Ronald Hughey enters his first season with the Cougars this year and hopes that he can build the proper foundation needed to develop Houston basketball in the coming years. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar
The first season as head coach at a new school can be a daunting one with many trials and tribulations, and women’s basketball coach Ronald Hughey has faced his share.
Following a 6-25 season and the resignation of Todd Buchanan, the Cougars had to find someone who was ready to start at the bottom and build up Houston to be a premiere program in the American Athletic Conference.
His first season has had its struggles, he hopes his team can finish out the season strong. The Cougar sat down with Hughey as he looks to finish the season at the highest level.
The Cougar: How are you enjoying your first season at UH?
Ronald Hughey: Everyone is very pleasant and supportive. The girls are trying the best they can and really buying into the culture we’re trying to build up. We’re really enjoying it and having a great time. When we say we’re chasing greatness, it doesn’t stop when you get the job, you’re still enjoying it.
TC: How do you feel the season has gone so far?
RH: It’s going as expected. We knew it was going to be a tough climb based on the personnel we had from last year and the tough conference we’re playing in, but we’re continuing to fight hard every single day, every single game and every single practice.
TC: How do you see this season playing into building up the program?
RH: We’re laying the foundation for all the positive things that are to come in the future. We’re building on to our culture of who we are.
TC: How does playing in the AAC and the high quality teams effect building a program?
RH: Everybody wants to play against the best. We look forward to it, recruits look forward to it and fans want to see the best come here. It all builds and wraps up into why Houston is one of the best schools you could possibly come to.
TC: What are you looking improve on going forward this season?
RH: We want to improve on all aspects of basketball on the court, all the fundamentals. We want to finish strong and finish on a high note, but if we want to attack everybody, we have to play, especially in the classroom. We had a couple kids close to the Dean’s List and one that was on it, so we want to work to get them all on the Dean’s List and win as many games as we possibly can.”
