HUNTSVILLE —
When every young recruit walks through the door at Johnson Coliseum, their goal is help Sam Houston State get to the NCAA tournament.
The Bearkats have had some really talented players over the past seven seasons since Sam Houston last went dancing and none of them were able to accomplish what this year’s group has.
For one guy in particular, this season has been extra special. Point guard Ashton Mitchell has been pouring his heart out on the court for four years to get to this moment.
As the only four-year senior on the team, Mitchell has seen Sam Houston get bounced in the opening round of the Southland Conference tournament twice during his career.
But Mitchell doesn’t have to worry when he looks back on his playing days that he didn’t accomplish everything he wanted.
The first-team All-SLC selection is one of the key reasons the Bearkats are back in the NCAA tournament and playing third-seeded Baylor at 1:45 p.m. today in the first round at New Orleans Arena.
“Honestly, this all really hasn’t sunk in,” Mitchell said Monday. “To be part of one of the best teams that ever played at Sam Houston is kind of crazy when you think about all the great guys who played here. I’m just glad it happened in my last year. I wouldn’t want to go out any other way.”
Today’s game is a homecoming for Mitchell. In August of 2005, right before he was to begin his senior year of high school at St. Augustine in New Orleans, he was forced to leave his home and everything he knew because of Hurricane Katrina.
Looking back, that turned out to be a blessing.
Mitchell landed on his feet at Round Rock Westwood High School just outside Austin. He averaged 21.3 points and 4.7 assists per game, which opened the door for him to sign with Sam Houston since he wasn’t getting any offers prior to coming to Texas.
So it is only fitting that Mitchell left New Orleans not knowing what his future in basketball had in store and now he is returning to play on one of the sports’ biggest stages.
“I really just kept working,” Mitchell said. “I knew that my name would get out there someday if I just kept working. I have improved my game from year to year and I have gotten better. It feels great to go back home and try to play great in front of my hometown. I want to make the best of it.”
Mitchell has been a solid, steady contributor to the Bearkats the past few seasons. He has led the Southland Conference in assists the past two years.
Mitchell is averaging 12.7 points per game this season, and has guided Sam Houston to its first SLC regular-season and tournament championships since 2003, the last and only other time the Bearkats have advanced to the NCAA tournament.
One of the reasons Mitchell has been so successful was that he had the perfect mentor who taught, then passed the torch.
Jejuan Plair was Sam Houston’s starting point guard during Mitchell’s freshman season. Plair was a model student-athlete on and off the court, which Mitchell absorbed.
Mitchell graduated with a degree in three years and is currently working on another. He is also trying to share the wisdom he has accumulated over the years with sophomore point guard Drae Murray, who is next in line.
“Jejuan helped me out a lot. He was pretty much a coach on the court,” Mitchell said. “To this day, he still calls me up and gives me advice. My first year being a backup to Jejuan really helped me out a lot. I was able to sit back and observe.
“I always tell Drae that his time is coming. This is the end of the road for me and he will have to step up next year.”
Mitchell’s journey is almost over, but he isn’t done yet. He would love to add a few more victories to his total of 66 as SHSU’s starting point guard and help the Bearkats make a run in the NCAA tournament.
With his passion, that is possible.
In the opening round of the SLC tournament last week, eighth-seeded Nicholls gave Sam Houston all it could handle. But Mitchell was determined not to let his career end the way it had for some of the others before him.
With the game in the balance, Mitchell scored seven of his team-high 20 points in the final four and a half minutes to lift the Bearkats to a 62-57 victory.
Mitchell was eventually named the tournament’s most valuable player.
“He has been very important to our program and has had a great career,” Sam Houston head coach Bob Marlin said. “To watch him mature and graduate in three years, I’m extremely proud of him and what he has accomplished.
“Now to take him home to New Orleans to play in front of his home people, you can say it has gone full circle.”
What: Sam Houston State vs. Baylor in NCAA tournament
When: Today, 1:45 p.m.
Where: New Orleans Arena, New Orleans
Records: Bearkats are 25-7; Bears are 25-7
TV and radio: CBS will televise the game at 1:30 p.m.; Kooter Roberson and Leroy Wilkinson will call the game on KSAM (101.7 FM)
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