Tennessee-Martin Basketball

UT-Martin men's basketball coach Anthony Stewart died Sunday at 50.

"We are stunned to hear this tragic news," athletic director Kurt McGuffin said in a statement. "Coach Stewart was a true leader to every one of the young men he coached. He emphasized the meaning of a college degree and instilled professionalism in each of his student-athletes. We ask for privacy during this difficult time."

Stewart was approaching his fifth season on the sidelines for the Skyhawks. He had first joined UT-Martin as associate head coach under Heath Schroyer in 2014. Following Schroyer's departure in 2016, Stewart was promoted.

Prior to arriving, he had assistant coaching spells at Ohio, Southern Illinois, Wyoming, Long Beach State and Columbus State Community College.

UT-Martin went 22-13 and reached the second round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament in 2016-17—the high-water mark of Stewart's tenure. He compiled a 53-73 overall record.

His son, Parker, was the Skyhawks' second-leading scorer (19.2 points) in 2019-20. The 6'5" guard is a redshirt junior this season.

UT-Martin is scheduled to tip off its 2020-21 slate against Southeast Missouri on Dec. 12.

The Ohio Valley Conference produced one of the best players in the nation last season in Kenneth Faried, and this season the OVC looks to have some promising talent as well. 

The UT-Martin Skyhawks may be one of the youngest teams in the conference, but they are also loaded with talent. 

The team finished with a 12-21 record in 2010, but a bright spot for the Skyhawks was freshman Mike Liabo, who averaged 11.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

Liabo is a consistent shooter from the perimeter and is also not afraid to take it to the rim if need be. 

As a shooter, Liabo is excellent off the catch and will hit some contested shots. He can make jumpers off the dribble when defenders close out on him, and he is not afraid to take a charge. With his size, he's also a good rebounder and gives a solid effort on defense.

You can check out Liabo's freshman highlight tape here as well as ESPN's evaluation that was listed above. 

His 33-percent shooting from downtown was second on the team last year behind then-freshman Troy King. The combination of King and Liabo will cause matchup problems on the perimeter for opposing teams.  

UT-Martin did lose their top two scores from a year ago—Benzor Simmons and Reuban Clayton—but Liabo and the rest of the Skyhawks are ready to make up for the duo's production.

The team has some tough early-season opponents in Louisville and Missiissppi State, but don't be surprised if the Hawks upset either of these two teams. 

This team will improve vastly from a year ago, and I expect them to compete for the Ohio Valley Conference title.

Murray State won the conference last year with a 14-4 record, but look for the Hawks to go 13-5 in conference play.

Tennessee-Tech, Murray State, and Austin Peay will all be viable contenders for the crown, so winning it won't be an easy task.  

When it comes to sports movies, Hollywood sure churns out tear-jerkers, don’t they? 

I cannot think of a single sports-related film (beside the comedies like Bull Durham, The Longest Yard, Major League, North Dallas Forty and their ilk) that has ever come out that wasn’t a human interest story.

Brian’s Song. Coach Carter. Field of Dreams. Hoosiers. The Natural. Radio. Remember the Titans. Rudy.

However, I have the script for the best, most unbelievable basketball movie ever shot.

Ladies and gentlemen of Bleacher Report, please pull up a chair. I’m about to tell you a tale about Lester “the Molester” Hudson, a basketball playground legend of the highest order here in Memphis, Tennessee.

A young man who never graduated from junior high, high school, or even his junior college.

A fellow who went to tiny University of Tennessee-Martin, straddling the border of the Bluegrass State and the Volunteer State. You know, up there in that roundball Nirvana (not).

An absolute basketball machine who is, to my eye, the best value in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Lester Hudson grew up in a hardscrabble area of South Memphis known as Glenview. Once upon a time—as recently as the 1970s—it abutted one of the most affluent and exclusive neighborhoods in the entire city. Though Glenview was a bit more modest, it was nonetheless a most desirable neighborhood to live in.

The area has fallen upon hard times since suburban flight took full effect. Once-manicured lawns are now overgrown and strewn with debris. Homes that I admired as a kid for their beauty and upkeep are mere eyesores.

This is where Hudson grew up.

On nearly every street, it would seem, you could find little boys shooting baskets at a goal tacked up beside a house, a garage, or affixed to a telephone pole.

It’s where legends are born.

Hudson showed great proficiency as a baller at an early age. By the time he was 11 or 12 years old, he was playing with men much older—and more than holding his own.

He was skinny, but had fantastic handles and hops—meaning he could dribble and jump, for the uninitiated—and his instincts on the court were uncanny. He could find ways to score that were virtually unimaginable.

That’s where the nickname “the Molester” came from—he would take your dignity away on the court so completely, it was if he were committing some savage crime.

(I once had the chance to play against Lester. I’m not going to lie to you; I begged off!)

There was one little problem:

Young Mr. Hudson wasn’t particularly fond of going to school.

And, really, who at that age is eager to go to class? Especially a playground legend who uses a basketball as an extension of his own body?

He never graduated from junior high school.

“I needed to take a summer school class (that was never taken),” he told Geoff Calkins of The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal.

Coach Andre Applewhite stumbled on Hudson quite by accident one day during Lester’s sophomore year at Central High School. While other kids were gushing over Hudson’s ability, coach Applewhite wondered why the young gunner hadn’t tried out for the team.

When he began to notice that Hudson only came to school two or three days a week, Coach began to figure it out: All Lester wanted to do was play basketball.

“I made him a proposal,” Applewhite said in an interview. “Come to school every day, and I’ll let you play basketball.”

This worked out fine during his junior year. However, Lester didn’t hold up his end of the bargain well enough to be eligible to play during his senior campaign.

He subsequently failed to graduate from Central High School.

Applewhite refused to give up on Hudson, though. The coach thought the young man played basketball well enough to at least get a college education out of the deal. Lester was incredulous.

“I’d talk to him about (getting a college degree),” said Applewhite. “He’d be like, ‘Graduate from college? That's impossible.’”

Hudson was like thousands of young Black males in the city of Memphis: A victim of domestic discord, socioeconomic disadvantages, and a general lack of solid parenting. Left to his own devices, he escaped the problems at home by taking out his aggression on the basketball court.

It was all he knew.

Applewhite, though, saw more in the young man than perhaps Hudson even saw in himself. The coach took Hudson to the campus of Southwest Tennessee Community College to meet the legendary Verties Sails, one of the most beloved, longest-tenured, and successful junior college basketball coaches in America.

Sails, who has seen more insanely talented basketball players come out of Memphis than most people have hairs on their head (no exaggeration), decided to take a chance on the troubled baller.

“We had to work hard with him and try to get his academics squared away,” Sails said to the CA’s Scott Masilak. “It wasn’t that he couldn’t do the work. He just had never settled down to do anything. Once we got him settled in, and it took a while, everything settled into place.”

Well, sort of fell in place.

Though "the Molester" was able to remain eligible for both years at Southwest, and despite the fact that he was the Tennessee Junior College Player of the Year after averaging 18 points and seven rebounds per game as a sophomore, his transcript was so lacking in core requirements that no major college in the country would gamble on him.

By then, however, UT-Martin assistant coach Jason James had developed a strong rapport with Hudson, who had begun to thrive under the tutelage of male figures such as Applewhite and then Sails.

James was concerned about more than just what Hudson could do on a basketball court, much as his last two coaches had been. He promised Lester that UT-Martin would see to it that the young man would graduate from college.

“They promised me they would help me get a degree, and that was a key for me,” Lester said. “Everyone else was talking to me about the NBA. I didn’t even see the campus. I didn’t care how it looked. When they told me that, I believed them.”

Hudson was nowhere close to being eligible. He paid his own way to Martin for one year, and got his academics in order. He then had two years of eligibility and immediately set about turning the college basketball world on its ear.

Now, keep in mind that, by then, Hudson had a grand total of three years in organized basketball under his belt: His junior year in high school and then two years at a juco.

His numbers as a junior at UTM were cartoonish. He scored 35 points in 29 minutes against nationally-ranked Memphis in his maiden voyage, adding 10 rebounds and seven three-pointers, showing the range he had developed during his season off from the game.

Memphis players were no strangers to Hudson, even though the nation at large was shocked by the stunning outburst.

“I know all those guys. We played together in the summertime at the Finch Center,” Hudson said after the game. “They were saying, ‘Why are you doing us like this?’”

His next outing resulted in 31 points, and the third game back in the saddle set NCAA Division I history.

Hudson netted the first quadruple-double ever recorded: 25 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals in 31 minutes in a rout over Central Baptist.

The walking video game scored 30 or more points 12 times, 25-29 points nine times, and failed to crack double figures only once in a nine-point showing on Valentine’s Day against Tenenssee Tech.

He finished the year averaging 25.7 points per game, one of the top figures in the nation, to complement 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per outing. He tested the NBA Draft waters, but was not a guaranteed draft choice and returned to school.

He scorched the landscape again, ringing up a scintillating 27.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg, and 4.2 apg. He cracked 30 points another 11 times, and his season-low was 15 points against Murray State.

And on May 16, 2009, he got the first, and most important, degree in his life, graduating with a degree in university studies.

He was then chosen in the second round of the draft, No. 58, by the Boston Celtics.

So we now have a young man with only five years of organized basketball under his belt about to land in the NBA, at the age of 24, and you know what I think?

The Celtics got a steal.

Hudson is a true combo guard, with a scorer’s mentality yet good ability as a distributor. He also has a pro body: 6’2”, 190 chiseled pounds, and a freakish 6’9” wingspan.

He’s not the fastest, nor most athletic, guard in this draft, and his three-point stroke is average at best, but that’s never been the reason to have him around.

Hudson is just relentless. His deceptive strength allows him to overpower smaller guards, his quickness is overwhelming to larger guards, and his tenacity allows him to crash into the interior of the opposing defense, where it’s “pick your poison” time.

Collapse on Hudson, and he will find an open teammate. Leave him one-on-one, and it’s “and-one” time. Foul him, and he converts the free throws (86 percent in his UTM career).

Because of his determination, Hudson has become the exception that proves the rule: He is the pick-up king who overcame his own academic indifference to become a college graduate. He’s already overcome more in his life than most of us can imagine.

And I, for one, foresee a long, productive NBA career. He is with a team that needs precisely what he can offer: Prodigious offense from the guard position. Not saying he will start, but I am saying he can contribute right away.

Lester is still a Molester after all these years.

In general, college basketball coaches are very talented people. They know how to motivate young men, getting them to achieve more on the basketball court than they ever thought possible.

They inspire those same players to achieve greatness outside of the basketball spectrum.

Some are gifted strategists, having forgotten more about basketball than I will ever know.

However, over the last few months, we have learned there are some areas that a college basketball coach does not have much knowledge in.

Some lack the understanding of SAT procedures. Others lack experience in dealing with AAU coaches and sports agencies.

We found out, recently, that Bret Campbell, the former head coach at the University of Tennessee—Martin, is clueless about finance and accounting.

Last Thursday, Campbell resigned when an internal audit found he violated school policies when he cashed checks for summer basketball camps.

The audit showed that he cashed or deposited $21,145 into his personal account instead of putting the money into university accounts. The audit also said that Campbell paid for the camp's expenses and officials in cash from the deposited checks.

Although Campbell's record at UT Martin was only 125—167, the basketball team had a winning record two years in a row. This past season, with the team posting an overall record of 22—10, was UT Martin's most successful ever since playing as a Division I school.

Bret Campbell led the Skyhawks to their first Ohio Valley Conference championship with a 14—4 record and their first National Invitation Tournament appearance.

The community responded to the enthusiasm that was being generated at UT Martin. In the 2008—2009 season, the Skyhawks averaged over 1,000 more people per game than the previous season.

Critics questioned whether most of the credit for the team's improvement should go to Campbell or to Lester Hudson, a two—time OVC Player of the Year who averaged 27.5 points per game last season.  Hudson has completed his eligibility and will be pursuing a career in the NBA.

With former assistant coach Jason James taking over the reigns, we will never know what the program would have done with Campbell guiding a different mix of players.

Bret Campbell admitted that mistakes were made, but questions remain whether or not he was intentionally attempting to deceive the school. Obviously, the money Campbell might have been able to pocket is much less than the salary he lost and the money he could have gained by continuing to build his resume as a head coach.

Perhaps the adminstration at UT Martin should have let what Campbell does best, coach young people about basketball and life at the summer camp, and allow someone else to handle the financial side of the endeavor.

When there is something wrong with your car, you don't take it to a restaurant chain to get it repaired. Why give a basketball coach the responsibility of handling money and paying expenses?

The school certainly could have had someone else handle the financial end of the camps. The university is training people to enter those types of fields.  Treat it as an internship for a student that will soon enter into the real world.

Hopefully, Bret Campbell will get another opportunity to prove his worth as a basketball coach. He has learned a valuable lesson, and perhaps UT Martin has as well.  

If you are looking for free college basketball betting picks for March 6, 2009, you have come to the right place. Touthouse.com college basketball handicappers specialize in NCAA betting picks and are providing a few premium picks for tonight’s games below. Be sure to visit Touthouse.com each day for all your college basketball betting needs.

Free Betting Pick: Tennessee-Martin -4.0 (-110)

Friday, March 6, 2009 7:00p—Courtesy of Bob Harvey

Look for a big effort tonight from the Skyhawks of Tennessee-Martin as they face Morehead State in the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.

The Skyhawks are 22-8 and seeded No. 1 in the eight-team tournament. They’re coming off a lopsided 93-75 win over Tennessee Tech in the first round of the OVC tourney. Senior Lester Hudson scored a career high with 42 points to lead his squad into the tournament's “Final Four.” The win came just days after Hudson was named the OVC player of the year for the second straight season.

T-M punched their ticket to the tournament as the top seed by winning the regular season championship last Saturday night with a 79-65 decision over Morehead State. The Skyhawks are on ATS runs of 3-0 and 7-3, while the Eagles are 7-3 ATS in their last 10. T-M is also 14-5 ATS against conference opponents.

Tennessee-Martin is hosting this year's tournament, which gives them a huge advantage over the field. They’ve also got the best player in the conference in Hudson. That’s going to be a tough combination for Morehead State to overcome. Lay the small number; take T-M-U.

Free Betting Pick: Elon +6.0 (-110)

Friday, March 6, 2009 7:00p—Courtesy of LT Profits

The Elon Phoenix went on the road and took the Wofford Terriers to overtime before losing by three points in January, and we look for a similarly close battle here. Remember that this game is at a neutral location with the Southern Conference Tournament being played in Chattanooga, so we see no reason why Wofford should have an easier time with Elon here than they did at home.

After all, according to the Pomeroy Ratings, Wofford is one of the least efficient teams in the country on the defensive end, allowing 1.105 points per possession to rank 313 out of 344 teams in that critical statistic. We feel that fact alone makes the Terriers a poor risk when laying this many points.

Now by no means are the Phoenix powerhouses, but they were competitive for the most past inside the conference. That regular season meeting with the Terriers was not an anomaly, as Elon was 6-3 against the spread as a road underdog vs. Southern Conference opponents, and the fact that this is not a true road game should only improve those chances.

In fact, Elon was 9-4 ATS as a conference dog regardless of the venue, and we look for that to continue tonight. CBB Free Pick: Elon +6 (-110)

Don't let the headline mislead you: Stephen Curry is one of the finest college basketball players in the country. We all know what he has accomplished in his two seasons at Davidson, yet articles about this Wildcat's magic continue to circulate ESPN, Fox Sports, and even our own site, Bleacher Report.

Even with the departures of Reggie Williams (27.8 ppg), Charron Fisher (27.6 ppg), and Michael Beasley (26.5 ppg), Curry's regular season 25.1 points per game is not the best among returning players.

Lester Hudson, a 6'3" Skyhawk from the University of Tennessee-Martin, bested Curry by six-tenths of a point. Curry raised his average to 25.9 ppg during the Tournament, but Hudson didn't have that opportunity. 

Not only is Hudson the NCAA's top returning scorer, but he also ranked fifth in steals (2.8 per game) last season and first among guards in rebounds (7.8 per game). The guard also averaged 4.5 assists per game and shot 38.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Over the course of last season, Hudson tallied eight double-doubles, one triple-double, and scored 25 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, dished 10 dimes, and accumulated 10 steals en route to the NCAA's first quadruple-double.

Playing for a small school, Hudson made the most of his opportunities against power teams. He posted double-doubles against Memphis (35 points, 10 rebounds), Mississippi State (27 points, 11 rebounds), and UNLV (26 points, 11 rebounds). He dropped 36 points at Vanderbilt and only fell one rebound shy of a double-double.

The Skyhawk possessed the talent to play at any one of those schools, but he stumbled over too many bumps on his journey to college basketball.

Born and raised in a poor section of Memphis, Hudson went through childhood with a negative attitude towards school. He rarely showed up to class, and his grades suffered.

To Hudson, basketball was the only part of life that mattered, yet he never played on an AAU team. He primarily played on the streets of Memphis and was a member of his high school's Varsity squad as a junior. His coach, Andre Applewhite, was able to convince him to keep his grades up so he could play on the team.

He averaged double-figures in scoring as a junior but was ineligible to play as a senior.

In Memphis, all members of high school basketball teams need to be 18 years old or younger, and Hudson turned 19 before his senior season because he needed to repeat an earlier grade. The 19-year-old still had to graduate from high school before he could go to college but did not finish his senior year with grades deserving of a diploma.

No college was permitted to take a high schooler who did not graduate, so Applewhite exhorted his alma mater, Southwest Tennessee Community College, to let Hudson try out.

Hudson dominated the tryout, and STCC immediately signed him.

At STCC, the Memphis streetballer earned his high school diploma, had a 2.5 GPA, and transcended what was expected of him as a basketball player. However, he did not graduate from the junior college because he was unable to meet all of his educational requirements.

Jason James, an assistant coach at Tennessee-Martin, knows that UTM was able to ink Hudson for his last two years of collegiate eligibility because the power schools that he could be "helping get to the Final Four" lost interest when he didn't graduate from STCC.

At 22 years old, Hudson began his academic studies at Tennessee-Martin, but had to sit out for one year as a result of failing to graduate from STCC. He was forced to pay his tuition on his own and has done so by applying for financial aid and taking out student-loans.

Happy to have one more chance, Hudson complied with all the regulations in order to reach his goal of playing Division I basketball.

The game against Memphis was Hudson's debut with the Skyhawks and proved that he was worth the risk that the coaching staff took to sign him. His junior campaign continued to be impressive, and he was awarded with the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year award. The Associated Press listed Hudson as an honorable mention for their All-American teams.

Hudson decided to enter the NBA draft but withdrew before he signed with an agent.

Now 24, he is back at UTM, looking to stay in school, compete with Curry and other guards to be America's best collegiate guard, and continue his climb from an unpromising life to one with tremendous potential.