phi slama jama special section

8/20/2019 Phi Slama Jama special section

1/7


2/7


3/7

SPRING 1980UH lands Yates’Michael Young, thetop area recruit, andadds lightly recruitedClyde Drexler of Sterling.

FALL 1980 Just 190 pounds, Olajuwonarrives in Houston and directsa cab driver to take him to the“University of Austin.” Thedriver correctly surmises hemeant the University of Houston.

SUMMER 1980Houston coach Guy V.Lewis decides to take a lookat a raw talent from Nigerianamed Akeem Olajuwon,right, who has littlebasketball experience.

1980-81Olajuwontakes aredshirtseason andhones his stillraw game.

JAN. 26, 1982UH looks like anNCAA Tournamentlong shot as it losesfourth in a row — 85-82 to TCU — to dropto 2-4 in the SWC.

REMEMBERING PHI SLAMA JAMA

G 2 H O U S T O N C H R O N I C L E c h r o n . c o m / n c a a Ω Ω Ω T H U R S D A Y, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 1

The stuff of genius

By DALE ROBERTSON | H O U S T O N C H R O N I C L E

A spur-of-the-moment idea by a Houston sportswriter immortalizedUH’s fraternity of dunkers with a nickname that fit the team to perfection

“That was such an interesting teamI’d go hang out at their practices,” Bonkrecalls. “It was a magical time. They wereso quotable, so much fun to watch. Theydeserved a great nickname.”

Bonk penned one so perfect and soresonant the Cougars were soon wearing “Phi Slama Jama” on their warmups. AndESPN.com subsequently has proclaimedit the greatest sports team nickname of alltime, although they misspelled it, writing “Phi Slamma Jamma.”

Bonk says Sports Illustrated in a story

even accused him of misspelling it by going with just a single “m” in Slama Jama.“How could I misspell it?” Bonk

protests. “That’s preposterous. I made itup.”

Those Cougars were almost allextraordinary leapers, but Clyde“The Glide” Drexler’s above-the-rimmachinations and permutations provided

Bonk’s chief inspiration.Before Michael Jordanreinvented himself as Air

Jordan in the NBA, thecollegian Drexler routinelywas going airborne fromthe vicinity of the free-throw line and finishing hismultiple-pump jams with adouble exclamation point.

“Clyde,” Bonk said,“was the frat-house president.”

Reflecting today on his youthfulsky-walking, the Hall- of-Famer Drexlerconfesses, laughing: “Maybe I made it lookeasy, but it was really hard. I’d just go asfast as I could and jump as high as I couldand hope for the best.”

Drexler admits early on he wasmotivated by David Lattin, the formerTexas Western center whose rim-bending slam at the outset of the 1966 nationalchampionship game against “Rupp’sRunts” of legendary Kentucky coachAdolph Rupp set the tone for the Miners’seminal victory. Lattin, who had been ahigh school All-American at Worthing,occasionally would attend UH practicesand admonish the Cougars for notdunking more, a sentiment Guy Lewis

SPORTSWRITERS are genetically programmed to love nicknames, and admittedly sometimes we love them

too much. Many are downright silly, most are reaches at best and a few are embarrassingly lame. ¶ Doctors of Dunk? Please. ¶ But one Sunday evening in early January 1983, after watching a jaw-dropping dunkathon inflicted

upon an undersized, overmatched University of Pacific team by the gravity-scorning Houston Cougars at Hofheinz

Pavilion, Houston Post columnist Tommy Bonk experienced what can only be described as a keyboard epiphany.

M I C H A E L P A U L S E N : C H R O N I C L E

GOLDEN YEARS: Dena Lewis, wife of former UH coach Guy Lewis, shows her continuing affection for the Cougars teams of lore with a necklace.

also heartedly endorsed.“’Why didn’t you dunk that, Judge?’

Lattin would tell us,” Drexler said. “Useyour athleticism!’ Coach Lewis wantedus to get the highest-percentage shot,and there nothing’s higher than a dunk.Teams would know we were coming inthere, and they still couldn’t stop us. Itwas demoralizing for them. It gave you apsychological edge.”

Drexler remembers the Pacific gamewell and sheeplishly admits, “They were abit outmanned.” Bonk counted 29 Cougardunks in the 112-58 romp.

The next morning Drexler saw the “PhiSlama Jama” reference and “immediatelyloved it. Tommy was a clever guy.”

The nickname took on a life of its own.Signs started appearing at Hofheinz,and Frank Schultz, the school’s sports

A S S O C I A T E D P R E S S

WITH PRIDE: The Cougars liked their new nickname so much that they started wearing PhiSlama Jama warmups, which were appropriate attire for a dunk-filled win over Louisville in 1983.

BONK

information director, had Phi Slama JamaT-shirts made by the hundreds. Bonkadmits he considered some marketing options of his own.

“I think Phi Slama Jama pajamaswould have worked,” he said, “but I neverpursued it.”

The pinnacle of that season would beHouston’s Final Four semifinal victoryover Louisville, when the Cougars beatLouisville’s aforementioned Doctors of Dunk at their own name, only to suffer theinfamous championship-game upset loss

to North Carolina State on, i rony of ironies, a Lorenzo Charles put-back dunkas time expired.

Bonk, who left Houston to coverthe Lakers for the Los Angeles Timesin the fall of 1983, probably has fondermemories of that ultimately ill-fated tripto Albuquerque, N.M., than the Cougarsdo. Upon arriving, the team presented himwith the same nylon Phi Slama Jama jacketthe players were proudly sporting.

“Mine had ‘Author’ embroideredon the chest where they had their names,”Bonk said.

Before a Lakers game at the Foruma year or so later, Bonk was working courtside when he was approached bythree young guys dressed like Kurt Rambis(thick-rimmed glasses, baggy clothes; theycalled themselves the “Rambis Youth”).One of them said, “Hey, dude, you’re in

Trivial Pursuit.”Sure enough, in the sports version of

the popular game there it was: “Whatschool’s 1982-83 cagers did writer TommyBonk dub the Phil Slama Jama Fraternity?”

Bonk had the card encased in plastic,and it’s now displayed in his San Franciscohome in a place of honor.

“On a shelf i n the bathroom,” he said,“next to my Eric Cartman (the South Parkcharacter) driver’s license and my TigerWoods bobblehead doll.”

Bonk retired as the Los Angeles Times’ golf writer in 2008

to work for Golf Digest Digital and today posts blogs four

times a week on his own site, thomasbonk.com. He also

writes for masters.com.

[email protected]

CALL OF THE WILD

ESPN.com labeled Phi Slama Jama the all-time best team nickname. A sampling of othercollege basketball nicknames through the years:

Name School When Claim to fame

Fab Five Michigan 1992-94 Reached NCAA final as freshmen, sophomores

Flying Illini I llinois 1988-89 Reached Final Four

Doctors of Dunk Louisville Early 1980s Won 1980 title, made 1983 Final Four

Rupp’s Runts Kentucky 1965-66 Finished second in NCAA Tournament

Ta ll Firs O rego n 1 938 -39 Wo n first NCAA ch amp io ns hp


4/7

M I C H A E L P A U L S E N : C H R O N I C L E

SPECIAL OCCASION: There were smiles all around as coach Guy V. Lewis, Hakeem Olajuwon and other stars of the Phi Slama Jama era came toHofheinz Pavilion in January for a photo shoot that turned into a rare reunion.

The Guy behind it all

By JEROME SOLOMON | H O US T ON C H R ON I C LE

Please see LEWIS, Page G6

Without fanfare or self-promotion, Lewis turned out winning teams of all styles yearafter year. Those in the know recognize the widely admired coach as a Hall of Famer

It was more than just his loud, er,fancy suits, mesmerizing Southerndrawl and eye-catching, signaturered-and-white polka-dot and latercheckered towels that his Aunt Evaordered for him through her varietystore back home in Arp.

Lewis carried a confident, coolcharisma that charmed some andcaptivated others. For 40 years, hewas a Cougar on the prowl at theUniversity of Houston, first as aplayer, then a coach.

When he retired in 1986, heclaimed 592 victories and had beento five Final Fours. Yet 25 years later,the “0” next to his name under NCAAchampionships is often the firstnumber mentioned in discussions of his legacy.

It matters not to some that henever lost a regional final or that fourof his five losses in the Final Fourwere to No. 1-ranked or top-seededfavorites. He never won the big one.

“The coaches I hated coaching against were the real good ones, andGuy was one of those,” John Wooden,who died last June, told the SanAntonio Express-News in 1998. “Ithink Guy took a bum rap because henever won a national championship.”

Bum rap indeed.

In 30 years of coaching, Lewiswon with tall teams, short teams,white teams, black teams, deliberateteams, pressing teams, set-shot-

shooting teams and slam-dunking teams.

Yet most focus only on thelatter, especially since the highest-flying team in college basketballhistory lost a heartbreaker to NorthCarolina State in the 1983 nationalchampionship game.

“The best thing that everhappened to coach Lewis and theworst thing that ever happened tocoach Lewis was Phi Slama Jama,”1977 All-America guard Otis Birdsong said. “They were so good, it almostlooked as if he wasn’t coaching them.”

There are plenty “he just rolledthe ball out there” critics, but Lewiswas more than just a master recruiter.Though he did recruit with style.

He showed up in the Fifth Ward

in 1968 driving a Cougar red Pontiacwhile decked out in a red jacketand, if Wheatley’s Jerry Bonneyremembers correctly, red slacks tomatch. Lewis was so sharp he had tobe a Hollywood star.

“To this day, I have friends whobelieve I was so popular in highschool that Johnny Carson came tomy house,” Bonney, a local defenseattorney, said with a laugh. “Backthen, white people didn’t come toFifth Ward for anything. But coachLewis was as comfortable as could be.

“Like any pioneer, he wasn’t afraidto make a statement and do what hethought was right.”

Not only did Lewis drive

integration of basketball in the South,he was a basketball genius.

Not a misunderstood genius.A misdiagnosed one. Miscast assomeone along for the ride instead of the one who made it all go.

Were he more of a self-promoter,he might have garnered the reverencefrom the national media that such anaccomplished coach deserves.

“I didn’t worry about who likedme,” Lewis said.

A 1973 Sports Illustrated articlesaid UH “leads the NCAA inspinarounds, curlicues, throw-aways,mix-ups, turnovers, Brillo-inspiredhair arrangements and YMBJ defense(as in You Must Be Joking).”

As if Afros and athleticism affectone’s ability.

“I’ve heard all the terms andphrases: ‘These guys play street ball.These guys are undisciplined.’ Andit is usually used because you haveall-black starters,” retired UH coachTom Penders said. “Racism comes out

when they describe certain teams thatplay at a fast pace. Guy Lewis’ teamsfit that.”

Lewis, 89, was part of theinaugural class of the CollegeBasketball Hall of Fame in 2007 buthas been a finalist for the NaismithMemorial Basketball Hall of Famejust once (2003).

His players say that is a travesty.“If Guy is not a Hall of Famer, then

no one in the Hall of Fame is a Hallof Famer, and I mean that,” Birdsong said.

Added Hall of Famer ClydeDrexler: “Not only was he someone

A S S O C I A T E D P R E S S

WHAT A GUY: The mild-manneredcountry boy from Arp with the trademarktowel could show his anger on the rareinstance when things weren’t going theway of the Cougars.

WHEREVER Guy Vernon Lewis II, a strapping 6-3 East Texas farm boy with movie-star looks, used to

go, he left a mighty impression. ¶ Whether wowing an admiring high school basketball coach in New

York City, wooing a star athlete in an all-black neighborhood near downtown Houston or attempting to

attract the attention of the opposite sex at a tiny-town high school dance, Lewis won people over with

his style. ¶ Not all, but most.

MARCH 27, 1982In the national semifinals, UHfalls behind North Carolina14-0 and never recovers. RobWilliams, left, who was MidwestRegional MVP, goes 0-for-8from the field in a 68-63 loss.

MARCH 1982Sixth-seeded UH beginsthe NCAA Tournament bybeating Alcorn State 94-84, then upsets No. 3 seedTulsa 78-74 and a weeklater No. 2 Missouri 79-78.

FEB. 13, 1982UH beats No. 8Arkansas 55-53 aspart of an eight-gamewinning streak toclose the regularseason.

MARCH 21, 1982With Reid Gettys, left, making 10straight free throws in the closing minutes, the Cougars beat BostonCollege 99-92 in the MidwestRegional final to reach the FinalFour for the first time since 1968.


T H U R S D A Y , M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 1 Ω Ω Ω c h r o n . c o m / n c a a H O U S T O N C H R O N I C L E G 3


5/7

JAN. 3, 1983Inspired by the Cougars’dunking display in a 112-58victory over Pacific, TommyBonk of the Houston Post firstuses the term Phi Slama Jama.The nickname quickly spreads.

DEC. 16, 1982The No. 14 Cougars lose totop-ranked Virginia 72-63in Japan. They would notlose again until the nationalchampionship game, reeling off 26 consecutive victories.

JAN. 22, 1983Olajuwon, left, is blossoming into a star. He blocks11 shots in a 75-60 victory over No. 4 Arkansas.Olajuwon finishes the season averaging 13.9 points,11.4 rebounds and 5.1 blocked shots. Young was theleading scorer at 17.3 points per game, backed byDrexler (15.9) and Larry Micheaux (13.8).

MARCH 1983After beating Maryland 60-50to begin the NCAA Tournament,UH disposes of Memphis 70-63 and Villanova 89-71 in theMidwest Regional to reach theFinal Four at Albuquerque.

REMEMBERING PHI SLAMA JAMAG 4 H O U S T O N C H R O N I C L E c h r o n . c o m / n c a a Ω Ω Ω T H U R S D A Y, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 1

It’s a soar subjectBy JEFFREY MARTIN | H O US T ON C H RO N I CL E

Louisville’s Denny Crum defends his ‘Doctors of Dunk’ as the slamming standard,

but the 1983 semifinal game made clear that UH’s high flyers were above the fray

“It was the highest-percentage shot,”Crum said.

Which is precisely the same messageGuy V. Lewis was conveying to his players,imploring and instructing anyone with theability to cram it through the rim to do so.

“Anything that was dunkable wasdunked,” former UH star Michael Young said. “Anything that wasn’t dunkable wasdunked. It didn’t matter.”

According to Young, a normal day mighthave began with a “light” dunk contestbefore practice, constant scrimmaging orrunning intertwined with Lewis repeatedlyurging the big men to gather themselveswith a big step to the basket in order to,yes, dunk, and then another dunk contestafter practice.

“We put the dunk out there,” Young said.

Or, to appease Crum, the Cougarsshould at least be given credit for an assist.When UH and Louisville met in the 1983

national semifinals in Albuquerque, N.M.,the dunk was the focal point instead of aninfrequent exhibition of brilliance.

It was thrilling, particularly aroundhere when Benny Anders, possibly the bestdunker on the team, stepped in for LarryMicheaux, who had just fouled out, late inregulation and victimized Cardinals centerCharles Jones with a mid-air collision andflush.

It was beautiful, again around here butnot so much for Jones, who was caughtagain moments later by Clyde “TheGlide” Drexler, who swooped in with theintention of jamming with a cocked righthand but then brought the ball back to hisleft for an even more emphatic slam.

And it was compelling, so much so that

THE dunk was banned in college basketball in 1967. Less than a decade later, in 1976, the dunk was legalized again.

¶ And it didn’t take nearly as long for the University of Houston to revolutionize the dunk. ¶ As Denny Crum will

attest — and playfully protest, if given the time — the Cougars weren’t alone, and they probably weren’t the first.

Crum, the head coach/architect of those famed “Doctors of Dunk” teams assembled at Louisville in the 1970s and ’80s,

understood earlier than most the ramifications of stocking a roster with a handful of young men who, as then-UNLV

coach Jerry Tarkanian told Sports Illustrated, “can jump up and change the light bulbs.”

C H R O N I C L E F I L E

SWEET JAM: Clyde “The Glide” Drexler earned one of the most appropriate nicknames of all time by bringing an elegance to his frequent aerial assaults.

THEY WERE SMASHING

The best dunking teams in college basketball history, according to a poll by Dunkadelic Inc.:

a b c d e f g

h i j k l m n

o p q r s t

Billy Packer, the curmudgeonly formerCBS color analyst who doesn’t care much

for how the current game has devolved,fondly recalled recently how amazing thatgame was.

“There weren’t two teams in Americamore athletic,” Packer said. “If there was askill level attached to dunking, and if therewas a championship for that, they wouldhave been ranked Nos. 1 and 2. Going head-to-head against each other in that gamemeant something.

“The competitive nature is what Iliked.”

To varying degrees, it still exists. Of course, the Cougars won 94-81 to whichCrum groused recently, “If we played at sealevel, it would have been different.”

While no one understood at the timehow significant and lasting this stylewould be, both teams still stake claimsto the dunk although neither inventedthe shot. It’s become a point of pride, the

proprietary pangs steeped by time.“They had great athletes,too,”Crum said.

“I wasn’t privy to their practice sessions,but we had a lot of dunking practices. …We had all five of our guys in the NBA. Idon’t know how many of theirs were.”

In this case, though, not unlike whathappened in 1983 at The Pit, the local guygains the last word.

“We put a stamp on it,” said Young, whoestimates he is asked at least every otherday about his playing days. “When you talkabout U of H basketball, the first thing youhear is Phi Slama Jama. And when you talkabout dunking the basketball, our team hasto come up.”

[email protected]

Rk. School Season(s) Top dunkers

1 Houston Cougars 1982-83 a) Clyde Drexler, b) Benny Anders

2 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels 1989-91 c) Larry Johnson, d) Stacey Augmon

3 Illinois Fighting Illini 1988-89 e) Marcus Liberty, f) Kenny Battle

4 North Carolina Tar Heels 1996-98 g) Vince Carter, h) Antawn Jamison

5 Kentucky Wildcats 1995-97 i) Ron Mercer, j) Derek Anderson

6 Georgetown Hoyas 1983-85 k) Patrick Ewing, l) Reggie Williams

7 Louisville Cardinals 1982-83 m) Rodney McCray, n) Billy Thompson

8 Florid a Gato rs 20 05-07 o) J oa kim N oa h, p) C orey Brewer

9 Michigan State Spartans 1999-00 q) Jason Richardson, r) Morris Peterson

10 Michigan Wolverines 1991-93 s) Chris Webber, t) Jalen Rose


6/7

NOV. 19, 1983A chance for a measureof revenge is squand-ered in the 1983-84season opener — a76-64 loss to NorthCarolina State.

APRIL 4, 1983In the final against North Carolina State, a 17-2 run to begin the second halfgives UHa seemingly safe 43-35 lead. The Cougars miss enough free throws to allow theWolfpack to rally. With the score tied at 52, Dereck Whittenburg’s 35-footercomesup short but fallsintothe handsof Lorenzo Charles,right, whosedunkjustbeforethebuzzer gives N.C. State a 54-52 win. Olajuwon (20points, 18rebounds, 11 blocks) isnamedMost Outstanding Player — the lastplayerfrom a non-title winner so honored.

APRIL 2, 1983No. 2 Louisville opens a 57-49 leadin the national semifinals beforeUH takes the legend of Phi Slama Jama to new heights. A 21-1 runfeatures several electrifying dunks.The Cougars finish with 13 dunks.


T H U R S D A Y, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 1 Ω Ω Ω c h r o n . c o m / n c a a H O U S T O N C H R O N I C L E G 5

THE COUGARS (1981-84)

Members of the University of Houston teams that made three consecutive Final Fours:

Player No. Pos. Ht. Wt. Season(s) Hometown

Marvin Alexander 22-23 G 6-4 190 1984 Monroe, La.

Benny Anders 32-33 G 6-5 188 1982, ’83, ’ 84 Ber nice, La.

Greg Anderson 54-55 C 6-10 220 1984 Houston

Stacey Belcher 50-51 F 6-6 210 1984 Houston

Dan Bunce 50-51 C 7-0 235 1982, ’83 Conroe

David Bunce 52-53 C 6-11 225 1982, ’83 Conroe

Braxton Clark 52-53 F 6-8 230 1984 San Francisco

Eric Davis 12-13 G 6-2 180 1 982 Chicago

Eric Dickens 14-15 G 6-1 168 1982, ’83, ’84 Houston

Clyde Drexler 22-23 F 6-6 205 1982, ’83, ’84 Houston

Alvin Franklin 20-21 G 6-2 185 1983, ’84 HoustonReid Gettys 44-45 G 6-6 190 1982, ’83, ’84 Houston

Derrick Giles 10-11 G 6-3 175 1983, ’84 Queens, N.Y.

Larry Micheaux 40-41 C 6-9 220 1982, ’83 Houston

A ke em O la juwo n 3 4-3 5 C 7- 0 24 0 1 982 , ’83, ’84 L ago s, N igeria

Gary Orsak 30-31 F 6-7 200 1982, ’83, ’84 Alvin

Rodney Parker 10-11 G 6-0 200 1982 Houston

David Rose 24-25 G 6-3 185 1983 Houston

Lyndon Rose 00 G 6-3 185 1982 Nassau, Bahamas

Renaldo Thomas 12-13 G 6-2 190 1983, ’84 Gary, Ind.

Michael Young 42-43 F/G 6-6 210 1982, ’83, ’ 84 Houston

James Weaver 24-25 G 6-4 190 1984 Nederland

Bryan Williams 54-55 F 6-7 215 1982, ’83 Inglewood, Calif.

Rob Williams 20-21 G 6-2 185 1982 Houston

Rickie Winslow 40-41 F 6-8 223 1984 Houston

HAKEEM OLAJUWON“The Dream”

UH (1981-84): Known then as Akeem,Olajuwon was a consensus All-Americanin 1983-84 after averaging 16.8 points,13.5 rebounds and 5.6 blocks per gameand leading the nation in rebounding and

field-goal percentage (67.5 percent). Forhis career, Olajuwon averaged 13.3 points,10.7 rebounds and 4.5 blocks.

Post-UH: He was the No. 1 overall pickin the 1984 NBA draft by the Rocketsand spent 17 seasons with them beforebeing traded to Toronto. Olajuwon led theRockets to the only NBA championships infranchise history (1993-94 and 1994-95),won an MVP, two Defensive Player of theYear awards, was a 12-time all-star, becamethe first player to record 2,000 blocks and2,000 steals in a career and was inductedinto the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Now: Since retiring after the 2001-02season, Olajuwon has been involved inreal estate locally and has tutored NBAplayers including Kobe Bryant, EmekaOkafor and most recently Dwight Howard.He maintains homes in Jordan andHouston. — SAM KHAN JR.

CLYDE DREXLER“The Glide”

UH (1980-83): Drexler was part of twoFinal Four teams at UH and was a first-team All-American in 1983. He is theonly Cougar to record more than 1,000points, 900 rebounds, 300 assists and

250 steals. In his three-year career, heaveraged 14.4 points per game and 9.9rebounds and holds the school’s careersteals record with 268.

Post-UH: Drexler went on to a Hall ofFame NBA career with the Portland TrailBlazers and Rockets. He won an NBAchampionship after being traded to theRockets during the 1994-95 season andin 1996 joined Olajuwon in being namedone of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Playersof All Time. He also served a stint asthe Cougars’ head basketball coach,going 19-39 in two seasons from 1998-2000.

Now: Drexler currently serves as acolor analyst for Rockets’ televisionbroadcasts for home games on FoxSports Houston. He competed on the hitABC show Dancing with the Stars in2007. — SAM KHAN JR.

MICHAEL YOUNG“The Silent Assassin”

UH (1980-84): Young was the Cougars’leading scorer (17.3 points per game) asa junior on the original Phi Slama Jamateam in 1983. As a senior in 1984, he wasa first-team All-Southwest Conference

selection after leading the league inscoring (19.8 points per game). He isthe only Cougar to start on four NCAATournament teams and holds the schoolrecord for games and minutes played.

Post-UH: Young was a first-round pickin the 1984 NBA draft by the BostonCeltics and played three seasons in theNBA before going on to compete in theContinental Basketball Association thenseveral European countries. Young playedabroad for 14 years and led the Frenchteam Limoges to the 1992 European ClubChampionship. He returned to UH as anassistant coach in 1998.

Now: Young recently completed his13th season with the Cougars’ basketballprogram and his seventh as the directorof basketball operations. His son, Joseph,is a freshman on the UH basketballteam. — SAM KHAN JR.

LARRY MICHEAUX“Mr. Mean”

UH (1979-83): Micheaux was anhonorable mention All-American in 1983,was named to the NCAA TournamentAll-Midwest Regional team in 1982 and1983 and was All-Southwest Conference

in 1983. He averaged 10.8 points and6.4 rebounds in his career, ranks fourthin school history in career field-goalpercentage (58.7 percent) and holds theschool record for fouls in a career (340).

Post-UH: Micheaux was drafted inthe second round of the 1983 NBA draftby Chicago. He played for three teams(Kansas City, Milwaukee and Houston)over two seasons before going on to playprofessionally in Europe, spending a yearin Italy and nine years in Spain.

Now: Micheaux is a teacher at StaffordHigh School. He also has coached varsitybasketball and runs a summer basketballcamp. Two of his children have gone onto play college basketball. His daughterLaToya played at Texas A&M from 2006-09 and ranks fourth all-time in careerrebounds, and his son Josh is a juniorguard at Georgia State. — SAM KHAN JR.

MICHAEL PAULS EN : C H R O N I C L E MICHAEL PAULS EN : C H R O N I C L E MICHAEL PAULS EN : C H R O N I C L E MICHAEL PAULS EN : C H R O N I C L E

ROB WILLIAMSUH (1979-82):

Williams was a two-timeAll-American, topped theCougars in scoring forthree seasons and ledthe Cougars to theFinal Four in 1982. Heis fifth all-time in UH

history in career points scored (1,838)and eighth all-time in scoring average(21.1 points per game).

Post-UH: Williams was drafted in thefirst round of the 1982 NBA draft bythe Denver Nuggets and played twoseasons with them, scoring 1,319points. Williams then played in theCBA and overseas in Italy, Australia,Spain and the Philippines. In 1986, he

led Philippine club Tanduay Rhum to aleague championship.Now: Williams’ health declined,

and he suffered a stroke in 1998 butlived through it. He currently residesin the Houston area and runs anadult health care facility.

— SAM KHAN JR.

BENNY ANDERSUH (1981-84): Anders

lettered for the Cougarsfor three seasons andplayed in 76 games,scoring 327 points inhis career. The 6-5wing primarily came offthe bench but was an

enigma, known as much for his style andflair as he was for his talent. He quit theteam briefly during the 1984 season butreturned shortly thereafter.

Post-UH: Anders did not get draftedbut moved on to play professionally inSouth America.

Now: Anders’ current whereaboutsare unknown. His former teammates saythey have tried to track him down but

have had little or no success. “Nobodyknows where Benny Anders is,” MichaelYoung said. “We’ve been trying to findhim for years.” Said former Cougar Ken“Juice” Williams: “A friend of mine saidhe saw him driving a truck and said thathe was a truck driver. That was abouttwo years ago.” — SAM KHAN JR.

REID GETTYS

UH (1981-85):Gettys was the primarydistributor for theCougars, recording 740assists in his 120 gamesat UH, an average of 6.2per game. His career

assist total and averageare still tops in school history. He alsoholds the single-season school recordsfor assists (309) and average (8.4 pergame) and the single-game schoolrecord (17).

Post-UH: Gettys was selected bythe Chicago Bulls in the fifth round ofthe 1985 NBA draft and later went onto play in the CBA.

Now: Gettys recently completedhis first season as head coach of TheWoodlands Christian varsity basketballteam, which won the TAPPS Class 3Astate championship on March 5. He alsoworks as an attorney and as a collegebasketball analyst for ESPN.

— SAM KHAN JR.

ALVIN FRANKLIN

UH (1982-86):Franklin scored 1,684points in his career(eighth in UH history)and also ranks in thetop 10 in career fieldgoals made and

attempted, free throwsmade and attempted and assists. Heaveraged 13.5 points per game in hiscareer.

Post-UH: Franklin was selected inthe fourth round of the 1986 NBA draftby the Sacramento Kings. He playedprofessionally in the CBA and abroadin the Philippines, France and in SouthAmerica.

Now: Franklin lives and works in theHouston area. He owns a constructioncompany and is involved in home-building and carpeting.

— SAM KHAN JR.

Tracking the Cougars

With professions as varied as real estate, broadcasting, coaching and teaching,

the former UH players have gone places (some unknown) in their lives after basketball

C O U R T E S Y O F U N I V E R S I T Y O F H O U S T O N

UH’S 1982-83 TEAM: Front row, from left, Reid Gettys, Eric Dickens, Alvin Franklin, David Rose,Derek Giles and Renaldo Thomas. Back row, Benny Anders, Gary Orsak, Larry Micheaux, DanBunce, Akeem Olajuwon, David Bunce, Clyde Drexler and Michael Young.


7/7

who was blazing trails, he was anoriginator as well. He deserved first-ballot

Hall of Fame. The worst thing in sports isthat he’s not in the Hall of Fame. It’s justwrong. It makes no sense.”

Of the seven coaches who have moreappearances in the Final Four than Lewis,only Tom Izzo, 56 and in the prime of hiscareer, is not in the Hall of Fame. Morethan half of the Division I college coachesinducted in the Naismith Hall of Famenever won an NCAA championship.

“I will not set foot into that Hall of Fameuntil they put Guy V. Lewis in there,” saidPenders, who has written about the snub inhis just-released book Dead Coach Walking .“At some point they will put him in, but Ithink it’s a farce.”

Lewis didn’t necessarily have enemies,and he had respect. But he wasn’t greatfriends with many of the top namesin coaching from his era. UH was anindependent for roughly half of Lewis’

career, so he missed out on the conferencebonds veteran coaches usually build.

“He wasn’t an establishment guy,” saidlongtime Sports Illustrated writer CurryKirkpatrick, who penned articles on UHfrom the days of Elvin Hayes through PhiSlama Jama. “And Houston was the first of the anti-establishment teams, unlike anyother program in the country. The Fab 5were 10 years behind Phi Slama Jama.

“While I don’t think Guy was a great Xsand Os guy, he basically invented collegebasketball in Texas. That’s a great legacy tohave.”

Lewis had Wooden over for a party atLewis’ house in December 1961 after theCougars torched the Bruins 91-65.

UCLA went to the Final Four thatseason, the first of Wooden’s record 12appearances. UH, with a 21-5 regular-

season record and two losses to eventualnational champion Cincinnati, wasn’tone of the 25 teams invited to the NCAATournament.

Not long after that, Wooden decidedto go with pressing defenses and a moreup-tempo style. He brought out hisfamous “Glue Factory” full-court press acouple of years later, winning a nationalchampionship running what some sayLewis had been doing in relative obscurityin Texas for years.

“Guy Lewis was the first (college coach)to press,” said Jim Perry, UH guard and co-captain in the late 1970s. “He should be inthe Hall of Fame for that alone. He’s one of the top 10 all-time coaches.

“John Wooden saw what he did and hadto start doing it.”

In the 13 seasons before facing the

Cougars, Wooden’s UCLA teams had scored100 or more points only four times. By thetime the Bruins rolled into the Astrodometo face the Cougars in 1968, they were arun-and-gun team, averaging 99.7 points agame and having scored 100 or more pointssix times in 13 victories.

The bigger Cougars — aside from 7-2Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)— looked to control tempo.

Oh yeah, that little game in theAstrodome? The Game of the Century?The rare nationally televised collegebasketball game? The one in which No.2 Houston toppled No. 1 UCLA, ending the Bruins’ 47-game winning streak? Thegame that paved the way for the Final Fourextravaganzas we now have?

Lewis’ idea. Smart man.But who hasn’t heard the one about

the day basketball gods were handing out

coaching smarts, Lewis was out recruiting a power forward?

Lewis and Harry Pate, his assistant fora quarter of a century, recruited talentedplayers to UH, but that is where thecoaching began, not ended.

Lewis and Dean Smith were the onlycollege coaches with three players on theNBA’s 1996 list of 50 Greatest Players.Each of Smith’s three players (BillyCunningham, James Worthy and Michael

Jordan) was a high school All-American.None of Lewis’ was.

Drexler, with only two scholarshipoffers, wasn’t even All-Greater Houston.Hakeem Olajuwon wasn’t even in America.

“We weren’t all great players whenwe got there,” said Hayes, UH’s all-timeleading scorer and rebounder who retiredin 1984 in the top three in points, rebounds

and minutes played in NBA history.“Any farmer can throw a seed out there.Guy Lewis fertilized us, watered us andcultivated us.”

Lewis taught big men to play bigger,little men to play big and all of his playersto play tough.

When he was with the New Jersey Nets,Birdsong recalls going to see the Cougarsplay at Seton Hall. It was Olajuwon’ssecond game at UH.

“He was terrible,” Birdsong said. “Isaid, ‘Where did you get this bum from? Hecan’t play.’ And lo and behold he is a Hall of Famer. How did he get there?”

The Big Step is a power drop-step Lewisused as a 6-3 center on UH’s first basketballteam. With the move, Lewis scored 21.1

LEWIS: Role in integration rememberedCONTINUED FROM PAGE G3

points a game in 1946, the only time inschool history that a player averaged 20 or

more points a game and no other Cougaraveraged double figures. He taught it to allhis big men, from Hayes and Ken Spain, toOlajuwon and Greg “Cadillac” Anderson.

“I can’t tell you how much coach GuyLewis meant to my game,” said Olajuwon,who created the now-famous Dream Shakeby adding a fadeaway jumper and a soccermove he learned growing up in his nativeNigeria to the Big Step.

“He taught me how to play the game;how to compete. How to be a big man andhow to dominate.”

Olajuwon, in a raspy bass, put a specialemphasis on each syllable of DOM-I-NATE.

But it wasn’t just the post players whodominated under Lewis.

A 6-2 flashy point guard (Rob Williams)and a smooth 6-4 jump shooter (Birdsong)joined the 6-9 Hayes in averaging at least

25 points a game for a season under Lewis.The Cougars didn’t really scrimmage

that often. Everything at practice was

timed and controlled. Disciplined. Butsince Lewis didn’t call fouls there were ahost of tussles among players.

A good fight at practice meant a goodpractice.

“I always wanted tough guys,” said agrinning Lewis, who was in the Army AirCorps during World War II.

Hard-charging teams that pressuredopponents looked undisciplined to some.

Birdsong, pride of Polk County, Fla.,and the Southwest Conference Playerof the Decade in the 1970s, said Lewis’teaching helped him become such a prolificscorer (30.3 points a game and a ridiculous56.9 field-goal percentage as a senior.)

“He out-schemed other teams. It didn’tmatter what defense I saw, coach Lewis hadan answer to get me open,” said Birdsong,a four-time NBA All-Star and No. 2 overallpick of the 1977 draft.

Before the 1982 Final Four, NBA superscout Marty Blake said the only sure first-round draft pick on the UH squad wasWilliams, who was selected No. 19 overallthat year by the Denver Nuggets.

A year later, Drexler was the 14thoverall pick. Two years later, Olajuwon,first overall, and Michael Young weredrafted in the first round.

If recognizing and recruiting top talent,winning games and developing playersweren’t enough to cement a great legacy,Lewis opened doors that previously hadbeen closed.

Black players already were playing atTexas Western when Don Haskins gotthere. In fact, Worthing High School’sDavid “Big Daddy D” Lattin, one of theMiners’ five black starters who drove OldDixie down with a victory over Kentucky

in the 1966 national championship game,wanted to play for Houston.

Lewis wanted him to play there, too.And he wanted to sign Yates forward andeventual Drake star McCoy McLemoreand many others before that. But in theearly 1960s, UH didn’t have black athleteson campus. Well, except for those Lewisinvited to play against his players at

Jeppesen Fieldhouse.From his start as head coach in 1956,

Lewis figured it was silly that black andwhite players could compete in the summerbut not play together at college.

“It didn’t make any sense,” said Lewis,who grew up in Arp, a small town about 18miles southeast of Tyler.

In the spring of 1964, Lewis finally gotpermission to offer scholarships to blackplayers.

He and Pate made the drive to Louisianato sign Hayes and guard Don Chaney. Patedropped Lewis off in Baton Rouge to signChaney and continued to Rayville to getHayes’ signature on a letter of intent.

“It was needed, it was damn time,”Lewis said.

Lewis, whose hometown wassegregated, decided not to room his firsttwo black players together.

“If we were going to integrate, we weregoing to integrate,” Lewis said. So hebrought New York and Louisiana togetherin Texas.

Lewis had team manager Howie Lorch,who had the same position at Linton HighSchool in Schenectady, N.Y., when futureNBA coach Pat Riley was on the team,room with Hayes. John Tracy, a Brooklynnative who went on to become a notedtelevision director on sitcoms such as

Laverne & Shirley, Growing Pains, Full House and Family Matters, bunked withChaney. The two have been friends eversince.

“Coach Lewis didn’t bring us in and tryto hide us, he totally included us,” Hayessaid. “He had a lot of insight and a lot of foresight.

“He knew there would be trust issues,coming from where I was from. He knewhow I grew up and knew how to deal withit. He made us put aside things we werecomfortable in.”

Lewis, who turned 89 on March 19, hada stroke in 2002. He gets around slowlythese days, mostly in a wheelchair, with hiswife Dena — the high school sweetheartshave been married for 68 years — at hisside.

He has aphasia, a neurological disorder

that affects his ability to communicate. Itis a particularly aggravating condition fora man with so many memories, so manystories to tell.

He says he is proud that he spent hisentire career at his alma mater, that heintegrated the school’s basketball programand that his “Game of the Century” ideahelped take college basketball to newheights.

But he is most proud that so many of hisplayers went on to become fine citizens,excellent men (and a few great basketballplayers), who thank him for helping themachieve.

That is leaving a mighty impression.

[email protected]


STAGING A CLASSIC: Guy V. Lewis enjoys UH’s win over UCLA in the “Game of the Century,” amatchup he helped arrange that showed old limitations for college basketball no longer applied.

WHAT’S IT TAKE TO EARN A HALL PASS?

There are 82 coaches enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame but oneglaring omission as far as UH fans and many basketball observers are concerned:

Why Guy V. should be in the Hall Of FameBig winnerThe roll call is impressive: 592 wins, five Final Fours, 14 NCAA appearances, fourSouthwest Conference tournament titles and two SWC regular-season championships.All this at a school that has had little success in basketball before or after Lewis’ tenure.

Molder of talentWhen the NBA introduced its 50 Greatest Players in 1996, only Dean Smith and Lewishad coached three of the honorees — Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexlerfor Lewis. Olajuwon arrived at UH as a project; Drexler as an unheralded recruit. Theyobviously had natural athletic ability, but the work Lewis and his staff did with them wassignificant in starting them on their way to Hall of Fame careers.

Pioneer spiritLewis was ahead of his time in various ways. He recruited Hayes and Don Chaney in1964, giving UH its first black players before any school in the SWC. In 1967, Lewisapproached UCLA’s John Wooden about a marquee matchup between their teams. Thecatch: we’ll play in the Astrodome. What came to be known as the Game of the Century,was a groundbreaker for showing the college game could succeed in stadiums and onnational TV.

Why Guy V. isn’t in the Hall Of FameDidn’t win big oneThe glaring hole on Lewis’ résumé is the lack of a national title. In particular, the 1983loss to North Carolina State is held against Lewis. He was criticized for slowing down

the game when UH opened a lead in the second half.

Circus ringleaderThere may be no coach who gets hit with the "he just rolled out the ball" label morethan Lewis. Seeing what players like Hayes, Olajuwon, Drexler and Otis Birdsong wereas finished products in the NBA gives some voters the mistaken impression that UH wasall talent with little coaching. Billy Tubbs summed up the knock on teams with a free-wheeling style when he said, "There is this perception among some of those folks in theEast that you are a really good coach if you win by scoring in the 60s, but if you score inthe 100s, you’re strictly winning on talent."

Not from around hereThe East Coast influence on the Springfield, Mass., Hall is undeniable. Lewis isn’t alonein suffering from being an outsider. Consider non-members Jerry Tarkanian and EddieSutton, who coached 63 of their 67 Division I seasons at schools west of the Mississippi,combined for one national title and seven Final Fours. Eastern favorites Lou Carneseccaand John Chaney can call themselves Hall of Famers despite having only one Final Fourbetween them.


THIS WAY TO THE NBA: Guy V. Lewisshowed his ability to turn out the talent byproducing 11 first-round NBA draft picks,including Rob Williams (20).

TRIBUTE TO LEWIS

The University of Houston athleticdepartment will pay homage tolegendary basketball coach Guy V.Lewis in a special ceremony at 11:30a.m. Friday in the John O’Quinn GreatHall at the UH Athletics/Alumni Center(3100 Cullen Blvd.). Several formerUH players will be on hand. Publictickets are available for $5 each andcan be purchased at HoustonAlumni.com. A light lunch will be servedfollowing the program.

MARCH 4, 1984Trying to finish 16-0 in SWC play for thesecond consecutive year, the Cougars loseat Arkansas 73-68. A week later, theybeat Arkansas 57-56 in the SWC Classicfinal as Olajuwon compiles his secondtriple-double in as many nights.

MARCH 1984The Cougars beatLouisiana Tech 77-69,Memphis 78-71 andWake Forest 68-63to reach their thirdconsecutive Final Four.

APRIL 2, 1984Young, left, scores 17 pointsand Olajuwon blocks a shotat the buzzer to lead theCougars to a 49-47 overtimevictory over Virginia in thenational semifinals.

APRIL 4, 1984Olajuwon outscores Patrick Ewing 15-10, but Georgetown wins the final84-75. With Olajuwon leaving earlyfor the NBA, UH goes 16-14 the nextseason and has failed to win an NCAAgame in the last 26 seasons.


G 6 H O U S T O N C H R O N I C L E c h r o n . c o m / n c a a Ω Ω Ω T H U R S D A Y, M A R C H 3 1 , 2 0 1 1

phi slama jama special section

Documents