From the former office of a man who coached him to a Sweet 16 appearance more than seven years ago, Marcus Belcher said he wants to give back to a program that has given so much to him.

Belcher, the starting point guard of SIU men’s basketball’s 2002 NCAA Tournament team, was still getting acquainted Tuesday with the office of the man who led him and dozens of other athletes to success in 21 seasons – former associate head coach Rodney Watson.

Belcher, 29, was tabbed to take over for Watson after the longtime assistant took the head coaching job at Southern Indiana last month.

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Belcher said Watson was always a passionate motivator for him as a player and he hopes to bring some of the same to a young SIU team.

‘Nobody cares more about this program than I do,’ he said. ‘This program has done as much for me as anybody in the country. Just hit the ground running, never look back and hopefully we’ll get this thing back to its championship ways.’

After coaching gigs at SIU-Edwardsville, Eastern Illinois and the past two seasons at conference rival Evansville, Belcher said he brings a different perspective to add to the history of a program he knows well.

He is the fourth member of the coaching staff to return to their alma mater, joining head coach Chris Lowery, assistant Brad Korn and graduate assistant Tony Young.

Belcher said he fondly remembers his two-year playing career at SIU, with a special spot reserved for the 28-8, Sweet 16 season.

Coming off a season in which the team was 16-14, the Salukis found new life and carried a chip on its shoulder all the way to the NCAA Tournament. Belcher said next season’s team would likely have similar things to prove coming off a disappointing 13-18 finish.

‘It seems like they’re really hungry to get out there and keep competing and get this thing back to where we’ve been for so long,’ he said.

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Watson, who said Belcher’s leadership was crucial to the team’s 2002 success, said he is excited to see what his former player brings to the program.

When Watson and former SIU head coach Bruce Weber recruited Belcher, he was set to be a backup point guard, Watson said. Instead, he took the team at the helm to lead it to the Sweet 16.

What worked for Belcher was a steady approach that never allowed him to get too high or too low, Watson said.

‘He’s exactly the same as a coach as he was on the floor because, frankly, he was a coach on the floor,’ Watson said. ‘He wasn’t a very loud, boisterous guy. He was just a guy they could count on.’