The Pecan Park Eagle

Fertitta Center
University of Houston

These new wave Cougar basketball stars don’t even remember Phi Slama Jama ~ they weren’t around as living human beings for Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler ~ but they now do their much revered elder and ancient predecessors a much resurrecting and forceful honor anyway by the way they each now play the game of basketball nonetheless.

DeJon Jarreau
Date of Birth: January 23, 1998

The connecting links in these older and present day big stage presentations of winning college basketball are Guy V. Lewis and KelVin Sampson, the two great coaches who did once and have again attracted signature-level collections of teachable savant-level talents to UH that have again made aspirations for immortal honors in college basketball again on hand and possible at the most deliciously feared recruiting area in the world ~  the home territory of the University of Houston. (By the way, UH Coach Sampson’s first name isn’t usually written with a capitalized “V”, but it probably should be.)

Corey Davis, Jr.
Date of Birth: June 4, 1997

The new Cougars are a lights-out pressuring defensive team ~ one that stops the opponent’s offensive play from going very far without yielding to the need for adjustment to something that works better ~ or works at all. Cougar point guards DeJon Jarreau and Galen Robinson, Jr. are the dynamo of a UH half-court man-to-man defense that puts a relentless amount of pressure on opponents to either misfire or turn the ball over. And once the ball does pass to UH, “relentless” simply transfers to the same kind of mentality on offensive goals of either taking advantage of what is open ~ or breaking up the other team’s defense so that it will be open.

Galen Robinson, Jr.
Date of Birth: March 31, 1997

That kind of play was all over the court in Saturday, February 23rd’s Fertitta Court 71-59 home game victory by UH over South Florida. DeJon Jarreau led all UH scorers against USF with 17 points and Corey Springer, Jr. then hit next with 15 points that included four 3-pointers. It was all enough to keep the Cougars undefeated in their new Fertitta Center digs and to send their season record before yet another full house crowd to 26-1.

Above: Head Coach Kelvin Sampson, University of Houston Cougars

USF Head Coach Brian Gregory was unreserved in his praise for UH in the post-game media conference. Are the UH Cougars good enough to reach the Final Four in the tourney this year? “No question about it,” said Gregory. “This is a team that can make a long, long run in the NCAA Tournament.”

With a couple of teams above them losing this week, the # 9 UH Cougars should be moving up in this week’s ranking polls.

Keep it up, Houston Cougars! ~ You do us long-of-tooth Cougars especially proud!

Fertitta Center
University of Houston

And thank you too, UH Board of Regents Chair Tillman J. Fertitta and UH Chancellor Renu Khator, for all you each have done in hand with the Board of Regents, the UH Administration and the UH Alumni Association ~ for the betterment of our university ~ and thank you especially for all you each continue to do in service to the University of Houston and the broader community that we all share as the City of Houston ~ and the near future home of the University of Houston Medical School.

“In Time” has always been our university motto. ~ “In Time” also will always be our UH delivery date on anything worth pursuing, having and keeping.

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Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher