STEPHENVILLE — Tarleton State ushered in a new era with the press conference introduction of new men’s basketball head coach Eric Haut on Tuesday morning at the EECU Center.
Haut was welcomed to Stephenville with a full turnout of Texan nation. He was greeted in the arena by the music of Foul Play energizing the crowd and expressing their excitement for his arrival to the Texans. Haut walked out with smoke on each side of him as the crowd was on their feet showing their appreciation for the new head coach.
“I am honored and humbled to be here before you,” said Coach Haut during his press conference. “This is a special day for me and my family. It is 22 years in the making. It has been a lot of hard work, long nights and being away from my family. It is truly a blessing for me to be here today.”
Vice President and Director of Athletics Steve Uryasz took the podium first and described the goals of the process of finding a new coach. He also showed how established coach Haut is and will be as the leader of the Texans.
“As we continue to grow, moments like today matter because leadership matters,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Steve Uryasz. “Coach Haut is someone who understands how to build culture, knows how to develop young men into leaders, who embraces the expectations that come with wearing the Tarleton State purple and is entrenched in the Stephenville community. Ladies and gentlemen, we found a great leader in coach Haut.”
Uryasz went on to say how the hire was being perceived as a home run after the announcement that coach Haut was their choice.
“Home run hire, home run hire, that’s the term we’ve heard several times,” said Uryasz. “I really believe that and it’s easy to see why.”
The 16th President of Tarleton State University was welcomed to the podium next. President Hurley elaborated on the specifics outside of basketball that they were looking for in finding their next leader. He went on to describe how coach Haut fits in what the search committee was looking for and how successful he feels the choice was.
“When we set out to find the next head coach of Tarleton State Men’s Basketball, we were intentional,” said President Hurley. “We were uber focused because we understand that this decision was more than just about wins and losses. It’s about the future of this program and the young men who will be shaped by it. We were looking for a leader who could help build, inspire and revive the storied tradition of this championship-caliber program. We were looking for a leader who valued above all else that our student-athletes excel in the classroom, the labs and ultimately graduate ahead or on time with that coveted Tarleton State degree. We found that in coach Haut.”
“Coach Haut brings a proven track record, a relentless work ethic and a vision for what this program can become,” President Hurley went on to say. “But what stood out the most was his belief in people, culture, tradition and the power of family. Here at Tarleton State, family matters.”
The final speaker of the morning was the new head coach of the Texans, Eric Haut. He expressed how grateful and thankful he was of the opportunity and how excited he is to get started in Stephenville. The first-year head coach has gone through a long journey with many stops and has finally reached his dream of one day becoming a head coach.
Haut then described how he sees the Texan basketball team playing under his direction. Off the court, he described a mentality of we before me, meaning that this is a team game and he wants them to do everything together. He explained how they will never have a coach who has spent more time with them as he will. He then went on to describe his coaching style and express what fans can expect on the court next season.
“We will have a clear identity,” Haut explained. “Offensively, we are going to play fast, unselfish and we are going to win the margins. I want to score in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock. That is when your offense is the best and the type of system that your players want to play in. I want to play fast. I want to be top 30 in tempo, that’s the goal. We are going to be playing unselfish. We are going to be top 30 in assisted baskets. You watch the best teams, the ball is not sticking in one person’s hands, it is moving. Everyone is going to be involved and we are going to have a very unselfish basketball team. That is going to raise the level of our play. We are going to win the margins in rebounding and at the free throw line. We are going to be the more physical team. We are going to shoot more free throws and get more offensive rebounds. We are going to take care of the basketball. Those are the areas that win games and those are the margins that we have to win to cut down nets.”
He then went on to express his ambitious goals both on and off the court. He described the vision he had for the EECU Center with thousands of fans piling in to watch the Texans and how excited he is to build the community support in Stephenville. He knows that it takes a community to build a fan base and he is willing to do whatever it takes to get to know everyone and building a winning culture to support the Texans.
“We aren’t going to get there alone,” said Head Coach Haut. “It’s going to take everyone. I imagine this building is packed. I saw we set a record this year with 3,500 people in a game against Southern Utah. Next year we are going to double that. We are going to be at 7,000 and I promise you one day, we are going to have 8,000 screaming fans and you are going to get the environment that this building, President Hurley and Vice President and Director of Athletics Uryasz deserves.”
The big day for the Texans concluded with Coach Haut ending his speech with “Bleed Purple” and raising the Tarleton State “State’s Up” banner. The excitement and buzz of the newly hired Haut filled the air as many student groups were able to take a picture with Coach Haut following the press conference.
The rest of the Tarleton State Men’s Basketball coaching staff for the 2026-27 season as well as the roster updates and schedule will all be announced at a later date.
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