New Mexico State basketball hires Sam Houston State's Jason Hooten

LAS CRUCES - New Mexico State was seeking a head men’s basketball coach with Division I head coaching experience.

The Aggies got their man with Sam Houston State’s Jason Hooten, who has agreed to be the program’s 28th coach.

"Having competed against this storied program in the past, this is an exciting day for me and my family," Hooten said in a NM State release. "I appreciate this opportunity to restore New Mexico State University's basketball program to a position as one of the top mid-major programs in the country as we enter into Conference USA. I'm grateful to Mario Moccia and Chancellor Dan Arvizu for their support. I'm excited to meet Aggie Nation, including our outstanding student body which provides such a wonderful atmosphere in the Pan American Center. My family and I are eager to become part of the Las Cruces community."

New Mexico State director of athletics Mario Moccia traveled to Huntsville, Texas, last week to meet with Hooten regarding the Aggies open head coach position after the school fired Greg Heiar in February following alleged hazing incidents.

Hooten and members of his family were in Las Cruces this week before leaving town on Thursday without a finalized deal. There were reports via social media that Sam Houston State made a counter offer late this week, but Hooten is set to take over an Aggies team that have had a number of players enter the transfer portal.

The two sides came to terms on Friday and the school will introduce Hooten at 2 p.m., on Sunday in a press conference at the Pan American Center.

According to sources, NM State would offer the next coach a salary of over $400,000 over at least five years. Hooten had two years remaining on his contract at SHSU, which paid him a base salary of $232,000.

Moccia wanted an experienced coach, and Hooten provides that experience. The Tarleton State alum has spent 19 years at Sam Houston State – the last 13 years as a head coach, where he was 261-169 as a head coach. He has led SHSU to the Postseason NIT twice, including this past season where he lost in the second round. Hooten won the Southland regular season in 2018-19 and his team went 27-9 since joining the Western Athletic Conference two years ago. Sam Houston State was the No. 1 seed in the WAC Tournament in March after going 14-4 in league play this season.

"I believe Coach Hooten is a tremendous fit for New Mexico State," Moccia said in a NM State release. "Throughout his coaching career, he has demonstrated an ability to build hard-nosed, defensive-minded teams. Importantly, his programs are always modeled on character and integrity."

Sam Houston State is set to join New Mexico State as new members of Conference USA next year.

Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: New Mexico State basketball set to hire Sam Houston State's Jason Hooten