All great post. Let’s keep support matter what. Once a Houston Cougar Always a Houston Cougar!
A friend who is also a coach said “you guys beat Duke”. I had to think about it for a while. Instead of focusing on the loss my friend went straight to the positive. I think I will try that instead. UH is a national power in men’s basketball. UH is the team when the opposing coaches pull up their future schedule they cay “Crap! We have to play THEM?” Or say “Sh*t, we have to go to Houston to play there?” We have the respect of the opposition and that says everything. I am reminded of a story of a man who attempted Everest 3 times. The first two times he failed to reach the summit. The 3rd time he died on Everest - going after the tallest mountain in the world. His family said he wouldn’t have had it any other way.
3 Likes
Fred I actually teared up reading it. Thanks for your thoughts. It captured the moment.
Hear! Hear!
The pleasure of beating Duke
Is Greater Than
The agony of losing to Florida
I’m not an all or nothing type. I can be grateful (35-5) along with enduring the kick in the groin (missing 36-4). I’ll focus on the former and think about the latter starting in November.
Awesome Awesome Awesome Post! 
There was a drop off from 1984 to 1984,1994,2004,2014.
These days, there’s no such thing!
Hello all,
I’ve been a stalker on coogsfans for over a decade. I got my undergrad in accounting in 2006, MBA in finance in 2009, and law degree in 2013 at UH, so I’ve spent a lot of time on campus and really feel connected to the university.
I always loved reading peoples takes on the football and basketball games and have really found it informative and entertaining, but never actually posted on here. I never felt like I had anything of value to add.
But after going to the game last night, I feel like I need to at this point.
I started here in CUSA. I thought we had finally achieved something when we made it into the Big East, which then felt a little less of an a chievement after it crumbled and became the American. We are now in what was always the holy grail, the Big 12.
I still remember friends (some who didn’t even go to UT/AtM) that would talk down to me during the Keenum years because he was doing spectacular things but it was against CUSA teams. I remember Sumlin walking out on us before the SoMiss game which, if we won, would have gotten us a NY6 bowl game. It was crushing to have such an outstanding season end that way.
But then I had the chance to go to the Peach Bowl and watch us win against FSU. It took longer than I would have liked, but the feeling of the ultimate accomplishment finally came and the wait made it sweeter.
I came into this season not knowing what to expect. Jamal Shead was someone I didn’t think we could replace. I thought last year was our year and it crushed me to lose him in the Duke game.
But Uzan, Cryer, and Sharp made sure our guard play was elite. To make it to the national championship in the way we did is outstanding. We left an impression on the basketball world with the close out against Gonzga and Purdue, and the pure domination of Tennessee.
Even though we didn’t close it out last night, the world knows who we are now. Numerous “too early” rankings have us at #1. Granted, we’ve had that ranking for a long time before, but I think our performance has earned the respect of everyone watching.
They know not to not to sleep on Houston. And they won’t.
Even though we came just a few points short of the ultimate glory, we will be back. The program and the culture that Kelvin Sampson has built for us will endure and I have no doubt that we will see the ultimate glory in due time. And when it comes, it will be that much sweeter.
I just hope it comes quickly, so as many as possible of the current fans who love our Coogs can witness it.
22 Likes
Welcome to the posting family!
Great take!
Do you practice law in the Houston area?
Edit: never mind. Just sent you a LinkedIn connect!
You are truly a tax guru!!!
Excellent post! I was a UH 2008 graduate so I went through basically the exact same UH experience as you. Yeah Keenum is good ‘but’, ‘your real success was in the past’, 1/10-1/4 full student sections at basketball and football games - unless Rice, our students perceived Rice as our major rival back then and that is who they got most excited to show up for.
Yes it hurt like heck to lose but it was in the freaking National Championship game! I grew up listening to my dad who is a UH alumni as well tell me how great Phi Slama Jama was and how packed Hofheinz Pavilion used to be but it was just stories until Sampson got here and built us into a modern juggernaut and I could live the UH my father lived through. Elite basketball team in an elite conference. Final Four. Another Final Four.
I was fortunate to fly down this year to Houston from Virginia where I live now and see the UH vs KU bball game and stayed at the Hilton on campus. There is just so much more life on campus now. It’s hard to explain- there are just more people physically around campus that aren’t just going to class and scurrying off to a parking lot to leave- it’s just a different energy. Years of Khator. Years of Fertitta. Years of Sampson. We have great leadership now and it has served us well and I am certain we are now building a next generation of Cougar alumni proud to be alumni of our great University and who will carry forward the torch of UH passion into the future.
I feel fortunate to have been around when we had Penders and Briles coaching our teams because they were much better than what came in the decade before them but I could probably count less than 100 other students I would consistently see around our sports programs back then.
The KU game this year was just amazing - packed facility, beautiful arena, passionate fans, playing a great opponent and having a great team with a Houston jersey on. I went over to a cool on campus bar (The Den) before the game with my brother that I could walk to from the Hilton - that was just not a thing years back. The little things like that matter. Even the Hilton on campus which was old and dingy when I was in school was remodeled/expanded and built into something we are proud to have opposing teams come stay on campus in a beautiful modern hotel.
We should all be so fortunate - to some extent we were dead and now have risen as a university overall. I know if felt like the end on Monday night but ladies and gentlemen we have been transformed in a lot of ways over the last several decades as a university and certainly as a bball program. Our bball team should be great again next year and I believe our arrow will be finally pointing up in football with a coach who will build a sustained winner. It is a great time to be a Coog!!!
7 Likes
I got my undergrad a year before you, probably sat in some similar accounting seminars and never knew.
By the way, you always have something of value to add.
1 Like
Welcome to the family. Like most families, most of us get along. 
This board is a place where we express our feelings for our Cougars. Sometimes, it’s a place to vent or rejoice or place to find out information. In this topic, it’s a place to commiserate. Never feel like you don’t have something to add.
As long as you’ve been a part of the UH family, you’ve been able to see the lows which makes you more fully appreciate the highs. Hopefully, we’ll continue to achieve even higher highs.
Milos is going pro
Yeah, as they say death and taxes.
Luckily I’m a tax lawyer and my wife is a cardiologist, so together we’ve got all the bases covered lol.
2 Likes
Thank you all for the warm welcome!
@Cougarfred, we’re both beyond lucky. My wife loved this team and was really hurt by the loss. When we got back to the hotel, she started crying, and I told her it was alright. She said yes, but I wanted them to win for you
We’re beyond lucky!
7 Likes
I like that you also have a cougar in the background 
5 Likes
Orange cats are absolute menaces and awesome.
2 Likes