Here's to the Cougars
Joel Blank: A tournament to remember, and another play to forget for UH
Mar 19, 2018, 5:28 am
Kelvin Sampson did what he said he would do when he took the UH job. UHCougars.com
If you are University of Houston basketball fan you know that your memories are filled with more heartbreak than they are celebration. Of course there was the Lorenzo Charles put back that prevented the legendary Phi Slama Jama team from winning the national championship, and in the process vaulted Jim Valvano and his NC State Wolfpack to one of the most memorable championship game finishes in NCAA tournament history. There was the loss to Georgetown in the title game in 1984 and the Final Four loss to Michael Jordan and the North Carolina Tar Heels in 1982. So Saturday night's loss to the University of Michigan at the buzzer can now officially be added the legacy of heartbreaking defeats for the Coogs in the NCAA tournament. But with that said, it should not be lost on fans of the program that Coach Kelvin Sampson and his staff did what they said they were going to do when they came to the university, and put Cougar basketball back on the map.
When Sampson left his job as an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets to take over the University of Houston basketball program, he said his goal was to return the team to prominence. He knew the history of the program, from Elvin Hayes to Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler; legends that made their mark while bringing the program and university media attention and publicity. Sampson knew that was then and this was now and now was pretty much night and day different from the successes of the past. He also knew it had been quite some time since the Cougars had won an NCAA tournament game, let alone made a tournament appearance. That's what makes this season so special. The Cougars did what Sampson promised to do and they did so with class and an exciting brand of basketball that energized not only the campus but the entire city of Houston. (At least in the postseason).
Sampson took a team that was predicted to finish in the middle of the pack in the American Athletic Conference and guided them to a third-place finish in the regular season standings and a runner up finish in the Conference tournament. Along the way the team posted several upsets of top 25 teams and impressed critics and experts across the nation. His senior-laden roster was led by the scoring of Rob Gray and the inside presence of Devin Davis. Gray scored 39 against San Diego State, en route to giving the university its first tournament win since 1984. He also scored 62 points in his first two NCAA tournament games, the most since Steph Curry tallied 70 for Davidson. Without Gray's ability to score against Michigan Saturday night, the Cougars wouldn't have been in the game, let alone have a chance to win it. Saturday night the Coogs also would not have been in the game without Davis, who finished with 17 points and seven rebounds and made eight straight free throws down the stretch to keep Houston in the lead. Unfortunately he missed three of his final four from the charity stripe in the final minute of the game and that gave Michigan the glimmer of hope they needed to be able to win it at the buzzer.
In the end, you can scrutinize and criticize just like all of the Sunday morning point guards did in looking back at the way the Cougars lost the game. Sure you can point to missed free throws as well as lapses in the defense in the final seconds of the heartbreaking loss. The Cougars almost got burned by a last-second shot against San Diego State because they allowed a three-quarter court pass to connect and give the Aztecs a clean look at a game winning 3-pointer that luckily bounced off the rim to the left. Saturday night similar defense and a lack of pressure on the in-bounds pass allowed a half-court heave to be completed, as well as the outlet pass that led to the buzzer-beating game-winner from Michigan freshman Jordan Poole. Mistakes that they will surely see on film and wish they had to do over again. But what's done is done. The more important thing is to forget focusing on negatives and concentrate on the fact that this team wasn't given a chance against Michigan and would be headed to the Sweet 16 if not for a miracle finish. U of H came in as underdogs to one of the hottest teams in the bracket, a team that most predicted would be a lock for the sweet 16. The Cougars not only gave them a game and covered the spread, they made a statement that this team and this coach were not only worthy of advancing in the tourney, they were damn good, period..
The fact is, this team was an underdog the entire season and they weren't expected to finish in the top three of the conference let alone qualify for the NCAA tournament. When you factor in that the university hadn't won a game in the tournament since Drexler and Olajuwon led the famous Phi Slama Jama appearances of the early 80s, fans of the Cougars need to tip their cap and be appreciative of this team and this coach and this effort that put the program back on the map. Here's to you coach Sampson and to all of this season's team that contributed to a resurgence in Houston Cougars basketball. With a new arena on the horizon, the new basketball practice facility and a new class of recruits coming in, let's hope the future is bright and the best is yet to come.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.