Jan. 30, 2006

Mountain State University (W.Va.) head coach Bob Bolen reached a career milestone during the opening game of the 16th Annual Mountain State Coal Classic.  The 131-71 victory against Knoxville College (Tenn.) was Bolen's 300th career win.  His record now stands at 301-93.

The Cougars shot well (53-of-93 for 57 percent), controlled the boards (posting a school-record 72-20 margin), and placed four players in double figures.

"You want to know how a coach thinks," Bolen said afterward. "I don't want that (300th win) to overshadow how well we shared the ball tonight. We want our kids to buy into the fact that basketball can be a fun game if you play hard-nosed defense and share the ball. We did that tonight."

The win has been 12 years in the making, and the program has grown with every win.

"Twelve years ago, we didn't have a full-time assistant coach and we didn't have dorms," Bolen related. "When we would recruit players, I would have to look their parents in the eye and say, trust me, I'll find them an apartment."

Those two hurdles that Bolen remembers so vividly have been erased, paving the way for continued success at many levels.  Student housing is now available on campus, and Bolen's squad reaps the benefit of full-time assistants.

Today, Bolen's Cougars are one of the most feared men's basketball programs in the NAIA. Mountain State rose to the pinnacle of the sport with a national championship in 2004.

"It's been a total team effort," Bolen said. "I work for a winning university and our president, Dr. Charles Polk, has been a large part of that. With the growth of our university and his support for our athletic program, we have built a great program."

He also believes the strength of the program is grounded in the commitment of the people involved.

"The stability of our program has had a lot to do with our success," Bolen said. "I think I've just been able to surround myself with good people.

And, of course, the quality of the players in the program has had a little bit to do with Bolen's success.

"We've been able to recruit good basketball players," he said. "I think that's due in part because the community supports our team and cares about our team. Also, the media coverage, I just think we get such good media coverage here and I think the players enjoy that."

The Cougars sit atop the NAIA Division I poll with an 18-1 record, the lone loss coming at the hands of Union University (Tenn.).