Phil Forte is in his second season as a Sam Houston State assistant coach after serving the previous two seasons as a graduate student manager on the Saint Louis University men's basketball staff. He earned his master’s degree in organizational leadership in May 2019.
The Bearkats finished fourth in the Southland Conference and qualified for the league's postseason tournament in 2019-20 before the coronavirus canceled the season in March 2020.
A standout on the Oklahoma State men's basketball squad, Forte was a three-time All-Big 12 honoree. He scored 1,746 points (sixth in school history) and ended his career as the Cowboys’ record holder with 329 3-pointers made.
Forte guided OSU to four NCAA Tournament appearances during his time in Stillwater. As a senior during the 2016-17 season, Forte averaged 13.3 points per game and led the NCAA in free-throw percentage at 95.5 percent (84 of 88), the fourth-best mark in a single season in NCAA history.
The Flower Mound native earned his bachelor’s degree in recreational management while sitting out the majority of the 2015-16 season due to injury. He was a third-team All-Big 12 selection as a junior and was the first-ever recipient of the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year award as a sophomore.
Forte attended Marcus High School and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2012 Texas Class 5A State Tournament. He averaged 17 points in the state finals, including a game-high 24 in the championship game to lead the Marauders to the state championship.
