Despite a balanced offensive attack that saw five players score at least 12 points, the University of Houston men's basketball team dropped a 99-94 decision Louisiana Tech on Tuesday during the finale of a month-long home stand at Hofheinz Pavilion.
Junior Adam Brown scored 20 points (six 3-pointers) while senior guard Aubrey Coleman the nation's leading scorer, was held to 19 points, eight points less than his season average.
Senior Kelvin Lewis added19 points with four 3-pointers.
The key to the Cougars loss was not their ability to score but their inability to control the glass. Houston was outrebounded 55-32 by a good but by no means dominant Bulldogs squad. 23 more rebounds???
It's the same thing over and over again. Smaller but quicker, Houston runs a mini-Chinese firedrill on offense, firing 3-point attempts and runners. On defense, a full court press that once broken, get pounded on the inside but anyone over 6'9".
Tom Penders did a good job getting the UH Basketball program off of life-support, just as Art Briles did for the football program. But like Briles did three years ago, Penders has hit a ceiling. Briles made UH Football competitive, but don't forget he only won one...ONE...CUSA conference championship (and CUSA is hardly a murderers row). With the type of program Briles runs (circus-like, gimmicky offense and NO DEFENSE) Briles could get 8-9 wins in a mediocre conference, but probably never a top 25 finish. You won't see a Briles-led Baylor ever challenge for the Big 12 South title. The Bears will be lucky to win 6 games in a season.
This is where Penders is now. I like Penders. I find him funny, engaging and someone who enjoys coaching basketball. But his formula for success is lacking. Sure, Houston will win 20 games this season against poor competition, might even make it to the CUSA championship game. Just like the Coogs did four years ago, and three years ago, and two years ago, and last year...and be left pondering why Houston can't get to the next level, an invite to the NCAA Basketball tournament.
Houston relies on small, fast guards to shoot three's and penetrate, which offensively is okay, as long as you have some presence inside to rebound or at the very least provide some threat of scoring. On defense, it's steal the ball or get burned inside and outrebounded.
It's not working. Penders stopped the bleeding, but he doesn't seem to have what it will take to get Houston back to even a shadow of it's glory days of the 1980's.
Same old story, same old song and dance...my friend
