http://www.yardbarker.com/rss/team/927 Recent articles about the Houston Cougars en-us Kelvin Lewis scored 28 points and Houston handed Oklahoma its third straight loss, 100-93 on Thursday night in the second day of pool play at the Great Alaska Shootout. Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:59:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Houston_hands_Oklahoma_third_straight_loss/1638401 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Houston_hands_Oklahoma_third_straight_loss/1638401 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Houston_hands_Oklahoma_third_straight_loss/1638401 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/3/e/3ecd2ed0d3921c7a37f34bfbd2bd5c82285ed0e6/small/PicImg_NCAA_BASKETBALL_FEB_b4b0.jpg Kelvin Lewis scored 28 points and Houston handed No. 25 Oklahoma its third straight loss, 100-93 on Thursday night in the second day of pool play at the Great Alaska Shootout. Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:56:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Lewis_drops_28_as_Houston_stuns_No_25_Oklahoma/1638411 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Lewis_drops_28_as_Houston_stuns_No_25_Oklahoma/1638411 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Lewis_drops_28_as_Houston_stuns_No_25_Oklahoma/1638411 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/3/e/3ecd2ed0d3921c7a37f34bfbd2bd5c82285ed0e6/small/PicImg_NCAA_BASKETBALL_FEB_b4b0.jpg Location: Houston, TX Nickname: Cougars Conference: Conference-USA Last Year’s Record: 21-12   Why they’ll make it: Senior’s Aubrey Coleman and Kelvin Lewis lead one of the best backcourts in college basketball. They both averaged over 18 points per game last season and they’re fully capable of increasing that average this season.  Not only do they put pressure on defenses, but between the two of them, they pulled down 11.5 rebounds per game as well. Also r... Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:45:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/65_Teams_in_65_Days_No_43_Houston/1105642 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/65_Teams_in_65_Days_No_43_Houston/1105642 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/65_Teams_in_65_Days_No_43_Houston/1105642 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/5/4/54a5cdd484bbd71225f9253fc146d3e32d4ce142/small/PicImg_NCAA_BASKETBALL_FEB_dcae.jpg Aubrey Coleman had 24 points, Marcus Cousin added 16, and both grabbed 12 rebounds as Houston held on to defeat UTEP 89-85 in overtime in Thursday's quarterfinals of the Conference USA tournament. Kelvin Lewis added 22 for the Cougars (21-10), the tournament's fifth seed. Zamal Nixon finished with 15, and Coleman also added seven assists. Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:34:05 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Mens_Basketball_Outlasts_UTEP_in_Overtime_at_C_USA_Tournament/659863 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Mens_Basketball_Outlasts_UTEP_in_Overtime_at_C_USA_Tournament/659863 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Mens_Basketball_Outlasts_UTEP_in_Overtime_at_C_USA_Tournament/659863 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/5/b/5b32522e6ec1d3ec0b5b7b019664bb4be0b03380/small/GettyImageProxy.ashx_requestUrl_http_3a_2f_2fcache.gettyimages.com_2fxc_2f83902076.jpg_3fv_3d1_26c_3dEWSAsset_26k_3d2_26d_3d17A4AD9FDB9CF19315DD66DBF896C6F34C23962F4E58EEEA.jpg Aubrey Coleman notched a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, to lead Houston past SMU 85-76 in the opening round of the Conference USA tournament on Wednesday night. SMU (9-21), the tournament's 12th seed, was led by Derek Williams with 18 points. Paul McCoy added 13 points, Robert Nyakundi finished with 11 and Mouhammad Faye had 10. Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:44:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/SMU_Falls_to_Houston_in_C_USA_Opening_Round_85_76/660017 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/SMU_Falls_to_Houston_in_C_USA_Opening_Round_85_76/660017 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/SMU_Falls_to_Houston_in_C_USA_Opening_Round_85_76/660017 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/b/b/bbee8dc8016fe36bfb7099f914c0afb2d6c1686b/small/4b.jpg Aubrey Coleman notched a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, to lead five Houston players in double-figure scoring as the Cougars defeated SMU 85-76 in the opening round of the Conference USA tournament on Wednesday night. Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:42:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Mens_Basketball_Holds_Off_SMU_in_C_USA_Championship_Opening_Round/659864 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Mens_Basketball_Holds_Off_SMU_in_C_USA_Championship_Opening_Round/659864 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Mens_Basketball_Holds_Off_SMU_in_C_USA_Championship_Opening_Round/659864 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/7/7/77068820c0fc4577b02025511810ec5d4db9a62a/small/Michael_Vick_Appears_ad0b.jpg Hmmm?Part 2. Check this out. Oh and it gets better! Houston's coach Tom Penders had this to say: "I'm just sorry the official interpreted it that way. The way I saw it, Aubrey got tangled and his momentum carried him forward and I think it was a mistake." Kind of reminds of us about the time ... Sat, 31 Jan 2009 09:29:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Houston_Tom_Penders_Is_Losing_It/493850 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Houston_Tom_Penders_Is_Losing_It/493850 Tom Penders' buddy at ESPN, Norby, has finally returned Penders' calls and it turns out, maybe Penders wasn't as crazy as we all thought. In a radio interview recently Penders accused ESPN of doctoring the video and adding X-Ray vision. Here is the clip in question:ESPN does add a spot shadow to show Aubrey looking down, which as I mentioned in a Previous Post is debatable. The intention is there nonetheless. Plus the ESPN announcer says, "He wasn't looking down at him, b... Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:31:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Was_Penders_Right/492859 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Was_Penders_Right/492859 Earlier this week Tom Penders had the gall to stand up for what Aubrey Coleman did to Chase Budinger's face last Saturday saying that ESPN doctored the video and added the x-ray vision piece to make Aubrey look bad. What really made Aubrey look bad was stepping on Chase Budinger's face and shoulder. That made him look much worse than adding a little x-ray vision graphic.Whether or not Coleman looked down to Chase there is indisputable evidence that he knew Chase was on the ground, bas... Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:59:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Tom_Penders_is_a_Dirtbag/492836 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Tom_Penders_is_a_Dirtbag/492836 We already have our first upset of college basketball season. No it wasn't a top 25 team, so don't get your hopes up. And no it wasn't Duke. Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:45:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/College_Basketball_Nightly_Duke_Rolls_Houston_Upset/370697 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/College_Basketball_Nightly_Duke_Rolls_Houston_Upset/370697 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/College_Basketball_Nightly_Duke_Rolls_Houston_Upset/370697 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/d/1d5deb3fc803a40ea1fb8d073ed182892fd2d054/small/presbytarian290x200.jpg Basketball Transition Defense: Are you Tom Izzo or Dick Bennett? If you ask most coaches to describe what the game of basketball is when you simplify it to its basic principles they will give you offense and defense. While this is true, Bobby Knight believes that transition is a critical component of sound basketball. Think about it for a second?if you are a great half court defensive team, but you allow transition lay-ups, how good is your defense? In a worse cast scenario, if your players aren't crashing the glass for the offensive rebound and they aren't back in transition, then where the heck are they? We are going to examine where they should be in regards to two different philosophies on what a team should do after a missed shot. For more information, join our online coaches club at Basketball Coaches Club (www.basketballcoachesclub.blogspot.com) or email me at coachdeforest@gmail.com. Offensive Rebounding or Limiting Transition Opportunities As a coach you basically have to choose between two options in regards to transition defense. Remember that you can't be good at everything or you are going to be good at nothing. For example, if you try to crash the offensive glass, but you expect the other team not to score any lay-ups in transition then you are setting your team up for failure. CHOOSE and EMPHASIZE your philosophy based on the talent of your team. Also remember that the philosophy a coach chooses should mirror their offensive philosophy. I would like to present the two basic philosophies that most coaches adopt in regards to transition defense. The Philosophy to Offensive Rebound Tom Izzo, the great coach at Michigan State, has built his program on the belief that most teams aren't good at the defensive box out. His teams are among the nation's leaders in rebounding margin (+11.7) since he took over the Spartan program. He spends at least 15 minutes each practice on teaching his players the habits to crash the offensive glass. They fight and compete to tip the ball, keep it alive, and own the offensive glass. A byproduct of this hard work is that his teams are fantastic at defensive box outs because they are used to going to "war" (a drill he uses) each day in practice. Most teams don't compete like the Spartans on the glass. For more information, take a look at his DVD: Tom Izzo-Dominating Rebounding & Man to Man Defensive Drills. Basic Offensive Rebounding Principles ?Choose if you are more athletic than the best teams in your conference ?Point guard to half court line and everyone else to the paint to rebound ?Stress that 70% of all rebounds come opposite ? overload that side on shots ?Practice and chart ? do your players get 4 to the paint and the PG to half court in your drills? Offense? Defense? ?Teach them to tap the ball against the backboard if they can't come down with it ?Keep the ball alive ? TIP it! ?Celebrate offensive rebounding ?Never accept it, but be prepared to see teams fast break more often The Philosophy of Limiting Fast Break Opportunities On the other hand, another great coach that believes coaches have control over transition, Dick Bennett of Washington State, would send two and sometimes three players back depending on the opponent in an effort to neutralize fast break opportunities. His teams traditionally held opponents under 60 points per game. Coach Bennett's philosophy was that his team was better than your team at half court execution on offense and defense. His teams only pressed if behind in games late and they played strictly man-to-man defense. In other words, his teams were simple to prepare for, but difficult to beat because of their execution. For more information, take a look at his DVD: Dick Bennett's "Pack-line" Pressure Defense. Basic Principles of Limiting Transition Opportunities ?Choose if you are less athletic than the best teams in your conference ?Send the PG to the opposite FT line and the Off Guard to the half court line ?Another option is to also send the shooter back immediately against superior teams along with the two guards ?Stress that we are not giving up ANY transition lay-ups ?Work on defending scramble situations in the full court every day ?Teach how you want to match-up and remember that open shots NOT match-ups beat you ?Practice and chart ? do your players have defensive balance in your drills? Offense? Defense? ?Choose offensive sets that allow for defensive balance; For example: stay away from 1-4 low sets or the Flex. Instead use 2-3 high sets or 4 out ? 1 in motion Prepare them the best you can so that your team can achieve to the best of their potential because you put them in the best situation to succeed. Transition is often overlooked and the main thing a coach needs to do is decide from Day 1 what their team is going to do in regards to defensive transition. Teach that all year long and emphasize it in practices and games. I hope this article has helped you to better understand the two basic philosophies of transition defense. If you want to learn more about these coaches or philosophies, join our online coaches club at Basketball Coaches Club or email me at coachdeforest@gmail.com. Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:58:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Basketball_Transition_Defense_Are_you_Tom_Izzo_or_Dick_Bennett/244106 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/Basketball_Transition_Defense_Are_you_Tom_Izzo_or_Dick_Bennett/244106 A look at the one game worth watching in the conference tournament. The C-USA has been dominated by Memphis this year. Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:12:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/C_USA_Tournament_Preview/190822 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/C_USA_Tournament_Preview/190822 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/C_USA_Tournament_Preview/190822 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/0/0/00fc25633784b5cad65c0e6b76c0e9fe6aa19dbc/small/t1_dorsey_ap.jpg The loss on Wed to ASU in this year's first Duel in the Desert Sun, 13 Jan 2008 03:05:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/The_Aftermath_Arizona_Wildcats_Midseason_Roundtable/70215 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/The_Aftermath_Arizona_Wildcats_Midseason_Roundtable/70215 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/The_Aftermath_Arizona_Wildcats_Midseason_Roundtable/70215 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/4/c4cff9c6a51115e68fedc03bb8827a1ca6621d55/small/73705-2.jpg Yes, the Wildcats now sit at 4-5 and are in the middle of their first four-game losing streak since the '89-'90 season. However, Kentucky fans have a lot to be excited about in terms of looking ahead to the future. FIO staff writer Dan Rossi discusses how new head coach Billy Gillispie will rectify this team. Gillispie has a great track record, and with some quality early commitments, the Wildcats could be singing a different tune next season. Sat, 22 Dec 2007 02:45:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/The_Future_Looks_Bright_for_Kentucky_Basketball/50976 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/The_Future_Looks_Bright_for_Kentucky_Basketball/50976