June 4, 2009

Tom Weber
www.SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Saluki men's basketball coach Chris Lowery announced Thursday that Marcus Belcher has joined the program as an assistant coach, replacing Rodney Watson, who was named head coach at Southern Indiana on May 22.

Belcher is a familiar face to Saluki fans. He was the starting point guard on the 2002 Sweet 16 team that beat Texas Tech and Georgia in the NCAA Tournament and led the squad with 118 assists. He scored 350 points in 66 games in two seasons at SIU.

"He is a family member, and one of the guys who helped build our program," Lowery said. "He's a proven recruiter, and as a former point guard, he understands the nuances of the game."

Belcher began his coaching career in 2004 as an assistant to Marty Simmons at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. The Cougars made NCAA Tournament appearances in both 2005 and 2006. Belcher moved up to the Division I level as an assistant coach at Eastern Illinois in 2007, before re-joining Simmons at the University of Evansville a year ago.

SIU's program now has four former players on its six-man coaching staff. Belcher joins Lowery (1990-94), Brad Korn (1994-04) and Tony Young (2002-07) as former Salukis turned coaches at Southern.

"Obviously, the loss of Coach Watson will be felt throughout our program," Lowery said. "But with Marcus, we're replacing him with another guy who bleeds maroon."

Belcher graduated from Southern Illinois with a degree in marketing, and received his master's degree in sport management from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in 2006.