My top 5. Dream, Big E, Glide, Birdsong, Shead. That lineup is a killer 5. Shead to be included with those stellar 4 says something about him and his leadership. 6 man Duck…
LOL, Shead is my all time favorite Coog guard, but he is nowhere near the talent of Rob, And watch Kingston develop this year because he is going to be a great one. I would put Don Chaney right behind Rob…Birdsong would be right behind Duck…then Shead…
Poo Welch was a playmaker and shooter whose career was cut short due to injury. I liked Dwight Davis until his antics in the tourney.
Good job @BIgCatonProwl. The two debatable selections would be Shead and Drexler. You could make a case for others but those would be good choices.
No way you can leave Drexler or Birdsong off the all time list. Drexler is top 75 all time
(HOF ) list made the NBA all-star team 10 times! Birdsong 4 times career was cut short by injuries who knows how many more times. Shead is on my list due to pure will and leadership and improving his game to be elite. Rob was lazy and no leader. Had the gifts but took’em for granted. Duck all time defense list, NBA. NBA All-Defensive Second Team: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977 (5 times total).
ChatGPT on the Coogs BB pedigree
University of Houston’s Basketball Pedigree: One of the Nation’s Quiet Powerhouses
Even though UH doesn’t always get mentioned alongside the bluebloods (like North Carolina or Kentucky), its player pedigree and NBA influence are absolutely elite.
Here’s a full comparison:
University of Houston (UH)
Hall of Famers:
Hakeem Olajuwon (2008) – MVP, 2× NBA Champion, All-time blocks leader
Clyde Drexler (2004/2010) – 10× All-Star, Dream Team, NBA Champion
Elvin Hayes (1990) – 12× All-Star, 1978 NBA Champion
Other Notables:
Otis Birdsong (4× All-Star)
Don Chaney (2× Champion, 5× All-Defensive)
Michael Young, Benny Anders, Larry Micheaux, Reid Gettys (Phi Slama Jama icons)
Quentin Grimes (rising NBA player)
Summary:
UH boasts 3 Hall of Famers, multiple All-Stars, and one of college basketball’s most iconic teams (Phi Slama Jama).
It ranks top 10 all-time among schools in Hall of Fame representation.
Comparison: Other Power Programs
University Hall of Famers Notable Players Reputation Summary
UCLA 10+ (Kareem, Walton, Reggie Miller, etc.) Lonzo Ball, Love, Westbrook Most Hall of Famers, Wooden dynasty
North Carolina 7 (Jordan, Worthy, Wilkins*, etc.) Vince Carter, Stackhouse Jordan + legacy program
Kentucky 5 (Issel, Gervin*, Cowens, etc.) AD, Wall, Booker NBA pipeline factory
Kansas 5+ (Wilt, Paul Pierce, Jo Jo White, etc.) Embiid, Wiggins Deep legacy
Duke 3 (Grant Hill, Johnny Dawkins* soon?, Coach K HOF) Kyrie, Tatum, Zion Modern NBA stars
Michigan State 3 (Magic Johnson, etc.) Draymond Green Magic’s halo effect
Georgetown 3 (Ewing, Mourning, Mutombo) Allen Iverson (also HOF) Center powerhouse
Louisville 3 (Unseld, Griffith, etc.) Mitchell, Rozier Historically strong
Houston 3 (Olajuwon, Drexler, Hayes) Birdsong, Chaney Elite trio + Phi Slama Jama
Indiana 3 (Isiah Thomas, etc.) Oladipo, Turner Defensive legacy
(*some starred players attended briefly or didn’t graduate)
Perspective
UH has as many Hall of Fame players (3) as Duke, Georgetown, Louisville, Indiana, Michigan State, etc.
The only schools ahead in HOF count are the historic dynasties (UCLA, UNC, Kentucky, Kansas).
Houston’s NBA success-to-size ratio (3 Hall of Famers from one city-based commuter school) is among the highest efficiency outputs in college basketball history.
Add in Phi Slama Jama (arguably the most iconic college team of the 1980s), and UH stands as one of the most influential programs ever in shaping modern basketball’s athletic, fast-break, above-the-rim style.
Verdict
University of Houston = Top 10 all-time basketball factory
3 Hall of Famers
Multiple All-Stars
Global impact (Olajuwon inspired generations of African and international players)
Historic cultural influence (Phi Slama Jama defined the modern game)
’s Historic Impact in the 1960s
1. Integration Trailblazers
Guy V. Lewis was one of the first major-program coaches in the Deep South to actively recruit and start Black players, long before most Southern schools would.
He brought in Elvin Hayes and Don Chaney from Louisiana in the mid-1960s — a revolutionary act at that time.
That move broke the racial barrier in Texas college basketball, forcing the Southwest Conference and other southern programs to integrate soon after.
In that sense, UH wasn’t just producing stars — it was advancing civil rights through sports.
2. Elvin Hayes and the Rise of National TV Basketball
On January 20, 1968, UH played UCLA and Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) in the “Game of the Century” at the Houston Astrodome.
It was the first nationally televised regular-season college basketball game — watched by over 50 million viewers.
UH won 71-69, snapping UCLA’s 47-game winning streak.
This game changed how college basketball was broadcast, paving the way for the March Madness era and ESPN’s rise.
The spectacle made Elvin Hayes a national hero and solidified Houston as a basketball capital.
3. Foundation for Future Eras
The success of the ’60s Cougars attracted national recruits and established UH as a credible destination outside the traditional power conferences.
By the time Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon arrived in the 1980s, they were standing on the shoulders of Hayes, Chaney, and Lewis’s vision.
The fast-paced, athletic style Houston used even back then foreshadowed the “Phi Slama Jama” ethos — running, dunking, and exciting basketball decades ahead of its time.
Legacy of the 1960s UH Era
Contribution Lasting Impact
Integration leadership Broke racial barriers in Texas and the South
Game of the Century Birth of national TV basketball
Elvin Hayes stardom Inspired future UH and NBA legends
Guy V. Lewis coaching Mentored multiple Hall of Famers; later inducted himself (2013)
Defensive icons Don Chaney became a 5× All-Defensive Team player
In Total
Coach Guy V. Lewis: Naismith Hall of Fame (2013)
Players: Elvin Hayes (1990), Clyde Drexler (2004), Hakeem Olajuwon (2008)
Cultural Legacy: Integrated basketball in the South, revolutionized TV coverage, and laid the groundwork for modern athletic play.
So yes — the 1960s University of Houston Cougars weren’t just great on the court; they were historically transformative.
Without Hayes, Chaney, and Lewis, there likely wouldn’t have been a Phi Slama Jama, nor the modern college basketball media landscape
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I don’t Dwight Davis doing any antics in the playoffs. Are sure you don’t have him mixed up with Dwight Jones?
And yes Poo Welch was a great one out of Tyler JC…
I disagree when you look at the complete package. The complete player.
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Williams was a first round draft pick and was the most talented guard to perhaps to ever come out of the city of Houston…if he had Shead’s character he would be on the list of top 50 players ever.
Chaney was drafted in the second round and started on several Celtic championship teams. He is also by far the greatest defensive guard to ever play here…
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I think we should settle on the criteria. My thoughts
for this list were best players as a UH Cougar. Their NBA careers, which are cited as most of their accomplishments, are not relevant. I can make a case that Dwight Jones was a more productive center than Hakeem at UH, however Hakeem was more impactful winning. Jones was more polished than Hakeem, especially in Hakeem’s first year, when he was one dimensional.
The arguments will live forever.
In my mind the only no brainer is Hayes. I have Akeem in my 5 but can see a good case for a few others
Damn, you must be old, like me. All names I remember and have seen play. Larry Lentz and Niemer Hamood, but don’t remember what their contributions were. Those were the Delmar Stadium and the Colosseum days.
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What antics? I missed something.
What antics…?
Oh… see above… 
I heard other older Coogs say Rob Williams got drunk in NO before the F4 game…
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SHEAD
What players did or accomplished after the final buzzer of their UH careers is irrelevant.
Shead was the quickest, fastest, most relentless defender at the guard position that has even played here, and he put more constant pressure on the opposing guards than anyone that has ever played here. Against the toughest schedule and talent level of anyone else.
His LEADERSHIP was second to none.
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I think “drunk” might be kind…
It wasn’t alcohol induced.
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Yes sir! Donnie Schverak, Wayne Ballard, Harger, the Hammood brothers, etc.
Great times listening to us play the Aggies with all the Cougar High chants and our fans getting the last laugh with “poor aggies” as they exited the coliseum lol
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“Partied” as it were…
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George Thorn (RIP) told me a story about the bus ride after that FF. Let just say Clyde lit into to Rob for his antics the night before.