The Art of the Dunk
From 1980 to 1984, they posted a 109–25 record. The University of Houston played a rim-rattling, fast break style of basketball that made dunking the basketball an artform.
They became known as Phi Slama Jama.
The Cougars made three consecutive Final Four appearances from 1982–1984, and two straight visits to the championship game.
Their roster was loaded with talent, with such names as Rob Williams, Michael Young, Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon, Larry Micheaux, Lynden Rose, Reid Gettys, Alvin Franklin, Benny Anders, and Ricky Winslow.
High-Percentage Shots
Phi Slama Jama was coached by Guy Lewis. His mandate was to dunk the ball at every opportunity. Their high-flying style made life difficult for the opposition.
This offensive scheme was the direct opposite of the teachings of such legendary coaches as UCLA’s John Wooden and North Carolina’s Dean Smith.
1981–82 Season
The Cougars posted a 25–8 record and averaged 81 points per game in the regular season heading into the NCAA tournament. They averaged 87 points per game in their four tournament wins: vs Alcorn State, Tulsa, Missouri, and Boston College.
They advanced to their first of three Final Four appearances to face off against Dean Smith and North Carolina in the Louisiana Superdome.
Houston’s leading scorer during the regular season was guard Rob Williams, who averaged 21 points per game. But in the national semifinal vs the Tar Heels, Williams went cold as ice, shooting 0–8 from the field and recording just two points for the game as the Cougars lost 68–63.
Drexler (17 points), Micheaux (18 points), and Rose (20 points) led Houston.
The Tar Heels were led by Sam Perkins (25 points), freshman Michael Jordan (18 points), and James Worthy (14 points). North Carolina went on to win the national championship, defeating the Georgetown Hoyas 63–62 on the game-winning shot by Jordan.
1982–83 Season
Rob Williams moved on to the NBA, drafted in the first round of the 1982 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets. But the roster still had Drexler, Young, Micheaux, Olajuwon, Gettys, Franklin, and Anders. The core of Phi Slama Jama was still intact.
Houston posted a 31–3 record,16–0 in the Southwest Conference, and averaged 82 points per game in the regular season (ranking #5 in the country). They scored 210 points in their first two games and 100 points in five games total that season, all within the friendly confines of Hofheinz Pavilion.
The Cougars went on a 26-game winning streak on their way to a second straight Final Four appearance. They posted tournament wins over:
Maryland 60–50 (the Terps were led by Adrian Branch and a freshman named Len Bias), Memphis 70–63 (Memphis was led by All-American Keith Lee), Villanova 89–71 (‘Nova was led by Dwayne McClain and Ed Pinckney), and Louisville 94–81 (the Cardinals were led by Milt Wagner and the McCrae brothers Rodney and Scooter).
Houston faced off against the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the championship game. The Wolfpack’s mantra was “survive and advance.” The Cougars winning streak came to a screeching halt. It was a tight game, with the game decided in the final seconds.
On the N.C. State possession with 5 seconds left on the clock, Benny Anders nearly came up with a steal that most certainly would have been an uncontested dunk at the other end for the lead.
But Anders only got his fingertips on the ball, and Wolfpack guard Derek Whittenburg was able to maintain control of the ball. Whittenburg fired up a desperation shot from 30+ feet away that was well short of the basket.
N.C. State center Lorenzo Charles leaped up, caught the ball in mid-air, and slammed the ball through the net for the game-winner. NC State 54-Houston 52.
Houston shot 52% from the free-throw line and 38% from the field. Olajuwon scored 20 points, blocked 7 shots, made 18 rebounds, and was 6 of 7 shooting from the field.
18.6 million viewers watched the game, helping to give rise to the popularity of March Madness.
Drexler and Young were Co-MVPs in the Southwest Conference. Drexler was named 2nd team All-American.
Coach Lewis was named Coach of the Year by the Associated Press.
1983–84 Season
Drexler took his talents to the NBA, and Phi Slama Jama still recorded a 32–5 record, and 15–1 in conference play. They were undefeated at Hofheinz Pavilion (15–0). They averaged 74 points per game in the regular season on their way to their third straight Final Four.
The Cougars posted wins over La. Tech and Karl Malone 77–69, 78–71 over Memphis and Keith Lee, 68–63 over Wake Forest, and 49–47 over Virginia in overtime. They would face off against Georgetown and Patrick Ewing in the championship game.
The Cougars were led by Alvin Franklin’s 21 points and nine assists, Michael Young’s 18 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block, and Hakeem Olajuwon’s 15 points, nine rebounds and 2 blocks. But it wasn’t enough as the Hoyas won 84–75.
Olajuwon earned Consensus All-American honors and Young was named 3rd team All-American by the Associated Press.
Changing the Game of Basketball
The above the rim style of basketball played by Phi Slama Jama changed the game of basketball as more teams adopted their style, such as the Running Rebels of UNLV in the early 1990s.
But with all that talent, Houston couldn’t win the big one. Drexler and Olajuwon went on the NBA hall of fame careers, and both were named to the NBA Top 50 Players of All-Time.
Even still, if you were a ticket holder of Houston Cougars basketball, you were in the presence of greatness, a group of talented players who could jump out of the gym and put on a dunk-a-thon on a nightly basis.
Stats provided by 1980–81 Houston Cougars Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com, 1981–82 Houston Cougars Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com, 1982–83 Houston Cougars Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com, 1983–84 Houston Cougars Roster and Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
