After bowing out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, the Cougars likely haven’t immediately shifted focus to next season.
Being eliminated in the first round was not what the Cougars had in mind after achieving a perfect 16-0 record in Conference USA and 20-plus wins in the regular season.
UH made a habit of turning games into track meets under first-year head coach Todd Buchanan’s up-tempo philosophy. The Cougars won 17 consecutive games in a mixed bag of blowouts, and nail-biters.
But in Sunday’s game there were far too many mistakes, and West Virginia was the superior team. Similar to other UH sports, our players looked undersized compared to the other team’s.
The Cougars didn’t pack it in by any means, but every comeback attempted was met with a quick response. The Mountaineers were able to trade baskets with UH, until taking full control in the closing minutes.
The second round of the C-USA tournament was when the Cougars fell back down to earth, as Tulane was able to get the best of the Cougars, winning 70-60.
This was the same Green Wave squad that UH needed overtime to win 90-84 just six days before. Tulane was too familiar and caught the Cougars at the wrong time.
Some thought the loss would take some pressure off of the Cougars going into the NCAAs, but it will now be remembered as the beginning of the end of the Cougars’ season.
It could be argued that the Cougars hit their peak prematurely, but few teams can put together winning streaks like the Cougars did.
A regular season championship, a national ranking were both attained. While just earning a berth in the NCAA tournament was not the ultimate goal, supporters should understand that the program has an opportunity to bolster its status.
But make no mistake — the Cougars are losing four cornerstone players from the program. Two-time C-USA Player of the Year Courtney Taylor will finish as the fourth-most prolific scorer at UH with 1,684 career points. Her 1,012 rebounds are the best in school history, and she also holds the top mark in career double-doubles with 60.
Guard Brittney Scott will leave UH with the most made 3-pointers. Lesslee Mason transferred to UH as a junior, but she was an important contributor who could take over games. And Brittany Mason’s versatility will be difficult to replace.
The successful year will shine a brighter spotlight onto local players, and Buchanan’s style of play will be attractive to prospects.
As a starting point, speedy point guard Porsche Landry will be back for her senior campaign. Help should soon be on the way, especially in the post.
Taylor and Tyler Gilbert, a pair of 6’2 twins from Hightower High School, verbally committed to UH in February. The sisters will give the Cougars some much-needed height.
The change in the program starts at the top. The athletics department made the correct coaching choice by hiring Buchanan in April of 2010.
Fans may have been puzzled with the hire when they saw that in his last season at Houston Baptist his team had a record of 3-25.
But what that number does not tell you was HBU’s conflict from changing from the NAIA to the NCAA.
“When we considered Todd, that was the one thing we really had to get our arms around.” UH athletic Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades said to the Houston Chronicle shortly after Buchanan’s hire.
That mark means little now as the Cougars finished 26-6, earning Buchanan the C-USA Coach of the Year.
Buchanan is a motivator who is adamant that his style of basketball is the right way. His voice would echo throughout Hofheinz Pavilion during games, shouting encouraging messages or compliments to his players.
The people of Cougar Nation are more than tired of hearing the same phrase of “there’s always next year,” but given this pace things are bound to improve.
After Sunday’s loss, UH is now 1-5 in its NCAA Tournament appearances. But the strong showing this season must be the building block to something greater.
