Houston Cougars men's basketball

History

Early history (1945–56)

Although the University of Houston already had a women's basketball program, the Houston Cougars men's basketball program did not begin until the 1945–46 season. Alden Pasche was the team's first head coach. In their first two seasons, the Cougars won Lone Star Conference regular-season titles and qualified for postseason play in the NAIA Men's Basketball tournaments in 1946 and 1947. The Cougars had an all-time NAIA tournament record of 2–2 in two years.

During Pasche's tenure, the Cougars posted a 135–116 record. Under his leadership in 1950, the Cougars won the Gulf Coast Conference championship. Future College Basketball Hall of Fame coach Guy Lewis played for Pasche, eventually becoming an assistant coach before being handed the job upon Pasche's retirement.

Guy Lewis era (1956–86)

Pasche retired after the 1955–56 season, and Houston assistant Guy Lewis was promoted to the head coaching position. Lewis, a former Cougar player, led Houston to 27 straight winning seasons and 14 seasons with 20 or more wins, including 14 trips to the NCAA tournament. His Houston teams made the Final Four on five occasions (1967, 1968, 1982–84) and twice advanced to the NCAA Championship Game (1983, 1984). Among the outstanding players who Lewis coached are Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Otis Birdsong, Dwight Jones, Dwight Davis, Don Chaney and Louis "Sweet Lou" Dunbar.

Lewis's UH teams twice played key roles in high-profile events that helped to popularize college basketball as a spectator sport. In 1968, his underdog, Elvin Hayes-led Cougars upset the undefeated and top-ranked UCLA Bruins in front of more than 50,000 fans at Houston's Astrodome. The game became known as the “Game of the Century” and marked a watershed in the popularity of college basketball. In the early 1980s, Lewis's Phi Slama Jama teams at UH gained notoriety for their fast-breaking, "above the rim" style of play as well as their overall success. These teams attracted great public interest with their entertaining style of play. At the height of Phi Slama Jama's notoriety, they suffered a dramatic, last-second loss in the 1983 NCAA Final that set a then-ratings record for college basketball broadcasts and became an iconic moment in the history of the sport. Lewis's insistence that these highly successful teams play an acrobatic, up-tempo brand of basketball that emphasized dunking brought this style of play to the fore and helped popularize it amongst younger players.

Houston lost in both NCAA Final games in which Lewis coached, despite his "Phi Slama Jama" teams featuring superstars Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon. In 1983, Houston lost in a dramatic title game to the North Carolina State Wolfpack on a last-second dunk by Lorenzo Charles. The Cougars lost in the 1984 NCAA Final to the Georgetown Hoyas, led by Patrick Ewing. Lewis retired from coaching in 1986 at number 20 in all-time NCAA Division I victories, his 592–279 record giving him a .680 career winning percentage.

As a coach, Lewis was known for championing the once-outlawed dunk, which he characterized as a "high percentage shot", and for clutching a brightly colored red-and-white polka dot towel on the bench during games. Lewis was a major force in the racial integration of college athletics in the South during the 1960s, being one of the first major college coaches in the region to actively recruit African-American athletes. His recruitment of Elvin Hayes and Don Chaney in 1964 ushered in an era of tremendous success in Cougar basketball. The dominant play of Hayes led the Cougars to two Final Fours and sent shock waves through Southern colleges that realized that they would have to begin recruiting black players if they wanted to compete with integrated teams.

Welcome to Conference USA (1996–2004)

After 21 years in the Southwest Conference, the Cougars joined Conference USA in 1996. Under head coach Alvin Brooks, the basketball program had a disappointing initial season in C-USA. The team went 3–11 against C-USA teams in 1996–97. The next season was even more futile. Brooks, who had led the Cougars since 1993, coached the Cougars to a rock bottom conference record of 2–14 in 1997–98. The last, and only other, time the Cougars recorded only two conference victories in a season was in 1950–51; their first season in the Missouri Valley Conference.

One of Houston's biggest sports icons and one of the Cougars best basketball players ever, Clyde Drexler was hired to coach the program that he led as a player to the 1983 NCAA Final as part of Phi Slama Jama. Basketball excitement was back on campus, and fans looked forward to the promising years to come. After just two seasons with minimal success, Drexler resigned as head coach citing his intention to spend more time with his family.

Ray McCallum was hired to do what Clyde Drexler could not—lead the Cougars to a winning season and earn a spot in the NCAA tournament. After losing seasons in each of his first two years, McCallum guided the Cougars to an 18–15 record in 2001–02. That season, the team won two conference tournament games and qualified for the National Invitation Tournament. However, the team regressed in the following season and failed to qualify for even their own C-USA tournament.

Two steps forward, one step back (2004–07)

Tom Penders was named as the head coach of Cougars basketball in 2004. Known as "Turnaround Tom" for his reputation of inheriting sub-par basketball programs and making them better, Penders was hired to rebuild a program that recorded only one winning season in its last eight years. After a surprising debut season in 2004–05 that led to an NIT appearance, the team had high hopes to build on their relative success and make the NCAA tournament in 2006.

The 2005–06 season looked promising at the outset. The Cougars started their first game on a 30–0 scoring run against the Florida Tech Panthers. Less than two weeks later, the Cougars beat the nationally ranked LSU Tigers on the road and the Arizona Wildcats at home. The surprising wins earned the Cougars their first national ranking in several years. The team that seemed destined for an NCAA tournament berth failed to capitalize on their success and national recognition and began to stumble after a loss to South Alabama Jaguars in December. The Cougars won only one conference tournament game and had to settle again for another NIT bid.

Dubbed as "The Show," the 2006–07 Cougars entered the season with cockiness and strong expectations to finally make it into the NCAA tournament. A difficult schedule matched the Cougars with seven different teams that would end up qualifying for either the 2007 NCAA tournament or NIT. Houston lost three times to the Memphis Tigers and once each to Arizona, the Creighton Bluejays, the Kentucky Wildcats, South Alabama, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels, and the VCU Rams. By going 0–9 against these quality teams, the Cougars proved they were not worthy of an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Not surprisingly, two conference tournament wins against lower seeds and an unimpressive 18–15 overall record were not even enough to earn the team an invitation to the NIT.

Team goal: NCAA tournament (2007–10)

In 2007–08 the team introduced a new nickname ("The Show—In 3D") and a slightly new uniform (a changed trim design). The team hoped to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1992. Eight straight home games from November 21 to December 29 helped the Cougars get off to an 11–1 start. However, the team lost most of its critical games at the end of the season, including their last two games (both against the UTEP Miners). Houston received an invitation to the inaugural College Basketball Invitational tournament and defeated the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Valparaiso Crusaders but lost to their conference rival, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, in the semifinal round.

The 2008–09 season began on November 11 with a two-point loss to the Georgia Southern Eagles; this was the first game of the Division I college basketball season and the opening game of the 2K Sports Classic tournament in Durham, North Carolina. A Cougars win would have meant a second round matchup with the Duke Blue Devils. Overall, the Cougars played a balanced home and away regular season schedule. Fifteen games (three in November, three in December, four in January, three in February, and two in March) were played at Hofheinz Pavilion. There were 14 away games (two in November, two in December, five in January, and five in February).

The 2009–10 team finished the regular season 15–15 and 7–9 in C-USA, finishing seventh place in the conference. Following a 93–80 win over East Carolina in the first round of the C–USA Tournament, the Cougars beat Memphis 66–65, ending a string of four tournament titles for the Tigers. In the next game, they defeated Southern Miss 74–66 to advance to the championship game. Finally, the Cougars beat #25 ranked UTEP 81–73 to earn the conference's bid to the NCAA tournament, their first since 1992. In the first round of the NCAA tournament, Houston, seeded 13th, was defeated 89–77 by 4th-seeded Maryland.

Penders announced his resignation as Houston head coach on March 22, 2010.

The school hired James Dickey on March 21, 2010.

Joining the American (2013–23)

Beginning with the 2013–14 season, Houston joined the newly created American Athletic Conference following the Big East realignment.

In March 2014, Dickey stepped down as head coach because of "private family matters". In four seasons with Houston, Dickey amassed a 64–62 record with no NCAA tournament appearances or conference titles.

On April 3, 2014, Houston hired Kelvin Sampson as the new Cougars head coach. Sampson had just become eligible to be a college coach again after receiving a five-year show cause penalty in 2008 for sanctions against him during his time as Indiana head coach. In 2014–15, Sampson's first season, Houston struggled again, finishing with a 13–19 record and 4–14 in the AAC.

The 2015–16 team led a resurgence, finishing 22–10 overall, 12–6 in conference, but lost in the AAC tournament and in the first round of the NIT.

In 2017–18, the Cougars compiled a 27–8 overall record, reaching the finals of the AAC tournament and winning a game in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1984.

In 2018–19, the Cougars' success continued as they set a program record for wins with a 33–4 mark. They were AAC regular-season champions but fell in the finals of the conference tournament. They proceeded to the NCAA tournament, where they reached the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 35 years.

In 2020–21, the Cougars were ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation. After winning the AAC Tournament, the Cougars were awarded a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament. UH defeated Cleveland State, Rutgers, Syracuse and Oregon State to achieve their first Final Four appearance since 1984. They would lose to eventual national champions Baylor in the Final Four.

During the 2021–22 season, the Cougars won the AAC regular season championship with a 15–3 conference record. They then defeated Cincinnati, Tulane and Memphis to win the conference tournament. With the conference championship, an overall record of 29–5 and ranked No. 15 in the nation, Houston received a #5 seed in the NCAA tournament. In the tournament, UH defeated UAB, Illinois and Arizona before losing to Villanova in the Elite Eight.

In 2022–23, the Cougars' last season in the AAC, the team reached the number one ranking in the AP Poll, marking the first time they had held the top spot since 1983.

Big 12

In September 2021, the University of Houston was invited to join the Big 12 Conference, along with Cincinnati, UCF and BYU. The Cougars began Big 12 play in the 2023–24 season. In their first year of play, the Cougars went 32–5 overall, 15–3 in conference play, to claim an outright regular season title.

In 2024–25, the Cougars had one of the greatest seasons in school history: they won the Big 12 conference regular season and tournament titles; were a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament, and advanced to the national championship game in thrilling fashion, surviving close battles with Purdue in the Sweet 16 and a heavily favored Duke in the national semifinal. The Cougars would lose a lead as large as 12 in the title game, narrowly falling to Florida in the final moments.

Conference affiliations

• Lone Star Conference (1945–1949)
• Gulf Coast Conference (1949–1950)
• Missouri Valley Conference (1950–1960)
• Independent (1960–1975)
• Southwest Conference (1975–1996)
• Conference USA (1996–2013)
• American Athletic Conference (2013–2023)
• Big 12 Conference (2023–present)

Top 25 finishes

The Houston Cougars have finished ranked in the AP Poll and/or the Coaches Poll 17 times in the program's history.

Rivalries

Rice is considered to be Houston's main rival, with the Bayou Cup trophy being awarded to the winner of the crosstown rivalry game. More recently, over the years in the AAC, rivalries have developed with Cincinnati and Memphis.

Other rivals include former Southwest Conference foes Baylor, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech.

Rice

Main article: Houston–Rice rivalry#Men's basketball

Houston leads Rice in the series 66–18 through the 2024–25 season.

SMU

Main article: Houston–SMU rivalry#Men's basketball

Houston leads SMU in the series 58–34 through the 2024–25 season.

Head coaches

Note: Through 2024–25 season.

Postseason play

NCAA Division I tournament results

The Cougars have appeared in 26 NCAA tournaments. Their combined record is 45–31. They have made seven appearances in the Final Four of the tournament, which is the most of any team who has not won a national championship.

The NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 1978 edition.

NIT results

The Cougars have appeared in 11 National Invitation Tournaments (NIT). Their combined record is 5–11.

CBI results

The Cougars have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) three times. Their combined record is 3–3.

NAIA tournament results

The Cougars have appeared in the NAIA tournament twice. Their combined record is 2–2.

Houston Cougars in the NBA draft

Houston has had 49 players selected in the NBA draft.

Individual awards

National Coach of the Year award winners

Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year

• Guy Lewis – 1968 & 1983
• Kelvin Sampson – 2024

Ben Jobe Award

• Kelvin Sampson – 2022

Henry Iba Award

• Guy Lewis – 1968
• Kelvin Sampson – 2024

NABC Coach of the Year

• Guy Lewis – 1968
• Kelvin Sampson – 2024

The Sporting News Men's College Basketball Coach of the Year Award

• Guy Lewis – 1968
• Kelvin Sampson – 2025

UPI College Basketball Coach of the Year

• Guy Lewis – 1968

National Player of the Year award winners

Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year

• Elvin Hayes – 1968

Basketball Times Player of the Year

• Akeem Olajuwon – 1984

Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year

• Akeem Olajuwon – 1983

Jerry West Award

• Marcus Sasser – 2023

Lefty Driesell Award

• Joseph Tugler – 2025

NABC Defensive Player of the Year

• Jamal Shead – 2024

Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award

• Jamal Shead – 2024

NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player

• Akeem Olajuwon – 1983

Sporting News Men's College Basketball Player of the Year

• Elvin Hayes – 1968

UPI College Basketball Player of the Year

• Elvin Hayes – 1968

All-Americans

Houston players have been named to an All-American team 13 times.

Key

Note: Honorable Mention selections are not included.

Conference Player of the Year

The following Houston players have been named Conference Player of the Year while at UH.

† co-Player of the Year

Conference Coach of the Year

The following Houston coaches have been named Conference Coach of the Year while at UH.

Individual honors

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees

The following Houston players and coaches have been enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Retired numbers

Main article: List of NCAA men's basketball retired numbers

The Cougars have retired the numbers of seven men's basketball players:

References

References

1. (1985-05-10). "First UH basketball Coach Pasche dead". Houston Chronicle.
2. (November 26, 2015). "Legendary UH basketball coach Guy V. Lewis dies".
3. (May 26, 2016). "Guy V. Lewis remembered as pioneer, innovator, visionary".
4. (March 31, 2016). "March Madness: How 1968's Game of the Century forever shaped basketball history".
5. (March 29, 2020). "AP Was There: NC State stuns Houston 54–52 for '83 title".
6. (April 30, 2020). "'Phi Slama Jama' Invented the Art of Dunking".
7. (November 26, 2015). "Guy V. Lewis was much more than just a basketball coach".
8. (December 19, 2019). "Duarte: Guy V. Lewis' Hall of Fame induction tops all UH sports moments in 2010s".
9. (November 28, 2015). "Guy V. Lewis II, Hall of Fame college basketball coach, dies at 93". [[The Washington Post]].
10. (June 24, 1993). "Racism charged in pay to new Houston coach".
11. (March 1, 1998). "Houston Fires Coach Brooks".
12. (March 18, 2020). "This date in UH history: Clyde Drexler returns as coach".
13. (March 30, 2000). "Drexler Quits As Houston Coach".
14. (April 20, 2000). "Ball State's McCallum hired as basketball coach at University of Houston".
15. (March 10, 2002). "Cougars Play At Vanderbilt In Opening Round Of The 2002 NIT".
16. (March 23, 2004). "UH hands reins to Penders With audio, poll".
17. (December 3, 2005). "Men's Basketball Game Notes at Houston, 12/3/2005".
18. (March 26, 2008). "UH NOTEBOOK: Penders enthusiastic about format of CBI".
19. (November 10, 2008). "Houston Postgame Notes vs. Georgia Southern (Nov. 10, 2008)".
20. (November 10, 2008). "Reloaded Cougars ready for basketball season".
21. "COUGARS MAKE IT TO THE "BIG DANCE"".
22. (March 20, 2010). "Men's Basketball Fights Hard But Falls To Maryland 89–77 at NCAA tournament".
23. "Coach Tom Penders Steps Down at Houston - ABC News".
24. (31 March 2010). "Ex-Tech coach James Dickey wins race for UH job".
25. (24 March 2014). "Cougars' Dickey resigns; Sampson in line?".
26. (2 April 2014). "UH reaches five-year deal with Kelvin Sampson".
27. (April 2, 2021). "Houston Meets #3 Baylor in NCAA Final Four".
28. (April 3, 2021). "Final Four: No. 1 Baylor catches fire to rout No. 2 Houston, reach men's national championship".
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