by Kohl Jackson
As the men’s basketball regular season nears its end, head coach Jason Eaker agreed to take time sharing his background with the university as well as his thoughts on the team’s remaining games.
Coach Eaker began his interview reminiscing the past of Bison basketball and the athletic success Oklahoma Baptist University takes pride in before tying it back to the current season.
The men now playing for the 2025 basketball team follow in the footsteps of legends such as Irvin Kiffin, R.B. Lynam and star player Al Tucker, credited by some as the first to perform the alley-oop with his brother.
Eaker shared that a part of the great Bison basketball story includes his father’s 1966 national championship team coached by Bob Bass.
His father’s success inspired him to become involved in basketball, eventually landing Eaker a coaching job at Texas Pan-American.
In 2018, his career would culminate in the opportunity to be the head coach at Oklahoma Baptist University, a school he had many ties to.
Fast-forward to the present day and he is now leading his team to the top end of the Great American Conference with just four games left before postseason play.
When asked about the secret to his team’s success Eaker responded, “The strength of our team is the team. We have a very committed group.”
Comparing the team to previous seasons he stated, “This is one of the best groups in terms of they like each other,” Eaker said. “They support one another, they bounce back from adversity very well. They handle success with grace. They are quick to recognize when they are making mistakes and want to correct it.”
Coach Eaker was vocal about the success of the current team but also acknowledged the upcoming schedule and recognized that the job isn’t finished.
“The guys are having a good season, but it’s tough,” Eaker said. “College basketball is tough. College sports in general are tough. It’s real competitive.”
The Great American Conference championship tournament begins on March 6 and is set to be played in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
The Green and Gold are expected to be represented at the tournament with a few games left to be played throughout the conference.
The Bison are yet to win the GAC tournament, making it a top goal for Coach Eaker and the team.
As for other goals Eaker responded, “the prayer and the goal we have for our team is that we would stay emotionally, mentally together and all in.”
He followed this idea with the lack of unity among many teams throughout the country and common practice of quick transferring.
Eaker echoed the concern of many sports enthusiasts that modern players are less concerned with their teammates and more interested in individual success.
However, Eaker believes in the chemistry of his men and the group mentality they have shared throughout the season.
“The point is for us to finish what we’ve started and finish it in a way that not only honors each other and our commitment but honors ourselves and ultimately honors the Lord,” Eaker said.
Eaker explained that part of the recruiting search involves finding future players that support this concept.
“We look for guys that are able to deal with it not being all about them,” Eaker said. “We look for toughness, we certainly look for character, we certainly look for clues in their past. Have they won? Have they faced challenges and overcame them?”
In the immediate future Eaker intends to bring his team deep into the postseason to display these core values which he has described and show the rest of the conference why OBU is a special university.
