Darian Thibodeaux enjoys nothing better than to see fans at Hofheinz Pavilion excited for the home team.
The hard-nosed 6-3 guard from Dallas does his part to lift fans from their seats with his 3-point sniping and in-your-face defense. Thibodeaux said he dedicates his efforts on the hardwood to three inspirations.
“My mother, my sister and my grandmother,” he said. “I do it for them every day. Whenever I feel like I can’t do it, I picture their faces.”
Getting personal
Thibodeaux targets anyone not wearing a UH jersey both with his game and his mouth. He said frustrated players have punched him in the ribs before. But he gives the aggression back as well as he receives.
When UH hosted UCF on Jan. 8, Thibodeaux and UCF guard Marcus Jordan — son of NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan — had to be separated after a heated battle for a loose ball got too physical.
“We were both going for a loose ball,” Thibodeaux said. “He gave me a bump to the chest, so I kind of roughed him up on the ground and after that he didn’t want no parts of me.
“That was fun because I think I took him out of his game with that.”
Feisty defender
While most players take pride in only scoring for their team, Thibodeaux says he is as determined to clamp down on a player defensively to prevent the Cougars from being scored on. It comes as no surprise that Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest is who he patterns his defense after.
After adjusting to a new campus, coach and teammates, the transfer from Navarro Junior College said he wants to become more aggressive in driving the ball to the basket as a way to improve his plays and the team’s success.
Like most Cougars past and present, Thibodeaux only needs to look around at the banners hanging at Hofheinz to see inspiration to become a better player and teammate.
Three of the four retired numbers belonging to illustrious former players like Clyde Drexler, Elvin Hayes and Hakeem Olajuwon.
“To play on the same floor those guys played on,” he said. “That’s a dream come true. As a kid you always want to play somewhere a legend played and to actually be on the floor and see their names every day —that makes you play harder too.”
Thibodeaux is the only player to start in all 22 games this season, averaging 35.4 minutes a game.
So far he has recorded 8.6 points, three rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest.
Thibodeaux and UH (11-11, 3-6 C-USA) look to rebound from a streak of five consecutive losses when they host the Tulane Green Wave at 4 p.m. Saturday at Hofheinz Pavilion.