Freshman forward Danuel House was the Cougars’ third-leading scorer in 2012 at 12.4 points per game. He was named C-USA Freshman of the Year. | Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar

Thirty minutes after the Cougars’ returned to Houston when their season ended in the College Basketball Invitational, sophomore forward Danuel House was back in the Athletics/Alumni Center shooting jumpers.

After a taste of postseason success and failure — UH defeated Texas in the first round but lost to George Mason in the second — the team has more vigor toward getting better in the offseason, said assistant coach Alvin Brooks.

“The guys’ enthusiasm and work ethic to improve is far superior than the last two seasons,” Brooks said. “Competing with guys in the Big 12, you realize how strong and athletic you have to be to compete. Look at House, freshman of the year in Conference USA, TaShawn (Thomas), first team all conference, neither one of those guys are content.”

The offseason has not been without adversity though.

The Cougars’ leading scorer, junior guard Joseph Young, decided to leave the program. He again followed his father, UH great Michael Young, who will no longer serve as director of basketball operations for the team.

The Cougars can replace Young’s 18 points per game if redshirt sophomore Jherrod Stiggers and sophomore LeRon Barnes emerge as consistent threats on the perimeter, Brooks said. The coaching staff also expects House and Thomas to take another step forward on the offensive end in order to make up the difference.

The team faced similar circumstances last season when leading scorer Jonathon Simmons decided to play professional basketball, leaving a year of eligibility on the table. UH also lost its second-best scorer in Alandise Harris and Darian Thibodeaux— its best defender after their senior season in 2011.

The Cougars went on to win five more games in 2012.

“Last year we lost our two leading scorers and rebounders. It’s not as hard to replace perimeter points as it is for leadership and experience,” Brooks said.

However, in 2014, the circumstances are different.

UH is entering the American Athletic Conference, where they’ll face programs with a rich basketball history and recent NCAA tournament experience like Connecticut, Cincinnati and Temple.

The Cougars begin play in a tougher conference after back-to-back 7-9 finishes in C-USA play. And there won’t be any easy wins against the C-USA cellar teams.

To legitimately compete in their new conference, the Cougars need several players to take another developmental step, including Thomas who is moving into his junior season.

The coaching staff wants Thomas, whose diverse skill set allows him to score with his back to the basket and use his ball handling skills to lead the fast break, to operate in the midpost area and spread the floor by taking more free throw line jumpers.

“The thing we want him to do is to step out on the floor,” said head coach James Dickey. “We don’t want him down low with his basket all the time. As good a rebounder as he is, we want him to be even better.”

Dickey said House needs to get better on the defensive end and become a better rebounder before the season begins.

The Cougars also think they’ve solved the point guard position, a problem that has plagued the team for a few years, with a combination of senior Tione Womack and freshman Jaaron Simmons.

Even with the increased competition of their new conference, loss of their leading scorer and higher expectations in this administration’s fourth season at UH, the coaching staff is still optimistic about what can be accomplished in 2014.

“This is the first time since we’ve been here that we don’t have to re-teach our system. We’ve had struggles at the point guard position and experience. I think both of those issues are resolved,” Brooks said.

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Aubrey Coleman was the leading scorer for the Cougars for two seasons after he transferred in 2008. | File photo/ The Daily Cougar

Aubrey Coleman found himself back at the University where he starred as a player, except now he is coaching others to reach their basketball goals.

Coleman returned to the UH Athletics/Alumni building to train a handpicked group of talented athletes in basketball fundamentals on June 3.

In 2010, he finished the season as the nation’s leading scorer and helped the Cougars land in the NCAA tournament for the first time in nearly two decades.

Coleman still fondly recalls his time at UH.

“It’s nice coming home. People show a lot of love here and recognize me. Not just at the University.  If I’m out somewhere, they recognize me because we had a good run,” Coleman said.

Coleman had a long way to travel to get home this offseason. After playing for the New Orleans Hornets in the 2010 NBA Summer League, Coleman competed overseas in Italy and France. The European style of play and life on the road required some adjustments, but Coleman said he has capitalized on his opportunities to learn and improve.

“To me, it’s a higher level over there (than college). As far as guys, they may look like they can’t play, but they can shoot the ball and know the game.”

Coleman’s work ethic has attracted the attention of a small and dedicated group of athletes, hoping to benefit from his experience.

“They all contacted me saying ‘we know what you did, we want help from you,’” Coleman said. “Basically, we’re just doing stuff that I do for myself in the summer. I have been getting a lot of feedback and people wanting me to train them.”

One of Coleman’s students is former University of Nevada, Las Vegas star forward Darris Santee. Santee is now a forward with Sweden’s Eco Orebro and a longtime friend who said that the former Cougar has long exhibited a willingness and ability to instruct.

“I’ve (known) Aubrey for a long time, since about ninth grade. I’ve seen him go from being nothing to transforming his game and being an elite player,” Santee said.

“(Aubrey) wanted to give back and show players how he did it and show them the way.”

Everyone at the Athletics/Alumni Center on Monday came to follow Coleman’s lead and work hard at improving their game.

The dozen-strong group featured former college standouts, current overseas pros and a few aspiring college athletes. Coleman strode briskly around the shooting and conditioning drills, taking video on his cell phone, which he will later break down and use to hone in on each individual’s weaknesses.

The energy in the gym was high and Coleman kept it that way, with the drills, shouting “tempo” and calling out advice and encouragement. Coleman was zeroed in, already intimately aware of the ins and outs of every athlete’s game.

“It’s just the experience I’ve been through, even off-the-court stuff, making sure you’re on time for workouts, making sure you’re professional, guys you’re working with, trying to learn their names,” Coleman said.

“It’s the small stuff you don’t think is important,” Coleman said. “That can be the difference between you making the team or not.”

As the gym cleared out, Coleman called out last words of encouragement to his departing students, then picked up a few cones and stacked them before abruptly grabbing a ball sitting just outside the three-point arc, facing up to the basket, pump-faking, driving left hard, and pulling up to sink a 20-footer that hit nothing but the bottom of the net.

“Teaching helps my ability to learn,” Coleman said. “I’m getting a couple of looks, like the Boston Celtics are still interested in me, and the Milwaukee Bucks may bring me to summer league. But if not, I’m going to continue to train and tighten my jumper up.”

Joseph, who led his team in scoring with more than 18 points per game and helped UH advance to the quarterfinals of the CBI tournament in 2012, will also leave the program.

“Joseph is dealing with it fine,” Michael said to the Chronicle. “He made his decision, and I guess he loves his dad more than he loves the University of Houston. He made a statement to me that he can’t play for a coach that doesn’t want his dad to be a part of the staff.”

Michael, who is a Phi Slama Jama member and director of basketball operations, rejected the offer to serve more of a community service role with the UH Athletics Department after his contract was due to expire Friday. Joseph, who is a redshirt junior guard for the Cougars, also plans to leave with his father.

“James Dickey doesn’t want me to be part of his coaching staff anymore,” Michael said to the Houston Chronicle. “He wanted to go in another direction. I was offered an alternative position. I refused it, and I’ve moved on from the University of Houston.”

Head coach James Dickey said he expected Michael to remain with UH after signing his new contract earlier this week.

“With his contract ending May 31, Michael was offered, accepted and signed a new contract earlier this week at the same compensation beginning June 1 with new responsibilities inside the Athletics Department,” Dickey said to the Chronicle. “Since that agreement, I have not spoken further with Michael about his new contract.”

Although he and son will leave the Cougars, Michael’s daughter, Mayorca Young, who is a sophomore sprinter, is still currently part of UH.

Michael, who was accompanied with players such as Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler under their recently inducted Basketball Hall of Fame coach Guy V. Lewis at UH, advanced to back-to-back national championships in ’83 and ’84.

After his days at UH, Michael played in the NBA, the CBA and in Europe. After his playing stints, he joined the men’s basketball staff at UH and became the strength and conditioning coach from 1999 to 2008; the assistant coach in ’03; director of operations and performance enhancement from 2004 to 2010; and in his final position, as the director of basketball operations that began in ’10.

“I will always be a Cougar, but I’m disappointed,” Young said.

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The athletics department will propose a $77 million expansion and renovation of Hofheinz Pavilion. | Courtesy of UH Athletics

The UH Board of Regents gave the University approval to begin the design phase for the expansion and renovation of Hofheinz Pavilion on Monday.

Mack Rhoades, UH vice president for intercollegiate athletics, said he was excited for the University to move in the right direction on this process.

“It’s a first step, but it’s a big step,” Rhoades said to the Houston Chronicle. “It’s a great day if you are a basketball fan.”

Rhoades also said they will present the findings to UH’s finance committee later this summer, and construction may begin before the year ends and anticipates the the project to be finalized in 2015.

With the project designed to be done in two phases, Rhoades said he prefers to build a practice facility first, which will include two basketball courts, locker rooms and other amenities, and then continue the renovation of Hofheinz.

The renovation and expansion of Hofheinz will likely cause the Cougars to use a different venue for home games.

“Hopefully we can break ground soon,” Rhoades said.

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James Harden is fifth in scoring in the NBA with 25 points per game. | Wikimedia Commons

The Houston Rockets fell Sunday to the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-91, collapsing on the road and showing their age and inexperience against the playoff-tested Thunder.

The Rockets are the youngest team in the NBA, with a combined roster playoff experience of 133 games, much of that belonging to James Harden’s experience with his former team. Sunday night, the youth and inexperience were showcased in the worst possible fashion.

The Rockets managed to keep pace with the athletic, battle-tested Thunder through most of the first half, despite an abysmal shooting performance.

As the second quarter wound down, though, the Rockets started to collapse and didn’t stop until the final buzzer sounded, losing by nearly 30 before a sea of blue T-shirts in Chesapeake Energy Bay Arena.

This is the Rockets’ first playoff appearance since 2009, when Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady were on the roster.

General Manager Daryl Morey was dealt a poor hand, with McGrady falling well short of his projected potential and Ming’s foot injuries leaving an empty roster hole with no compensatory draft picks or trade value.

By procuring Harden, Omer Asik, and Jeremy Lin, Morey took the first steps toward championship contention, and a playoff berth is a nice nod to the progress he has made.

It’s becoming almost cliché for commentators to state the Rockets are “one good piece” away from becoming a real contender in the West. It’s harder to say that after witnessing Sunday’s walloping in Oklahoma City, but anyone doubting Morey and the Rockets has to remember how young this team is.

Harden, the crown jewel of Morey’s three-point and inside-shot centered offensive approach, is 23. Chandler Parsons, whom Morey managed to steal in the second round of the draft, is 24. Lin, who took the world by storm with last year’s Linsanity, is also 24. Asik is a relatively grizzled 26. This nucleus of talent, still in search of its missing superstar — or nearly-superstar — piece, will grow together, and with the palatable contracts Morey has wrangled, they will develop with little alteration in the lineup.

The future is bright. The present is less so.

Still, as awful as the loss was, Oklahoma City only did what it was supposed to do — win at home. The Rockets, to make this a series, still only need to steal a road game. And given that the team is young, it is resilient enough to shake off the brutalization Sunday and right the ship.

The Rockets were getting good looks Sunday, but the looks weren’t enough. Chalk it up to nerves or inexperience or anything else — all it will take to turn the series around is a more solid shooting effort and more defensive focus. The Rockets are a long shot to win the series — an eight-seed always is — but it’s not outside the realm of possibility.

But win or lose, the experience the team’s nucleus is gaining playing serious, high-stakes playoff basketball will only aid in its growth and development, and push the team further along on their path to real contention in the Western Conference.

Former head coach Guy Lewis, who won 592 games while at UH, remains one of only seven coaches in NCAA history to compete in nine or more Final Four games with one program. | Nichole Taylor/The Daily Cougar

At long last, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame got the memo — they have decided the countless accomplishments of former UH basketball coach Guy V. Lewis are worth honoring.

The committee has enshrined active coaches like Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim and will induct Louisville coach Rick Pitino. Both are fantastic coaches, and have already had Hall of Fame-worthy careers. But their body of work isn’t complete.

It’s about time they decided to recognize a retired coach who demonstrated the same level of excellence, albeit several decades too late.

But this moment — this topic — should no longer be about chastising the Hall of Fame’s befuddling process. It’s time to celebrate one of the most revered names in the history of our university.

As obvious as Lewis’ achievements are, it is his bravery as a barrier breaker that deserves praise.

In a time of steep racial tension, he chose to make a revolutionary decision and recruit African-American players to a university in the South, helping to change the sport forever.

Significant, nationally-televised college basketball games hosted in colossal domes are an annual ritual. Lewis played a key role in establishing that often-duplicated model. The 1968 “Game of the Century” against UCLA is how it is remembered, and it is just another of Lewis’ permanent stamps on the game.

When looking at the all-time list of Final Four appearances by school, UH is close to the top with five. All five were when Lewis was coach.

That ties with four other universities, two of which were in this year’s Final Four – Michigan and Syracuse. But unlike Michigan, there are no asterisks associated with the Cougars’ appearances. There were no scandals, sanctions or scholarship reductions during Lewis’ tenure.

In a hypothetical scenario in which Lewis was still in the NCAA ranks, he would be in the same breath as Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and Kentucky coach John Calipari. He could attract the same level of talent. Instead of being a glorified NBA training ground and renting players for a few months, Lewis would develop those phenoms into mature and polished student athletes.

To Lewis’ credit, he and his family never complained, no matter how many times he was snubbed by the Hall of Fame. We can thank some of his elite former players like Clyde Drexler and the current staff at the Athletics Department for turning up the rhetoric so much that this cause could no longer go unheard.

I wasn’t alive during the heyday of Phi Slama Jama, and that’s fine. I never interviewed or met Coach Lewis during my time working at The Daily Cougar, and I don’t have to.

You don’t have to be a firsthand witness to understand the greatness of the Lewis era. It takes a minimal amount of research to know that if you were a fan, you wanted to watch UH’s slam-dunking brand of hoops. If you were a player, then you wanted to play for Lewis at Hofheinz Pavilion.

The induction of Lewis solidifies what many of us already know — Houston isn’t just a great city, it’s a great basketball town, too, thanks in large part to the legacy of Guy V. Lewis.

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Former head coach Guy Lewis (left) had high profile supporters like UH president Renu Khator (bottom right) and UH great Elvin Hayes (top right). Nichole Taylor/The Daily Cougar

UH’s own Elvin Hayes has one regret about the timing of his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The former forward wishes he could have joined with fellow UH legend Guy V. Lewis, the coach who earned a place in the Hall on Monday.

“Where I’m jealous though is that I’m not a part of his class,” Hayes said.

“It would have been great to have been able to say, ‘Man I’m a part of Coach Lewis’ class,’ because it’s a real special moment for that class and they are going to bond together.”

Lewis, 91, wore a UH hat and Cougar red sweater and sat in his wheelchair while his daughter, Sherry Lewis, spoke for the family during a press conference Tuesday at Hofheinz Pavilion. It’s hard for him to talk after a stroke so Lewis didn’t speak for himself.

He can still show emotions, though. His frequent smiles told the story.

Sherry Lewis said she has to play 20 questions sometimes to figure out what Lewis is trying to say, but he still has the same mind.

”He knows what he wants to say; I just kind of have to guess,” Sherry said. ”He’s still Guy Lewis in there.”

Guy V. Lewis had a smile on his face when he learned that he was a Hall of Famer, Sherry Lewis said. The family was starting to think the recognition would never come. Lewis’ wife, Dena, can’t stop smiling.

“It was a shock honestly, because we have been down this road before. We are happy to be back at Hofheinz because he is really at peace here,” Sherry Lewis said.

Guy V. Lewis’ return to UH was large enough that President Renu Khator came to pay tribute to Guy V. Lewis’ accomplishments. She said she had to come when she found out Guy V. Lewis was making an appearance at UH.

Khator said it was hard to put into words what Guy V. Lewis’ induction into the Hall of Fame meant to the University.

“When I found out, I just decided I would come for a brief second just to congratulate Coach and what he has done for this community, for the University, is incredible,” Khator said.

“It’s a golden moment. It feels like we’ve went back to our golden days and hopefully we can find inspiration from this energy and build an outstanding program here.”

Sherry Lewis said the family is filled with joy but not upset that it took so long to get Guy V. Lewis into the Hall of Fame.

“As one friend said, ‘Dad is used to winning in overtime,’” Sherry Lewis said as Guy V. Lewis cracked a smile.

While a player, legendary head coach Guy Lewis (37) was team captain of the University’s first two teams in 1946 and 1947. | Courtesy of UH Athletics

Nearly 20 years after Guy V. Lewis called his last play in 1986, he was still helping the Cougars win basketball games.

Lewis visited practice the day before a 2005 contest with Memphis, and the players responded with a win that then-head coach Tom Penders dedicated to him.

“You think of (Lewis) coaching and playing here, and he was involved in about 70 percent of the wins here, and that’s unbelievable. Hopefully, he’ll get some recognition for this, because he is the University of Houston,” Penders said after the game.

On Monday, Lewis officially got the recognition that Penders sought eight years ago.

National broadcaster and UH alumnus Jim Nantz hosted Lewis’ official enshrinement press conference into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Nantz said Lewis was instrumental in getting his broadcast career going, so it was fitting that he was allowed to announce Lewis’ enshrinement.

“He’s a teacher, a mentor and a believer in people. It’s a great thrill to be able to say for the man who actually started my career as a student. He trusted me to be his host. A man I deeply admire,” Nantz said. “I know Houston is rejoicing right now at this very sentence. Welcome to the Hall Guy V. Lewis.”

Athletics director Mack Rhoades, who took the trip to Atlanta to watch the press conference, said it was a special moment to see Nantz announce Lewis.

“Knowing him as well as I do, I know how much this meant to him as well. He has great love for the University and coach Lewis,” Rhoades said. “With him being an alum, you couldn’t have scripted it any better.”

The others announced Monday at the Final Four ceremony were former UNLV head coach Jerry Tarkanian and Sylvia Hatchell of North Carolina, former NBA stars Bernard King and Gary Payton and former University of Virginia star Dawn Staley.

Lewis’ career as head coach didn’t start the way that it finished.

He had three losing seasons in his first three years as head coach but finished his career with 27 consecutive winning seasons, winning 592 games from 1956-86. Lewis engineered 11 20-win seasons and two 30-win seasons.

Lewis also helped grow the college basketball into the sport it is today. He coaxed legendary UCLA head coach John Wooden into participating in the “Game of the Century,” which was the first nationally-televised college basketball game ever. The Cougars defeated the Bruins 71-69, snapping their 47-game losing streak at the Astrodome in 1968 in front of more than 50,000 fans.

Elvin Hayes, perhaps the greatest player in UH history, couldn’t have played at UH if Lewis wasn’t the Cougars’ head coach — Lewis was the first coach in Texas to recruit black players.

Hayes said he is happy that Lewis is finally getting into the Hall of Fame, and that this moment was long overdue.

“To me, this is one of the greatest wrongs that has been made right. I am ecstatic. It is tremendous to hear that Guy V. Lewis is in the Basketball Hall of Fame… He was a hard worker, he was dedicated to the University, his players and his family, and he made sacrifices … to take on another family (his teams) each year. He is just a super, unique and caring person.”

Rhoades said induction is an official validation to the entire athletics department and Lewis’ career.

“I think it’s just validates the great success the University has had in all of its sports programs, and certainly now the men’s basketball program. It was a very well deserving honor. If you think about the great players he coached — an Elvin Hayes, a Clyde Drexler or Hakeem Olajuwon — it’s a great moment.”

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Former head coach Guy V. Lewis had 27 consecutive winning seasons while at the helm of the basketball program. | 1957 Houstonian

College basketball legend and visionary Guy V. Lewis was selected as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 30 years after his last national title appearance.

UH’s 1983 loss to NC State in the NCAA tournament championship game, in which the Cougars were favored by eight points in the Las Vegas sportsbooks, has been an albatross around Lewis’ neck for three decades and could be the reason he has not been enshrined in the Hall of Fame until this year.

When Lewis retired in 1986, he took a long journey from Houston to Springfield with one of the best resumes in college basketball history.

In 30 years of coaching at UH, Lewis netted 592 wins, triumphing in roughly 68 percent of his contests, and winning 30 or more games in a season three times. He was named National Coach of the Year twice, first in 1968 and then again in 1983. He coached and won the first NCAA regular-season game to be broadcasted nationally during primetime, the aptly named “Game of the Century,” in which UH defeated John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins — then in the midst of a 47-game winning streak — in front of an Astrodome crowd of 52,000. Lewis sought out big games with big opponents, and he seldom lost.

Lewis’ influence runs much deeper than the games he won, though.

He is often described as an early adopter in the movement toward racial integration. He recruited Don Chaney and Elvin Hayes, who was elected to the Naismith Hall in 1990, the first black basketball players in UH history. He did so well in advance of the other schools located below the Mason-Dixon line.

Since his induction into the Hall, Hayes has boycotted the institution, refusing to appear in Springfield or at any Hall-sponsored events until such time as Lewis was elected.

“It’s one of those things that’s totally wrong,” Hayes said. “People, I think, today only see what’s before their eyes. But people really don’t go back anymore and ask, ‘Well, who made this game into what it is today? Who changed this game? Who put his footprint on this game?’”

“Coach had this vision — a vision for the game of basketball.”

A major component of Lewis’ vision for the game involved a shift in the style of offense used in college hoops. UH adopted dunking in 1976 when the NCAA reversed its prohibition against the slam dunk.

It was this athletic, exciting style of play that propelled the Cougars to the Final Four in the 1983 NCAA Tournament and their much-publicized matchup with the Louisville Cardinals. Both teams were nationally recognized, and it was generally presumed that the winner would go on to win the National Championship.

Phi Slama Jama didn’t disappoint against the Doctors of Dunk, ultimately coming back from a halftime deficit to beat the Cardinal squad 94-81. The Cougars lived up to their nickname, dunking 14 times against the Cardinals, including 10 in the final 12 minutes of play.

It was widely and confidently assumed that Houston would defeat NC State in the championship game, and it was this assumption that may have kept Lewis to from making the Hall of Fame.

“That game had to be fate,” said Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler. “Because if he doesn’t win that game, we don’t get to know Jimmy Valvano the way we do. And because of the way his life ended, I think that was destiny. It had to be … If we played them 20 times, I still don’t think they’d win but that one game. So it had to be destiny.”

The game was filled with anomalies. The Cougars followed a 14-dunk performance against Louisville by recording only one against NC State — sandwiched between a raucous slam off an offensive rebound by the Wolfpack’s Thurl Bailey and the dunk that ended the game, when a wild 35-foot shot by Dereck Whittenburg missed iron completely and fell into the hands of Lorenzo Charles, and the rest is history.

“If you don’t vote for this man, you really don’t know the history of basketball in this country,” Drexler said.

Legend Hakeem Olajuwon said the championship-game loss shouldn’t overshadow what Lewis accomplished.

“His statistics speak for themselves,” Olajuwon said. “He should be in there. One game should not measure an entire career.”

And yet, for the 30 intervening years since the shocking loss, one game has. But as Greek poet Aeschylus once wrote, “Time brings all things to pass.”

In a circular, profoundly fated way, precisely 30 years after the NC State loss that unfairly doomed him to the long, barren odyssey between his glory in Houston and the undying glory that awaits him in Springfield, Lewis and the nation finally heard word that his journey was over.

Lewis’ admission into the Hall of Fame is long overdue. There is no question of that.

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Former UH basketball coach Guy V. Lewis (right) was instrumental in getting UCLA head coach John Wooden (left) to agree to a battle between the two best teams in the country. After 52,000 fans came to the Astrodome to view the first nationally televised regular season game, the contest became known as The Game of The Century. | Courtesy of UH Athletics

When UH basketball greats Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon and Elvin Hayes strolled down the red carpet at Hofheinz Pavilion to receive a trophy after being named to the NCAA’s All-Time players team, all Drexler wanted to talk about was getting former head coach Guy Lewis into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Drexler said Lewis’ impact will not be forgotten.

“We know that checkered towel is somewhere, and he’s biting on it,” Drexler said in March. “We just want to say we love you, and this year, hopefully, we’ll get you into the Hall of Fame where you rightfully deserve to be.”

Drexler said Lewis’ former players were putting on a full-court press to get him into the Hall of Fame. Now, unlike their playing days, they can take a break on defense. UH finally has a head coach in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

According to the Houston Chronicle, Lewis has been selected as a member of the Hall of Fame.

The official announcement will occur at 10 a.m. Monday at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Atlanta as part of Championship Monday of the NCAA Men’s Final Four. UH officials said they could not comment until after the announcement is made by UH alumnus and longtime Lewis supporter Jim Nantz on NBA TV.

Lewis spent 30 years at the helm of the University, winning 592 games and making five Final Four appearances. He is perhaps most known for being the architect of Phi Slama Jama and ‘The Game of the Century.’

Phi Slama Jama, a famous UH fraternity, is known for its highlight reel of dunks and two consecutive National title game appearances in the 1980s.

In ‘The Game of the Century,’ the Cougars took down UCLA 71-69 in the first nationally televised college basketball game.

Former UCLA head coach John Wooden told the San Antonio Express in 1998 that Lewis was tough to coach against.

“The coaches I hated coaching against were the real good ones, and Guy was one of those,” Wooden said. “I think Guy took a bum rap because he never won a national championship.”

Drexler said after being a proponent of his credentials for so long, Lewis getting into the Hall of Fame makes him happy.

“You grew up under his leadership. He was a great coach, knows everything about the game, but he was a great teacher of the game of life, which is more important,” Drexler said.

“For a guy like him, this (getting into the Hall of Fame) would not make or break him. For the guys who love him, we all feel he deserves it, that he belongs among the ranks of the greatest coaches ever.”

Lewis’ wife, Dena, said she cried when she heard the news.

“We think it’s great,” she told the Chronicle. “Long overdue. I cried when I heard.”

“Every time I think about it a smile comes across my face.”

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Forward Leon Gibson (no. 15) is the Cougars’ lone senior this season. Their top four scorers are freshmen or sophomores. | Courtesy of John Irwin/Connect2Mason

The Cougars’ loss to George Mason in the second round of the College Basketball Invitational could be a microcosm for the entire season as they were down by 19 in the first half before rallying to force overtime and eventually losing 88-84.

While the Cougars made some encouraging progress and achievements, they failed to live up to their potential.

UH entered the year with lofty aspirations, its high hopes fostered by a recruiting class that media outlets Rivals.com, Scouts.com and ESPN ranked 10th, 13th and 20th respectively in the nation. The centerpieces of the incoming class were forwards Danuel House and Danrad “Chicken” Knowles, both highly touted athletes on the national scale.

House produced at a high level for the Cougars and eventually became the first player in school history to be named Conference USA “Freshman of the Year.” Knowles, however, never suited up for a game because he was declared ineligible to play before the season. The 6-foot-10 forward hopes to rejoin the Cougars for the upcoming season, but his absence is just another adversity faced this season.

Before the season started, head coach James Dickey said his team would need to play more reliably.

“There were some good things that happened, but the biggest problem (in the 2011-12 season) with our team was we were inconsistent,” Dickey said.

That inconsistency happened again this year, plaguing the Cougars and leaving fans wondering what could have been.

After ripping off five straight victories to start the season, UH faltered, losing to Prairie View A&M on the road and to Texas A&M at home by 12. The Cougars drew five nationally televised games this season, but failed to maximize the opportunity.

After righting the ship by finishing out December with six straight wins against a soft nonconference schedule and clobbering conference rival SMU by 11, the Cougars fell victim to their struggles with inconsistency, losing four straight in C-USA games, two of those within the friendly confines of Hofheinz Pavilion.

UH spent the next three weeks alternating wins and losses with conference opponents, culminating in a triple-overtime loss to Tulsa that preceeded two additional losses to Memphis and Tulane.

Meanwhile, sophomore forward TaShawn Thomas was named C-USA “Player of the Week,” and House was named C-USA “Freshmen of the Week,” but UH’s intermittent moments of achievement couldn’t overcome its inability to play up to its potential.

Thomas stated his goal and hope for the team in the upcoming season.

“I want to leave Conference USA with a bang,” Thomas said. “I want everybody to remember that we did something special before we left.”

The Cougars’ second-round exit to rival UTEP, losing by 11 after trouncing the Miners by 18 less than a month prior, but the College Basketball Invitational offered a final opportunity to make the sort of statement Thomas wanted the team to make.

Playing at home against old Southwest Conference rival Texas, the Cougars made that statement.

Thomas notched his team-leading 15th double-double of the season against the Longhorns and four of the five Cougar starters scored in double figures in the thrilling one-point victory over Texas, sealed with a last-possession jumper by House that put away with Longhorns.

Then the Cougars went on the road to VA and failed to score a point in the first three minutes and 20 seconds of play against the Patriots to go down 17-0 in the contest. Inconsistency is not just a problem for this team, it is a hallmark.

UH will return the squad for next season, except senior forward Leon Gibson. Freshman center Valentine Izundu, sidelined late in the year by nagging injuries after showing promise on the defensive end, will return ready to contribute meaningful minutes for the squad.

Redshirt sophomore guard Joseph Young, House and Thomas — the leading scorers this season — return as well, as the Cougars leave behind another conference to move to the soon-to-be-renamed Big East.

Knowles will also join the Cougars as they try to compete for a conference championship.

The true test for UH and Dickey is turning the promise that the Cougars showed by defeating Texas for the first time in 13 years into wins. The proof would be a trip to the NCAA Tournament and a chance to compete for a national title.

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With 3-0 record in conference after a clean sweep of ECU and a 4-0 record against teams from the Big12, the Cougars have finally earned a ranked spot among the best baseball teams in the US.

UH pitchers have a team ERA of 3.11, which ties it for 1st place in Conference USA. | Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar

In five separate polls, UH is in the top 20 at no. 19 in the USA Today/ESPN poll and no. 20 according to Baseball America. The Cougars are 21-4, which is their best start in 25 years, and have reeled off 10 consecutive victories.

The Pirates are the latest team to sail into Cougar Field, and first Conference USA team the Cougars have played so far.

While a Sunday win against ECU at Cougar Field was a dramatic 5-4, ten inning affair, the contests on Friday and Saturday were less tension-filled, as the Cougars won 7-2 and 4-3.

“Every win is good,” said head coach Todd Whitting after Sunday’s win. “There’s no bad wins. I want to win every possible game we can, whether it’s the one today or the one in two weeks.”

With a pitching staff that has a team 3.11 ERA, the Cougars are tied for first in C-USA with the University of Central Florida.

Senior pitcher Austin Pruitt earned his fifth win of the season this weekend, and freshman Jake Lemoine got his fourth. Both righthanders have ERAs that are under 2.50, with Lemoine’s 1.53 against 29.1 innings pitched. Junior righthander Chase Wellbrock picked up his third save of the season over the weekend, while keeping his ERA at 3.93.

Wellbrock said he is comfortable in any role.

“It’s where the coaches decided to put me,”  Wellbrock said. “I’ve gotta be ready at any moment whenever they call on me and I just gotta give it my all when I go out there.”

At the plate the Cougars are hitting .296 as a team, with freshman infielder Kyle Kirk leading the way with a .347 average and used the weekend series to stretch his hitting streak to 10 games. Freshman infielder Josh Vidales’s RBI single against ECU on Sunday extended his streak of reaching base safely to 19 consecutive games.

Vidales said the Cougars aren’t getting too satisfied.

“Momentum wise, it’s always good to go into another game knowing you won the one before, but you really can’t, Vidales said. ”You can’t lack the energy or the attitude and the effort. You gotta go into the next game like it’s a brand new day.”

With one conference series down and a nine road games to be played before before the next home series, the Cougars will take on the Lamar University at 6:30 p.m today in Beaumont.

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Despite a sluggish start to their second-round College Basketball Invitational matchup with George Mason — going scoreless in the first three minutes of play — the Cougars managed to fight their way to overtime before losing 88-84.

After winning their first nonconference postseason game since 1998 Wednesday against in-state rival Texas, the UH traveled to Fairfax, Va., for its first matchup with the Patriots. George Mason, led by junior guard Sherrod Wright’s 29 points, proved too much for UH, despite strong efforts from sophomore guard Joseph Young and sophomore forward TaShawn Thomas.

Thomas performed well, notching his 16th double-double of the season with 24 points and 17 rebounds.

He contributed three assists, two steals and a block. It would not be enough to stave off the Patriots’ blitz from behind the line.

As a team, the Patriots connected on half of their 22 attempts from long range, led by Wright with four.

George Mason freshman guard Patrick Holloway sunk three of his six attempts, showcasing NBA range by launching all three from well outside the college 3-point line.

The Cougars were a different story, taking 17 shots from long distance and making only 4 of them for just less than 24 percent on the night. Until 15 minutes had elapsed in the second half, Houston had hit only a single three.

Then Young caught fire, hitting 3-pointers on three consecutive trips down the floor to bring Houston from down six 70-64 to within one, 74-73.

Young turned around his slow start in the contest, eventually racking up 21 points on 16 shot attempts and converting four of his five shots from the charity stripe.

Freshman center Valentine Izundu earned some meaningful minutes Monday and controlled the paint defensively when on the floor — including a block that led to a UH layup for its first lead of the game.

Izundu struggled from the line though, with three attempts and no makes.

Young and Thomas did not get much help.

Redshirt freshman Jherrod Stiggers, who has ignited the Cougar offense in several games this season with timely scoring, was 1-9 from the floor and did not make any of his five 3-point attempts.

Senior forward Leon Gibson tallied as many personal fouls as points, two, despite passing to Thomas and freshman forward Danuel House. House was effective with 13 points on 3-6 shooting, but he missed three of his nine free throws.

With the final margin at four points and the contest within one or two points for much of the end of regulation and overtime, missed free throws could haunt the Cougars all offseason. UH made only 16 of its 24 attempts from the foul line for 67 percent, which left enough points on the table to be the deciding factor in the match.

The Cougars are young, though, and with the exception of Gibson, the entire roster will return next season with high hopes.

Conference USA Freshman of the Year House and first-team Conference USA honoree Thomas will attempt to help the Cougars build on their successes this season and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament in March.

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Freshman forward Danuel House is the Cougars’ third-leading scorer at 12.4 points per game. He was named C-USA Freshman of the Year. | Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar

When freshman forward Danuel House first arrived at UH, he wasn’t hitting game-winning shots like he did Wednesday to lift the Cougars to a victory against Texas at Hofheinz Pavilion. In fact, he had a hard time staying on his feet at first.

“I always go back to one of his first days of practice. He was practicing with Leon (Gibson) and guys that are grown men basically,” said Bryan Lewis, assistant director of Sports Performance. “He was 18, and he was driving in the lane and landing on his back almost every time.”

Lewis said summer practice allowed House to get prepared for the season because he got knocked down several times. House saw that he needed to get into the weight room and that he couldn’t be content to just work on his jump shot. He had to get stronger to prepare himself for the physicality of the college game.

Summer practices allowed House to get ready for the pace of college basketball, said assistant coach Daniyal Robinson, because the speed of the game was faster than the tempo House saw at Fort Bend High School.

If he continues to build strength, House could be handing out the punishment, Robinson said.

“With added strength, not necessarily having to get bulky, he’ll be putting guys on their back — not falling on his,” Robinson said.

Because he put the work in before the season, House has been a contributor on the team since the first game of the season. More importantly, said head coach James Dickey, the players and coaches expect him to to make big shots late in the second half, because he has a track record.

“He made the huge shot against Texas Southern here to put the game in overtime,” Dickey said. “And when he got that ball against Texas, I felt very good that it had a good chance to go in, and he made it. I was really worried about how much time was going to be left and defending on the other end.”

Taking big shots is nothing new to House. He has the confidence to take shots in crunch time, because he has been taking them since eighth grade. He estimates that he has hit six game-winners during his career.

“It takes a lot of heart, and it takes a lot of hard work to work on it. It takes a lot of mental focus,” House said.

But for House to live up to the five-star expectations placed on him by his ranking coming out of high school, he has to take another developmental step. He is already making his way partially up the ladder.

House is the Cougars’ third-leading scorer with 12.4 points per game and was named Conference USA’s freshman of the year. He was also named to the league’s five-man All-Freshman Team after being named C-USA Freshman of the Week three times. House had five 20-point games, including a career-high 28 points during the Jan. 9 game against SMU.

House is the first Freshman of the Year in any league in school history.

Dickey said the offseason will be instrumental in House and the team’s development next season, because House is surrounded by a young but talented team. The Cougars’ top four scorers are freshmen and sophomores. UH has only one senior, forward Leon Gibson, who hasn’t been a consistent starter this season.

The Cougars will also add Danrad Knowles to their front line. Knowles — who had offers from Baylor, Arkansas and Missouri and was the seventh-ranked high school player in Texas — will join their front line after sitting out a year.

House said the Cougars will just need to connect a complex puzzle to reach their goals for next season.

“We are just going to have to connect the pieces. That’s how I look at it,” House said. “The offseason gives us a lot of time to connect them and get stronger with one another and trust one another even more.”

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Redshirt sophomore guard Joseph leads the Cougars in scoring with 18.54 points per game. | Justin Tijerina/ The Daily Cougar

As the crowd of almost 4,500 stood anxiously watching redshirt sophomore guard Joseph Young sink four three-pointers and lead the UH to a 13-year-coming win against Texas, no one was thinking of his father’s retired jersey hanging high above the court.

Instead, as Young leaped into the student section, the fans thought only of this new generation.

With an average of 18.54 points per game, Joseph is ranked among C-USA’s top individual leaders in scoring, three-point field goal percentage and three-point field goals made per game. He also led the Cougars this season in minutes played, steals, three-pointers made and three-point attempts, and he received All-Freshman team honors along with sophomore forward TaShawn Thomas last year.

Although Michael Young’s jersey casts a big shadow after having been worn during the Phi Slama Jama era by the All-American and UH Hall of Honor inductee, it hasn’t kept Joseph out of the light.

“He’s a different type of player than his father was, and he knows that. I think he embraces and respects that fact and has great admiration for his dad playing during one of the greatest basketball eras of all time,” said head coach James Dickey\. “But he is just trying to be Joseph, not Michael.”

Waking up at 5:30 a.m. for his own pre-practice workout, Joseph Young says his confidence comes from the gym and from bettering himself. He even opted for the jersey number zero to remind himself of where he started.

“I choose number zero because I was nothing at first,” he said. “Now, I’m getting better.”

In high school, Joseph led the Yates Lions to their first set of back-to-back state championships.  Averaging 27.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.4 steals and 3.8 assists per game, he was named Texas Gatorade Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year and selected to the All-State team his senior year.

After sitting out a year, he became one of only six players to compete in all 30 games for the Cougars as a freshman. Dickey and assistant coach Alvin Brooks have now come to rely on the 6-foot-3-inch Houston native for his consistency, efficiency and scoring.

“We look to Joe to continue to give us consistent effort on both ends of the court and get us off to a good start. We need him to help us get through rough patches when we struggle and then help us finish the game,” Brooks said.

“That’s a lot of responsibility but that is what we have come to expect from him. He is just fearless when it comes to his ability to score or make plays to help his team win when the game is hanging in the balance.”

Joseph said he expects nothing less and looks to the summer to continue to improve his game once again.

“I’m going to have a big time summer and work harder than I did this past summer. Work harder, get better and become a better teammate by helping these other guys get in here and do it with me,” Joseph said.

Adorned with tattoos of memories including a large one of his father, Joseph said he is never too far from his family history especially when he is in Hofheinz, but he sees this only as motivation.

“It’s just basketball. There’s no pressure or anything.  I’m just to trying to go out there and beat (my dad’s) records,” Joseph said. “I want to do what he did but better.”

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Sophomore guard Joseph Young finished the game with a team-high 18 points. Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar

Throughout the season, the Cougars have struggled to finish games strong after building second-half leads and have allowed opponents to grab come-from-behind victories.

The Cougars have grown accustomed to letting teams crawl their way back into games this season.

On Jan. 19, UH allowed UCF to come back from an 11-point deficit and steal a victory. The same formula followed three games later on Jan. 22 when it allowed Rice to come back from a 15-point deficit — Rice’s only Conference USA victory. Finally, Tulane erased a 19-point second-half Cougar lead at Hofheinz Pavilion on Feb. 9.

However, the Cougars didn’t let that happen Wednesday at Hofheinz in their biggest win this season, defeating Texas 73-72 in UH’s first postseason game in three years.

Head coach James Dickey said his team made big plays at big moments when it mattered most:

• Senior forward Leon Gibson’s dunk, with the ensuing free-throw conversion after being fouled, gave UH a 64-62 lead with 4:55 remaining.

• Sophomore forward TaShawn Thomas’ pair of free throws extended it to five with 4:08 remaining.

• House’s go-ahead jumper with 17 seconds remaining.

Down 72-71 to Texas with 37 seconds remaining in the second half, UH sophomore guard Joseph Young was trapped by two Longhorns as he drove down the left baseline. Wisely, he kicked it out to freshman forward Danuel House, who calmly hit a jumper from the right elbow to put the Cougars up by one with 17 seconds remaining.

House and Dickey said the Cougars just needed to play defense.

“We had so many guys make shots. There at the end, after House put us up one, we just needed one stop,” Dickey said

UH’s defense did come up with a stop.

After a Longhorn turnover on the final possession sophomore guard Joseph Young secured the loose ball and sealed a 73-72 victory, propelling the Cougars to their first postseason victory since defeating Valparaiso five seasons ago in the same College Basketball Invitational.

Texas didn’t make it easy though.

After claiming a 33-22 lead in the first half, the home crowd saw their team’s double-digit lead turn into a six-point deficit when Texas sophomore guard Myck Kabongo put his team up 57-51 on a driving layup with 8:11 remaining.

 “We got off to a terrific start,” Dickey said. “We really did a good job against their man defense and then they went to a zone, and we stood around too much. We were not as efficient against the zone from that point on.”

“We were stagnant, and we were inefficient offensively, and it was affecting our defense. We were letting Myck Kabongo drive,” Dickey said.

On Monday, Dickey said Kabango would be the main focus headed into the game because of his speed and ability to get to the rim. Kabango finished with 17 points and six assists.

House said he was proud to get a win against a well-respected program.

“I’m very happy. It was an honor to play against Texas. It’s an honor to play against Coach Rick Barnes and the talent he produces and collects at Texas,” House said.

Barnes, Texas’ head coach, has the most wins of any basketball coach in Longhorn history with 358 and has coached NBA stars, including Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant and Portland Trailblazers’ LaMarcus Aldridge.

After the two teams’ first meeting in 13 years, Barnes and Dickey said they respect each other and would schedule to play once again in the future but with one condition.

“I have a lot of respect for James Dickey and for who he is and what he stands for. If they want to come to Austin, we’ll play them (UH). But if you ask me in a home and home, no we’re not going to do that,” Barnes said.

Dickey agreed with Barnes to play in Austin, but he wanted UH’s home crowd to witness the game as well.

“Yes, we would be receptive to that, but I’d want to play them home and home,” Dickey said. “We know they’re a big-time program, and we have great respect for Rick, and our players have great respect for Texas.”

Wednesday’s victory secured UH’s 20th win of the season — the 21st team in school history to reach that mark and the first since the 2008-09 campaign. It was also Dickey’s first postseason win in 17 seasons, a year in which his Texas Tech team was ranked No. 8 and reached the Sweet 16 in the 1996 NCAA Tournament.

Junior forward J.J. Richardson, the only Cougar with NCAA tournament experience, leads a sideline celebration after a first-half shot. | Justin Tijerina/The Daily Cougar

The crowd ignited when redshirt sophomore guard Joe Young found freshman forward Danuel House for an alley-oop on the Cougars’ first possession in their first trip back to the postseason since the 2010 NCAA tournament.

The fans ended the game cheering as UH pulled off a 73-72 victory against former rival Texas in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational at Hofheinz Pavilion on Wednesday.

Young carried the ball upcourt as time expired in the second half, jubilantly tossing up the game ball as the final buzzer sounded, a postseason winner for the first time in his career, and UH’s first postseason win since defeating Valparaiso in the 2008 College Basketball Invitational.

Young and his teammates jumped into the stands and celebrated with a packed student section. Young scored a team-high 18 points and was named player of the game.

The final seconds were tense, but House showed everyone in attendance why he was the Conference USA Freshman of the Year when he calmly sank an open jumper from the elbow to put the Cougars up 73-72 with 11 seconds left in play as the crowd showered him with their approval.

Texas sophomore guard Julien Lewis had the ball in his hands as time wound down. His ninth miss and 19th shot of the game hit front rim, and Texas couldn’t corral the rebound.

The missed shot rolled around the floor as the clock neared zero, and Young came up with the ball, setting off a celebration at Hofheinz.

Both halves ended well for the Cougars.

Young buried a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to give UH back a 6-point lead to end the half.

The Cougars’ scored their first 12 points of the game in the paint and took their biggest lead of the first half when Young put back a miss — capping off a 14-4 run to take a 22-11 lead.

UT struggled shooting from long distance in the first half — going 3-16 in the first half, but were able to cut into the lead at 34-31 with less than a minute left in the first half.

After starting the half with a 6-point lead, the Cougars gave it all up and then some when Texas scored 7 unanswered. UH didn’t score until sophomore forward TaShawn Thomas sinked a jumper from the elbow, bringing the score to39-38, after the team missed both free throws from a flagrant foul call on freshman forward Connor Lammert.

With two ties and 12 lead changes, the game was tight throughout the second half. House gave the crowd a reason to get on their feet with a raucous slam that put UH up 41-40.

Thomas gave them another reason to cheer when he put back an offensive rebound to regain a 1-point lead for UH with 13 minutes remaining in the game.

The game continued to be back and forward.

Texas freshman forward Prince Ibeh recorded his game-high fifth block on redshirt junior forward J.J. Richardson, leading to a Lewis fastbreak to give Texas the one-point lead, 46-45.

Lewis would follow the coast-to-coast layup with a 3-pointer to put Texas up 49-47, and with sophomore guard Myck Kabongo hitting two free throws out of the timeout, the Longhorns took a 51-47 lead, quieting the home crowd.

But not for long.

Young got the hometown back on its feet with an NBA-range 3-pointer, but Lewis, who led the Longhorns with 25 points on 10-19 shooting and 3-6 from distance, immediately hit a 3-pointer to answer.

Head coach James Dickey said he would be willing to continue this rivalry, and that makes sense after this win.

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The Cougars and Longhorns were rivals in the old Southwest Conference. | 1995 Houstonian

Before the season began, the Cougars wore black shirts with M.O.D. — March or Die — emblazoned in red letters made for players and coaches. The shirts were a symbol of their goal to reach the postseason.

The Cougars are a part of March Madness, though not in the capacity they would have liked.

After losing in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA tournament, the Cougars did not receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. UH accepted the opportunity to participate in the College Basketball Invitational — a 16-team postseason tournament.

Associate head coach Alvin Brooks said the experience of playing in the CBI could be the linchpin that sets the Cougars up for a future NCAA tournament appearance.

“It’s a great sell to your young kids. It’s a springboard to give us a chance to get back into the NCAA tournament as we move into the Big East,” Brooks said. “The teams that have been in the CBI have done that.”

UH’s basketball history proves the CBI has a chance to springboard the team.

The Cougars made the CBI in 2008 and 2009 and made the NCAA tournament in 2010 after running the table in the C-USA tournament. The Cougars have not made the postseason since.

Other schools have had NCAA tournament success after participating in the CBI.

Virginia Commonwealth University won the CBI in 2010. The following season VCU made the Final Four, where they lost to Butler, another former CBI participant. Including this season, VCU has made the NCAA tournament three consecutive times.

Butler, after finishing as the national runner-up in the NCAA tournament two years in a row, competed in the CBI last season. The Bulldogs are a 6-seed in the NCAA tournament this season and will face Bucknell in the second round.

Though to get where the team wants to be, Brooks said, there will be other factors involved, too.

“Obviously we have to have a great offseason going into the fall. Work hard and win games, but I think this will be a major shot in the arm because we’re able to play at home against the University of Texas,” Brooks said. “It’s huge for recruiting to have that kind of team in your building and have your guys play against a Big 12 program.”

Head coach James Dickey said participating in the CBI gives the Cougars a chance to get more practice time, which will benefit the team going into next season — especially with a young team. The Cougars’ top four scorers are freshmen or sophomores.

“Certainly we’d like to be in the NCAA tournament, but we’re happy to still be playing. I think for a young basketball team to be in the postseason — experience will go well for us as we continue to grow our program,” Dickey said.

The opponent also gives the game gravitas.

Former Southwest Conference rival Texas will stroll into Hofheinz Pavilion for the first time since 2000, when the Cougars dropped a 71-60 decision. Brooks said the players haven’t been a part of the UH-UT rivalry, so they’ll gain from seeing the passion of the fans Wednesday. It could be the largest crowd of the season because many UH fans love to root against Texas.

Redshirt sophomore guard Joseph Young said it will give the team a boost heading into next season.

“It will be great just to give us some momentum heading into whatever conference we’re in next year,” Young said.

Sophomore forward TaShawn Thomas, who grew up in Killeen, not far from Austin, said he knows some of the players, and winning against Texas would bring the team bragging rights in the state.

In a down season for Texas college basketball — no teams from the state made the NCAA tournament — the Cougars could lay claim to being the best basketball team from the Lone Star State.

If UH builds from a CBI appearance this season, it could make the march into madness they want next season.

The Cougars’ top four scorers are either a freshman or a sophomore. | Hendrick Rosemond/The Daily COugar

With only two players on the roster with any playoff experience, the rest of the Cougars said they will embrace the opportunity to continue their season against Texas on Wednesday night at Hofheinz Pavilion.

After UH was knocked out of the Conference USA tournament, the Cougars were invited to play in the College Basketball Invitational. The CBI is a 16-team single-elimination tournament until the Championship Series, when the tournament becomes a best-of-three series.

Despite sitting out due to a foot injury, junior forward J.J. Richardson — who played his previous two years at Pittsburgh, where they were ranked as high as No. 1 in the country — provided advice to his teammates and said there is a whole new atmosphere when the playoffs start.

 “I told them that playing in the postseason versus the regular season is completely different. Everybody comes to play because it’s a win or go home,” Richardson said. “Texas is going to be scratching and clawing for that position and will try to get this win just like we are.”

When senior forward Leon Gibson helped his team reach the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association Final Four as a freshman during the 2009-10 season, he said he learned valuable lessons from his more-experienced teammates. Gibson passed the same lessons to his younger teammates so they can be more prepared and focused when the CBI starts.

“When I was a freshman, watching the upperclassmen play made me realize it’s a different ball game,” Gibson said. “When we got to the postseason, we got more focused and humble to be in the moment.”

 The Cougars have shown their youth and immaturity in the second halves of close contests, as they have lost games in which they had leads with fewer than three minutes to play. The team finished the season strong, though, as they won their last four before falling in the conference tournament.

UH’s top four scorers are all freshmen and sophomores. Freshman forward Danuel House said playing in these types of games will only make their team better in the future.

“It’s very important because it’ll teach us how to maintain a lead when we get one. It’ll teach us how to control the tempo of the game and have more patience,” House said. “We’re young right now and anxious to get that feeling to win, and there’s only one player on our team that knows what that feels like (in the NCAA tournament), and that’s J.J. Richardson.”

Sophomore forward TaShawn Thomas said even though they were a young team, it’s going to be important to get this type of exposure heading into the future.

“We were a young team this year and that was kind of our problem, but we were able to close out some strong wins at the end,” Thomas said. “I think going into this tournament will help us out a lot with our experience and make us more comfortable.”

Head coach James Dickey said he is happy for UH and the opportunity for his players to gain valuable playing experience after the regular season. He said his team plays best when they accomplish a trio of aspects that he has sporadically seen throughout the course of the season, and when they don’t, it’s the biggest reason they lose.

“I think we’re best when we do three things: playing with energy on the defense side, rebounding and sharing the basketball. When we do those three things, we look like a really good basketball team,” he said.

UH will tip off at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Hofheinz Pavilion.

“I expect a packed house and hope we can get Hofheinz rock and rolling like we do during our conference games,” Dickey said.

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