Coach Guy Lewis’ squad will play an unbelievable schedule. They want a top ten ranking at some point this year and especially want a top four seed.  They open with games against national powers LSU and Kansas (or maybe Georgetown) where the Cougars front line would be tested against the great front lines of these Universities.  Things do not get any easier as nationally ranked teams Arkansas, DePaul, Louisville, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State and Virginia got scheduled by the administration.  The SWC will be a little different as the schools from Texas do not get the recognition in basketball as other bigger conferences. The Cougars have to play a tough schedule to stay in the polls.  The only other team that is on the national radar are the Longhorns from Texas. They had nowhere near the out of conference schedule as the Cougars. But the Cougs still got to win those games or at least most of them to prove they do belong with the UCLA’s and Kentucky’s of the world.    

The Cougars are blessed to have the best one of best front lines in the country.  Senior Elvin Hayes is the unquestioned main man in Houston but has a great duo next him in center Hakeem Olajowon and High flying Clyde Drexler.  Both of these Sophomores compliment the graceful Hayes perfectly.  Hayes is a true low post monster. He has a patented turn around that is unstoppable.  He works the boards like a hockey player. He is as smart as he is athletic and his desire to succeed is obvious every time he takes the curt.  Hayes is a big game player as he showed in the Big Dance last year.  He was the unanimous selection as SWC player of the year and an All-American.  The Big E is the best power forward in the country and he will sure make some team a great addition as a pro.  He has singlehandedly put the Houston program on the map and the door is open with all of the great recruits Lewis has been able to bring in.  Let’s hope the rest of the cast can keep the momentum going and the Cougars can get over the proverbial hump and win the big one. 

Olojowon is an athletic seven footer who can run the floor or post up.  He has great footwork as he once was a soccer prodigy.  He is strong and physical but agile as well.  He teams with Hayes to make the key impenetrable..  Both are great shot blockers and superb rebounders.  The key was theirs and realistically their was not a better combo in the country including Alcindor and Walton though some may disagree.  The Dream as he has been dubbed started the year slow as more of a support player for Hayes but soon was establishing himself as one of the best big men in the country.  Nobody has his athleticism and playing with Hayes every day he is developing a low post game that someday may match the Big E’s.  He certainly has developed a great turn around.  Sometimes the two big men battle for who will get to post up as both are on the box guys but Hakeem has learned to take his game out a little further.  He is not the true high post guy like Walton but he does have some range to his post-up game.  He is also the best shot blocker in the Southwest (The Cougars were second in the country in blocked shots) and is an asset in the fast break attack that the student body has dubbed Phi Slamma Jamma.  He can jam with the best of them and may be the best trailer in the world.  He certainly has become a force in Houston, may not quite be Hayes yet, but his potential is out of this world and as he showed in the stretch run he is one heck of a competitor.  . 

Drexler was the perfect compliment to the two big men.  A flyer who loves to run, he can go crazy.  Drexler is one of the best finishers in the country.  He loves to run the floor (The Glide put the Phi in the Slamma Jamma) and has a nice mid- range game.  He can guard quick guys and does not have to worry about the middle with his two partners around.  If Drexler were on a lesser team he would probably average.20 a game.  He is that good but on the Cougars he is one of the best complimentary players in the country. He can rebound and defend but his best attribute might have been his passing ability.  With the Cougars having some problems at the point guard spot Drexler stepped up and became a part time point forward and averaged 4 assists a game almost leading the team.  He is probably the best all-around athlete in the SWC and when he finishes a slam off the break it will bring the house down whether he is at home or on the road.  He is that popular.  And good.  

Speaking of compliments, Junior Otis Birdsong may have been as important to the team’s success as anyone.  A great shooter who can flat kill you from the perimeter, Birdsong kept other team’s honest with his jump shot.  The three pointer is just in his range and he has no fear of shooting.  He is one of the best ten pure shooters in the country and combined with his teammates to give the Cougars as much offense as they needed whenever they needed it.  Birdsong can also pass and defend though he is best as an assassin from the depths.  He finished second behind Hayes in scoring and his ability to open things up for the big guys was huge.  He may not be the Dream or the Glide on the break but he knows how to finish though he definitely gave more alley oops than he got. Now he just needs a nickname to keep up with his brethren.  

The fifth starter for most of the year was Senior Don Chaney. Chaney came into Houston with Hayes as the first two black players in Cougar History.  He is a no nonsense defensive guy who full understands how to play this game.  He is not a great offensive player but obviously the Cougars did not need much more offense.  They needed a player just like Chaney with his court smarts and hard nosed demeanor who is a leader in every sense of the word.  Chaney took a secondary role and even started coming off the bench as a designated defender against the other team’s best back court player and the Cougars played a bunch of them.   AskRod Strickland from DePaul or even Pistol Pete how good Chaney is defensively?  He is a great competitor who does give an inch and will fight you every step of the way.  He completes one of the best fivesomes of any team in the country.  But if you notice there is one position missing.  That missing position (some say the most important position in basketball) is the Achilles heel for the Cougars.  What is the Elephant in the room in Cougarland? 

Now for the weakness for the Cougars!  Point guard!  Yeah, the Cougars had some point guards and a few were even gifted but overall with all of the mixing and matching and missing of games the position was nowhere as consistent as the other four.  Still, there was some talent and the Cougars would not have went as far as they did if these guys would not have produced.  The most gifted of the bunch was Sophomore Rob Williams.  Williams is a great offensive player who can really light it up.  He loves to run and gun and set the tone for Phi Slamma Jamma.  He is a gifted passer and even a better shooter but he gave up some scoring for the benefit of the team.  Williams was very solid on the court.  That was not the problem.  The problem was keeping him on the court.  Williams missed far too many games and because of his inconsistency he gave up some playing time.  He barely averaged 20 minutes a game in 25 games and when he was gone the Cougars were not the same.  He also had some motivation problems and got in trouble with following rules.  But he was there when the Cougars needed him most and was a huge part of the post season run.  If he stays committed, he could be an all- time great. Lewis tried many different options trying to find some consistency especially when Williams missed 5 early games.  Senior Gene Phillips had lost his starting two guard spot to Birdsong and tried the point but was not meant for the point though he had a solid career for the Cougs.   Lewis was so desperate that he tried six foot ten Lou Dunbar at the point due to his ballhandling skills.  Sweet Lou is a natural showman and would do whatever it takes to get on the court as he is stuck behind Hayes and Drexler at forward.  Believe it or not it worked.  Sort of. Sweet Lou did a great job of handling the point for the Cougs.  He filled in admirably for Williams and showed his great passing skills as well as being a matchup nightmare for other teams.  He may not be the quickest point guard but he got the job done and when he was leading the break for Phi Slamma Jamma the fans knew they were in for a show. 

The bench for the Cougars is solid and filled a variety of roles.  Chaney became the leader of this bunch but Michael Young was the offensive spark.  Young is a gifted wing who can run and finish with anyone.  He is the Slamma in the fraternity and may have been the most popular of all the Cougs with his tomahawk jams.  He also is a good shooter from 18 and in and can really get to the hoop.  He is no Drexler at the three but he is pretty dang good.  Most teams do not have this kind of talent coming off the bench on the wings. The Cougs had the same luxury up front with the Dwights and the Cadillac.  The two Dwights are Juniors Jones and Davis and the Cadillac (another great nickname) is Sophomore Greg Anderson.  The Dwights are hard-nosed paint players who get the job done when called upon.  Both can score and board and are tough defensively.  They have to be after guarding Hayes and Olojowon every day in practice.  Anderson is a little more finesse but not much and is also a space eater and shot blocker.  One of these will have the task of trying to replace the Big E next to Olojawon next season.  All three of them could not replace the incredible Mr. Hayes but they will for sure get an E for effort when the time comes.  Seniors Phillips leads a group of carryover veterans fighting for leftover minutes.  Ken Spain is a six nine presence who works Hayes hard in practice and can play a little.  Ollie Taylor, Ted Luckinbill and the corn fed one are still around as well.  Big Don Boldebuck from Lincoln is a seven footer who started here before the Dream got to town and like Spain works the Nigerian hard.  This front line is not just talented but deep as many of these guys not getting many minutes could start for half of the team’s in SWC. A whole crew of JV kids are hoping to move up foremost of these are guards Reid Gettys and Alvin Franklin.  Gettys is the 6’7 point guard who does not score and Franklin the shifty 6’2 combo guard who loves getting to the hoop.  Rickie Winslow (best name ever), Benny Anders and Larry ‘Mr. Mean’ Micheaux rounded out an impressive starting five who made the Final Four of the national  JV tournament.  The guards have a better chance then the big men but Winslow and Anders can jump to the moon and back and don’t need a rocket to do it. 

The Houston Cougars made the fans of their school and their city and yes even the Southwest Conference proud this year.  Led by an incredible front line that is the best in the business and a shooting guard who loves to shoot from anywhere the Cougs had as much talent as anyone at four positions.  If they would have a little more consistency at the point who knows how far they could have gone?  Coach Guy Lewis has a team ready to break in with the elite programs in college basketball but playing in the Southwest Conference does not help get recognition.  This team will play anyone anywhere and want as much exposure as they can get to show how good this program is. The Cougars will make the Big Dance again but the question is how far can they go.  The sky is the limit in Houston and we are not just talking about those crazy Astronauts.