"The Show," as Houston men’s basketball head coach Tom Penders likes to call his squad, was on full display when the Cougars took on Virginia Commonwealth on Thursday in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
OK, so that wasn’t entirely true. A few actors did not "show up," leaving the Cougars somewhat empty-handed in a 73-72 loss in the opening round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament.
The list of no-shows did not include freshman guard Brockeith Pane, who poured in a game-high and career-high 21 points and eight rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench. The list also did not include senior guards Robert McKiver (17 points) and Lanny Smith (10 points, all in the final 5:03 of play).
No, the biggest no-shows were two of the biggest men on the court – senior forward Tafari Toney and senior center Marcus Cousin, who spent much of their time glued to the bench.
Toney (10 minutes) and Cousin (11 minutes) combined for two points, six rebounds and eight fouls. The Cougars (1-1) will probably beat VCU if they get even an ounce more production from these two.
Instead, the team could barely keep Toney and Cousin on the floor for extended amounts of time because of foul trouble. That forced Houston to run small lineups for much of Thursday’s game, which in turn allowed VCU (2-0) to out-rebound the Cougars 43-31.
And even when Toney and Cousin were on the court, they were nowhere near being effective.
The Cougars certainly hope that this sort of play doesn’t extend past this game. Their chances of reaching the NCAA Tournament this season depend on how much production they get from their frontcourt duo of Toney and Cousin.
The Cougars won’t have to worry much about their backcourt, which has great depth and talent. Pane (18 points per game) has been better than advertised after two games, and Smith and McKiver have played well. Freshman Zamal Nixon and sophomore transfer Kelvin Lewis will likely be key contributors.
But the frontcourt, where the rotation will consist primarily of Toney, Cousin and senior forward Dion Dowell, doesn’t have great depth. So expect Toney and Cousin to be called upon to carry a bigger load in the post than Dowell, who makes his living out on the perimeter.
Luckily for Houston, the season is just starting. Toney and Cousin still have time to shake off their early jitters.
But they had better not take too long, because "The Show" can’t wait forever.
