My first Cougar Basketball team was 1965-66. Don Chaney and Big E were Sophs. We made March Madness, won the first game, lost the second game.
Have seen all 7 of our Final Four teams. Attended 3 Final Fours and watched the others on TV. I was in San Antonio last week.
Our younger fans have seen only our last 2 appearances, and what progress! Lost in semi-finals vs Baylor, then return this season and beat Duke in one of the greatest Final Four games. Make the Title game, losing by only 2. Easy to expect a Final Four return, then winning it all.
Exactly how I felt in 1983-84. Two straight Title Games. So close. We had signed Rickie Winslow, Cadillac Anderson, and others. Gettys was still on the roster. Guy Lewis was going to reload. He was after Tito Horford, a Center that would replace Akeem. It looked good!
Now with 7 Final Fours in the rear view mirror I remain,optimistic. But for next season I turn 78 and realize that San Antonio could have been my last Final Four. Not being morbid, just realistic.
I want all,of you fans to stay fired up! It can be done. Our talent for next season looks to be even higher than what we had this season. And Coach Sampson definitely will coach âem up. He is great.
As Coach Sampson correctly has said, you can never lose unless you quit. Cougar fans donât quit.
This geezer saw his first Coog basketball game in 1959 as a 1 year old thanks to Mr and Mrs GenOneCoog. Suspect that the actual demarcation is a bit younger.
I remember UH playing in Delmar (I lived close by and our high school team played there). I also remember seeing them in the old colosseum downtown several times. This was prior to Hayes, Chaney and the gang. My dad received tickets from Proven Products and he would rather drink beer than watch basketball/football, so from around 61 thru 64, I was recipient of UH sporting event tickets. Always fun and I fell in love with the Red and White. Around my house, I have many red and white Azaleas and we have twin Mustang convertibles - guess the colors . . . . .
Robert, Iâm also 78 and didnât go to this final 4 but did in the Phi Slama Jama era (of course I watched on TV). I doubt I will ever go to another in person but I do expect to see us in the F4 again whether next season or down the road. The only caveat is our ability to keep our talent from the portal or the draft.
Right now, we donât really know who our team will be this fall, we may lose another to the portal and may get another one or two from the portal depending on how that all works out. Itâs really too fluid right now to make anything but a wild guess.
My first basketball game was at Delmar Fieldhouse on January 13, 1968 against West Texas State. It was the Saturday before the UCLA game at the Astrodome.
[quote=âIdanceblroom, post:12, topic:62293â]
âŠso from around 61 thru 64, I was recipient of UH sporting event tickets. Always fun and I fell in love with the Red and White.
[/quote].
So do you recall the names of any those early '60âs UH BB players?
Did Ronny Truitt play on one of those UH BB teams? He was my PE coach at HISDâs Frank M. Black Jr. High in '63 or '64 âŠafter having played BB at UHâŠand later led Cy Fair HS to the 1971 State BB Championship âŠand then even has a CyFair ISD middle school named after him.
[NOTE: Truitt was probably on the UH BB team in the late '50âs rather than the early '60âs.]