Basketball

Former Stephen F. Austin and current Texas A & M women's head basketball coach Gary Blair will be inducted into the Ladyjack Hall of Fame Tuesday, December 2, in the William R. Johnson Coliseum. The induction ceremony will take place at halftime of the Ladyjacks' game against Texas A&M.

"This is an opportunity for SFA to honor one of the all-time greats in women's basketball," said SFA Director of Athletics Robert Hill. "The late Sue Gunter was a pioneer of the game and built this program during the AIAW days. Blair carried the torch as women's athletics entered the NCAA. He helped make SFA the most dominant team in the Southland Conference, and one of the top programs in the nation."

One of the top coaching minds in the game today, Gary Blair has won more than 500 games during his illustrious 24-year career. Taking over the Ladyjack program for the 1985-86 season, Blair was given the charge of rebuilding a team that had struggled in the two previous seasons. The Ladyjacks won 16 games during his inaugural season, and followed that with a 25-6 campaign a year later.

Following his first year on campus, Blair's teams would win no fewer than 25 games in a season. Blair guided SFA to seven consecutive 20-win seasons, one 30-win campaign, six consecutive Southland Conference titles, six NCAA Championship appearances, six top-20 national rankings, four Sweet 16 appearances, two top-10 national rankings and one WNIT berth.

Blair won 210 games during his time as the Ladyjacks' head coach, and still stands as the school's all-time winningest coach in terms of winning percentage. A five-time Southland Conference Coach of the Year, Blair recorded a 6-6 record in NCAA tournament games, never losing an opening-round game.

Blair left SFA following the 1992-93 season, to become the head coach at Arkansas where he put the Lady Razorbacks on the national stage. Blair guided Arkansas to the 1998 NCAA Final Four, before moving on to become the head coach at Texas A&M.

He has continued a similar path of success in College Station. A two-time finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award, and the 2007 Big XII Coach of the Year, Blair guided the Aggies to the their first-ever Elite Eight appearance, and a program record 29 victories last season. In only five seasons in College Station, Blair has posted a 102-58 record.

"Blair's accomplishments in the game of women's basketball stretch far beyond the Stephen F. Austin campus," said Hill. "He has left his imprint success on every program he has been associated with."

Blair's Texas A&M Aggies enter the 2008-09 campaign ranked as high as 10th in the nation. The Ladyjacks' game against Texas A&M is slated to tip off at 7:30 p.m., and is a scheduled doubleheader with the Lumberjacks who will be taking on Jackson State at 5:30 p.m.

Congratulations to Coach Blair.

Former SFA Men's Basketball Coach Marshall Brown, the winningest basketball coach in SFA history, passed away on August 21, 2008 at the age of 90. Coach Brown was at the helm of the Lumberjack basketball program for 19 seasons (1959 to 1978) compiling a record of 345 wins versus 168 losses for a winning percentage of .672. During his tenure, his Lumberjack squads won five Lone Star Conference Championships with Coach Brown earning Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year honors in 1967-68 and 1969-70. Fourteen of Coach Brown's players earned All-Conference first team honors with five of his players receiving All-American recognition as well. Those players who were named All-American include: George Johnson 1968, Surry Oliver 1969, Ervin Polnick 1969, James Silas 1970 and 1971, and Pete Harris 1972 and 1973. Under Coach Brown's tutelage, George Johnson received Lone Star Conference Player of the Year honors 1967-68 as did Pete Harris in 1971-72. In addition, five of Coach Brown's teams advanced to the NAIA National tournament.

Coach Brown was a graduate of Texas Tech University. His funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 23, 2008. Details have not been announced.

Those wishing to make contributions to SFA in the name of Marshall Brown may do so by contacting Mitzi Blackburn at the SFA Alumni Association. The mailing address is SFA Alumni Association, PO Box 6096-SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX 75962. The physical address for the SFA Alumni Association is 300 E. Vista, Nacogdoches, TX 75962. The phone number for the Alumni Association is (936) 468-3407, (800) 765-1534.

SFA Men's basketball signee Jarrod McDaniel, a 5'8" point guard from Midwest City High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, scored 10 points in helping lead the Suburban All-Stars to a 77-76 victory over the Urban All-Stars in an Oklahoma High School All-Star basketball game. McDaniel is one of five signees by Coach Danny Kaspar that will join the defending Southland Conference Champion Lumberjacks in the fall of 2008. Congratulations to Jarrod.