03-05-2005, 12:51 PM
Quote:
UH looks to help Tournament hopes on Senior Day
By MICHAEL MURPHY
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
For the past few years, the final home game of the regular season for the Houston Cougars meant just one thing — Senior Day. For this year's team, today's regular-season finale against UAB has a bit more meaning.
Today's game could mean the difference between making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1992 or landing a berth in the NIT.
So today's game effectively becomes an NCAA playoff game. Win and you're in the mix. Lose and you have to run the table in the Conference USA tournament to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
"This is a meaningful game," said UH coach Tom Penders. "There's nothing worse than having Senior Day and nobody cares. There's nothing worse than that, having the last game of a long, losing career and nobody really wants to honor you. They just want to show you the door.
"These guys will never forget the game (today), so we want it to be special."
A win over the Blazers would give the Cougars (18-11, 9-6) a much-coveted 10th conference victory, which they think is necessary to get the attention of the NCAA selection committee. A loss most likely would send the Cougars to the NIT.
It's like choosing between Broadway and community theater. It's all acting, but the size of the audience is different.
No consolation
And after years of struggling to recapture their proud past, the Cougars desperately want to be on the main stage.
"If we want to keep our dream alive of making the NCAA Tournament, we have to win (today)," said sophomore point guard Lanny Smith. "Having 10 wins in this conference is going to look pretty good for us. That would give us the fifth seed in the (C-USA) tournament, so this game is very important."
But UAB (19-9, 9-6) has the same goal.
"I feel like this is very important — if you have 10 wins in conference and you have 19 or 20 (overall) wins, then you deserve a shot at the (NCAA) Tournament," said senior guard Andre Owens. "We have to come in here (today) being focused, knowing what we have to do and hoping for good fan support. If we do all that, then we should come out with a victory.
"I feel like everybody has their confidence up right now, and we can get it done. I think just feeding off the vibes of me, Lanny and Ramon (Dyer), people are picking up their games. We can get this done."
Drastic improvement
UH has won more games this season than the last two combined (nine last season and eight in 2002-03) and have matched their combined number of conference wins in the last two seasons (three last year and six in 2002-03).
The Cougars have accomplished all this even though they basically started from scratch this season after Ray McCallum was fired and Penders brought in. Penders immediately restocked the roster with junior college players such as Brian Latham, Sergio de Randamie, Englebert Cherrington and Chris Lawson, all of whom have played major roles.
"I was a new coach with new players," Penders said. "For the guys who were left behind, this (the Cougars' style of play) was like Greek to them from what they had. The emphasis on pressure defense and just my way of doing things was different for guys like Dyer and Owens.
"And then we had juco guys, and jucos are not known for playing defense. It's taken some of them a little longer, but they've all helped us."
Bumps in the road
There are times the Cougars seem to be in a period of adjustment, which was clearly evident in Wednesday's 76-55 loss at Marquette.
"It was going to take a while to get it together because we didn't know each other," said Lawson, the Cougars' sixth man. "It took us some time to jell, but things have been going well, everybody's having fun and we're winning games. A lot of people doubted us, that we wouldn't even have a shot and wouldn't even come close (to the NCAA Tournament), but we've shocked a lot of people."
And the Cougars want to continue shocking people, beginning tonight against UAB.
"Our goal has been the NCAA Tournament," Smith said. "It hasn't been the NIT or just having a .500 season or a winning record. Our goal from day one has been the NCAA Tournament."
By MICHAEL MURPHY
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
For the past few years, the final home game of the regular season for the Houston Cougars meant just one thing — Senior Day. For this year's team, today's regular-season finale against UAB has a bit more meaning.
Today's game could mean the difference between making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1992 or landing a berth in the NIT.
So today's game effectively becomes an NCAA playoff game. Win and you're in the mix. Lose and you have to run the table in the Conference USA tournament to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
"This is a meaningful game," said UH coach Tom Penders. "There's nothing worse than having Senior Day and nobody cares. There's nothing worse than that, having the last game of a long, losing career and nobody really wants to honor you. They just want to show you the door.
"These guys will never forget the game (today), so we want it to be special."
A win over the Blazers would give the Cougars (18-11, 9-6) a much-coveted 10th conference victory, which they think is necessary to get the attention of the NCAA selection committee. A loss most likely would send the Cougars to the NIT.
It's like choosing between Broadway and community theater. It's all acting, but the size of the audience is different.
No consolation
And after years of struggling to recapture their proud past, the Cougars desperately want to be on the main stage.
"If we want to keep our dream alive of making the NCAA Tournament, we have to win (today)," said sophomore point guard Lanny Smith. "Having 10 wins in this conference is going to look pretty good for us. That would give us the fifth seed in the (C-USA) tournament, so this game is very important."
But UAB (19-9, 9-6) has the same goal.
"I feel like this is very important — if you have 10 wins in conference and you have 19 or 20 (overall) wins, then you deserve a shot at the (NCAA) Tournament," said senior guard Andre Owens. "We have to come in here (today) being focused, knowing what we have to do and hoping for good fan support. If we do all that, then we should come out with a victory.
"I feel like everybody has their confidence up right now, and we can get it done. I think just feeding off the vibes of me, Lanny and Ramon (Dyer), people are picking up their games. We can get this done."
Drastic improvement
UH has won more games this season than the last two combined (nine last season and eight in 2002-03) and have matched their combined number of conference wins in the last two seasons (three last year and six in 2002-03).
The Cougars have accomplished all this even though they basically started from scratch this season after Ray McCallum was fired and Penders brought in. Penders immediately restocked the roster with junior college players such as Brian Latham, Sergio de Randamie, Englebert Cherrington and Chris Lawson, all of whom have played major roles.
"I was a new coach with new players," Penders said. "For the guys who were left behind, this (the Cougars' style of play) was like Greek to them from what they had. The emphasis on pressure defense and just my way of doing things was different for guys like Dyer and Owens.
"And then we had juco guys, and jucos are not known for playing defense. It's taken some of them a little longer, but they've all helped us."
Bumps in the road
There are times the Cougars seem to be in a period of adjustment, which was clearly evident in Wednesday's 76-55 loss at Marquette.
"It was going to take a while to get it together because we didn't know each other," said Lawson, the Cougars' sixth man. "It took us some time to jell, but things have been going well, everybody's having fun and we're winning games. A lot of people doubted us, that we wouldn't even have a shot and wouldn't even come close (to the NCAA Tournament), but we've shocked a lot of people."
And the Cougars want to continue shocking people, beginning tonight against UAB.
"Our goal has been the NCAA Tournament," Smith said. "It hasn't been the NIT or just having a .500 season or a winning record. Our goal from day one has been the NCAA Tournament."
An excelllant article from Michael Murphy. I really like that we have hi as our writer. he has been tough but fair with the Cougar faithful, and I hope he covers us for a long time.
This article is so good that I have to frop some cougar High-Ku
Beat down UAB!!!
NCAA Tourney near!!!
The FUTURE is now!!!