey has been a part of the program, the Bearkats have gone 45-22 overall and 27-9 in its only two seasons in the Western Athletic Conference, finishing fourth in 2022 and second in 2023.
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"When I got the head coaching job, keeping Coach Bailey here was one of my first priorities and I worked hard to recruit him to stay," Mudge said. "He had a lot of options and chose to continue to help build our Bearkat program and I couldn't be more excited. He has head coaching experience, played at a high level, is an incredible recruiter, teacher, communicator and leader for our players. Justin will be a head coach or high-level assistant soon and until then I know he will make our program and players better every single day."
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Sam Houston is coming off a historical season in which the Bearkats set the record for most wins in a regular season with 24 and most road wins at 11 since moving up to the Division I level in 1986. This also marked the first time Sam Houston received an at-large berth to the NIT, including a road victory over Santa Clara in the opening round, and only the second time the team played in the renowned postseason event.
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Before coming to Huntsville, Bailey spent the two seasons as an assistant coach for Pittsburg State and was promoted to associate head coach during the 2020-21 campaign. The Gorillas went 22-30 while he was on staff.
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Bailey was the head coach at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith during the 2018-19 season before joining Pittsburg State. He had previously served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Lamar for two seasons in 2016-17 and 2017-18, helping the Cardinals to consecutive 19-win seasons and back-to-back appearances in the College Basketball Invitational (CIT).
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Bailey also served as an assistant coach at UAFS for four seasons from 2012-16. He helped guide the Lions to a pair of NCAA Division II National Tournament appearances and two Heartland Conference Championships.
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Prior to joining the UAFS staff, Bailey spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at Arizona State University.
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Bailey, a Fort Smith, Arkansas, native played two seasons at Arkansas Fort Smith, helping the program capture the 2005-06 NJCAA National Championship. He then played three seasons at UT Permian Basin and earned All-Heartland Conference honors.
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Bailey earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from UT Permian Basin in May 2010 and a master's degree in higher and postsecondary education from Arizona State in May 2012.
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Bailey will be elevated to a higher position after having spent the previous two seasons serving under former head coach Jason Hooten. Since Bailey has been a part of the program, the Bearkats have gone 45-22 overall and 27-9 in its only two seasons in the Western Athletic Conference, finishing fourth in 2022 and second in 2023.
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"When I got the head coaching job, keeping Coach Bailey here was one of my first priorities and I worked hard to recruit him to stay," Mudge said. "He had a lot of options and chose to continue to help build our Bearkat program and I couldn't be more excited. He has head coaching experience, played at a high level, is an incredible recruiter, teacher, communicator and leader for our players. Justin will be a head coach or high-level assistant soon and until then I know he will make our program and players better every single day."
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Sam Houston is coming off a historical season in which the Bearkats set the record for most wins in a regular season with 24 and most road wins at 11 since moving up to the Division I level in 1986. This also marked the first time Sam Houston received an at-large berth to the NIT, including a road victory over Santa Clara in the opening round, and only the second time the team played in the renowned postseason event.
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Before coming to Huntsville, Bailey spent the two seasons as an assistant coach for Pittsburg State and was promoted to associate head coach during the 2020-21 campaign. The Gorillas went 22-30 while he was on staff.
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Bailey was the head coach at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith during the 2018-19 season before joining Pittsburg State. He had previously served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Lamar for two seasons in 2016-17 and 2017-18, helping the Cardinals to consecutive 19-win seasons and back-to-back appearances in the College Basketball Invitational (CIT).
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Bailey also served as an assistant coach at UAFS for four seasons from 2012-16. He helped guide the Lions to a pair of NCAA Division II National Tournament appearances and two Heartland Conference Championships.
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Prior to joining the UAFS staff, Bailey spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at Arizona State University.
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Bailey, a Fort Smith, Arkansas, native played two seasons at Arkansas Fort Smith, helping the program capture the 2005-06 NJCAA National Championship. He then played three seasons at UT Permian Basin and earned All-Heartland Conference honors.
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Bailey earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from UT Permian Basin in May 2010 and a master's degree in higher and postsecondary education from Arizona State in May 2012.
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