E. King, T. Thomas, Helicopter Dad's

Cougar Football
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When I first heard of King’s father stating he would finish his career somewhere else, I thought about TaShawn Thomas.

Thomas had a very good UH BB career. He was only the seventh player in school history to have 1300+ points and 800+ rebounds and he left after his junior season to OU where he was BIG12 newcomer of the year.

Thomas also had what many UH BB fans would argue, awful coaching, and would have a new BB coach and system in his senior year.

But what I will remember most of all about Thomas was his father coming onto the UH fansite and telling UH fans why his son left for OU and how awful UH BB was. Hey he wanted the best for his son and that all important BB pro career. That I understood.

But going on a fan site of the school that had just paid for three year of tuition, room and board, etc. As if Coogfans had anything to do with UH Athletics and who is the coach.

So, Thomas went to OU, finished 3rd Team All Big 12 and took his outstanding talent and is still playing in the NBA. No, he is playing with the Hapoel Jerusalem pro team in Israel.

His NBA career never happened, went undrafted in 2015.
Why was he undrafted? He was a 6’8 C/PF who had no 3 point shot.
He was just too short and had he been 6-10 he would be in the NBA.

So, daddy encouraged his son to leave UH for OU and now his son lives in Israel.

King’s dad must know his son is going against the odds in dreaming OU or LSU, Arkansas, etc. can get him into the NFL. Thomas had the stats, played at the top level of the BIG12, but came up short when the NBA draft came around.

Hey, does anyone else know of a solid to very good UH player who had a very public helicopter dad?

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The question is, where would he have had a better shot to enter the NBA? Obviously transferring didnt get him in. But would he have been any better at UH?

Sampson was about to start coaching and many people were skeptical about Sampson’s abilities. Even now it looks like we are on an erratic trajectory.

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Hahahahah. Absolutely NO ONE has any doubt on Sampson’s coaching ability and seeing how he had done on OU, I doubt anyone had doubt in him then either. He’s by far the best coach in the league. The only other great coach is Marshall. I really feel you are come here to troll and claim victim when people don’t buy

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You talk as if TaShawn playing professional basketball overseas and making good money in one of the most culturally rich places in the world is cosmic justice for leaving UH. Oh, how unfortunate for him.

And how dare TaShawn leave (at the time) a dumpster fire of a basketball program? How dare his father look after his son’s future?

I hear people gripe of about how uninvolved fathers these days are in their children’s lives. We have all sorts of opinions about that, but then when we see the opposite, in this case, a father guiding his son’s career as best he can, we criticize them because we have jilted-lover’s syndrome.

And also, how many years has it been? Good grief.

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Thomas had no shot to enter the NBA. He was to short to play C/PF and had no above average outside game.

Greg Ward scored a TD in the NFL this past season. Not by throwing a pass but catching one.

For the 2 or 3 NFL QB’s that were under 6’ in height that started for NFL teams, all others are over 6’ because finding passing lanes is a rare talent for a 5’10 QB that has a wall of 6’4 to 6,8’ OL and DL in front of him.

King has the skill set like Ward, but will his father support him in becoming a WR when dad has his heart set on QB?

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I didn’t see the post that way. I saw it as it didn’t improve his draft stock or ability to play in the NBA at all.

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I didn’t think his post was bad or unfounded.

I actually agreed with a lot of it.

I just think in light of King’s transfer, we aren’t looking at it in full context. For TaShawn, he left a bad UH basketball program.

And if TaShawn’s goal was to play professional basketball, then isn’t this all moot?

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I had no problem with Thomas’s father being involved and supporting his son’s BB career.

It was his coming onto the UH fan site that was over the top. UH fans are just that, fans. They have zero authority over UH Athletics in regards to coaches.

Each year players transfer, now with the portal, players leave one P5 program and win the Heisman at another.

But I do not read about their father’s going public. They might be very involved in decision making but they are doing so in private.

I commend King’s father for supporting his son but he exposed himself to scrutiny when he went public. Especially when the son stays and receives financial and other benefits, then does what dad had already stated, leaves.

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Thomas’s dad seemed like a good dude and I always found him informative when he came on the board from the times I saw him post.

As I remember, when he came and posted a little after Tashawn left he didn’t come to bash UH and I think specifically said his family would always be Coog fans, or maybe it was something like they’d keep pulling for all the guys on the team. When he predictably got attacked I think he (accurately) noted some of our serious issues at the time like facilities and attendance and that those would need to improve.

I very specifically remember him saying Tashawn’s leaving had nothing to do with trying to make it to the NBA when posters maturely said he was flushing an NBA career down the toilet by not playing for Sampson. This is me adding based on my perception but I think after three years of carrying a bad team that definitely wasn’t going to make the tourney the next season he wanted to play in a big time atmosphere and play in the NCAA tourney. I can’t really blame him for that. UH basketball was in bad shape. He played really hard while he was here and also stayed quiet for a good bit while Mack refused to give him a release. I checked his twitter once and seemed like he still pulls for the Coogs.

Also, in before the lock.

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Au contraríe fellow cougar. There were many posts back in the day doubting his ability. That continued until last year so Sampson’s hiring and ability was not as clear, or without question.

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I always heard they told CKS he wanted to play the 3 despite not having no outside shot and when CKS wouldn’t let him do that he decided to transfer.

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Sampson addressed that in a recent interview…and thats exactly what he said about Tashawn leaving. Wanted to play in an Ncaa Tourney before he graduated and we were not gonna do that here with him.

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Actually, the greatest helicopter dad in UH history was Vinnie Raviele. The 16,000-word, multicolored, multi-fonted screed he posted to the web because Raynor Noble didn’t let his son pitch often enough was an all-time classic.

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Those people would be the morons. Despite being disciplined by the NCAA, Sampson’s record is indisputably good. Success every where he had been prior to UH. No reason to think he wouldn’t be successful here.

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Was it over the top when Keenum had a relative on our fan site? Also, I haven’t seen King’s father on here. Berman went to him, he didn’t come to us.

I don’t recall Ward switching back to WR to prepare for the NFL in his senior season. Why would you expect it from King, and how is it his dad that is preventing it?

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As did Elandon Roberts, not a pick 6 or scoop and score, but a catch and run. Play the hand you’re dealt!

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I think King’s skill set is better than Ward’s. If King can hit 65% or more of his passes next season, I think someone will give him a shot. Kyler Murray, Russel Wilson, Doug Flute - both midget QBs by NFL standards.

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Sampson was THE Dream hire for this university and I sent that in an email to Mack months before his name was ever attached as a possibility.

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Exactly! Were really werent that far from the tournament in year 2 or 3! There was one poster I specifically remember who was soooooo irrational with his criticism and is now Sampsons biggest fan! lmao

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Not quite the level of Thomas or King, but I couldn’t resist:

https://deadspin.com/epic-rant-exposes-dark-side-of-houston-cougar-baseball-5288661

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