Editor’s note: Mark Buffalo, Grand Prairie Herald Sports Editor, is the author of this report.

The Hazen Hornets have a new boys basketball coach, and he’s a proven winner.

Chris Houser, who coached the England Lions to the 2019 Class 2A state title, was hired to replace Sam Sturdivant, who left after one year to coach middle school at Conway.

Houser has coached at several different schools, including Stuttgart, was teaching at England last year and wanted to get back into coaching.

“I’m excited to be back in it,” Houser said.

After the 2019 state-title season, Houser went to Stuttgart as the assistant girls coach for five years. I liked it there. There were a lot of good people at Stuttgart. I was happy there. My son Caden was still going to school at England the whole time. I was driving back and forth. I wanted to be back at England for his senior year. I felt like I had missed out on a lot through the years, not being in the same school with him.

“I wanted to be back for his senior year. I know they have a lot going on. I wanted to help coach him a little bit before he graduated. So I just volunteered last year with the boys at England. I taught social studies. I didn’t do any coaching this year.”

Caden Houser just finished his freshman year at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.

“I was glad to have the opportunity to go to Hazen,” Chris Houser said. “I’m blessed and thankful for that opportunity to get back into coaching. I’m looking forward to it.”

Houser originally interviewed for an elementary social studies position at Hazen and was gong to be the assistant basketball coach. Sturdivant then took the job at Conway, and Houser was promoted to head coach.

Houser started practicing with his new team last week.

A year ago, the Hornets won eight games after going winless during the 2024-25 season.

“I know they had a good season last year, especially in junior high,” Houser said. “There’s some good talent and potential there. Everybody I’ve talked to that the group that is going into the ninth and 10th grades had some real potential to do pretty good. This week, I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen so far, especially from those younger ones. I had only one senior there this week and one junior. The rest have been freshmen and sophomores. I’ll probably end up moving a couple of the freshmen up to play senior high.

“I hope to develop a winning culture and get that mindset. They haven’t been successful for so long, then just try to turn that around. They get so accustomed to not being successful, it’s hard to change that.”

Houser said he’s up for the challenge.

“I’m trying to focus on teaching them the little things it takes to be successful,” he said. “You don’t have to have talent to do the little things it takes to win like blocking out and hustling back on defense. Little things like that make a big difference in winning, especially close ball games.

“I’m just trying to teach them stuff like that.”