Tag Archives: basketball

Final Four weekend was pretty good for Houston

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll take it. Beyond the basketball court, the Houston economy appears to be the big winner of the Final Four. Across the city, several restaurants, bars and hotels reported big boosts in customers and cash flow, as an estimated 70,000 … Continue reading →

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Yao Ming elected to Basketball Hall of Fame

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations! Ground-breaking former Rockets center Yao Ming has been elected for inductions in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, a person with knowledge of the voting confirmed on Wednesday. Yao, the first player taken in the 2002 draft who became … Continue reading →

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The Dream takes on The Donald

Posted on January 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

You tell ’em, Hakeem. Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon, a devout Muslim splitting his time between homes in Houston and outside London, England, on Saturday called the proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States “not worthy of a president.” … Continue reading →

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Losing our sports history

Posted on February 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This is sad. The original championship banners for the Rockets and the WNBA’s defunct Comets remain on display at Toyota Center, as do banners saluting both teams’ representatives in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. After that, Houston’s legacy … Continue reading →

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Darsh Preet Singh

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Very cool. Basketball courts didn’t care that Darsh Preet Singh wore a turban. Or that he is Sikh. Hardwood is a great equalizer. The court’s 10-foot-high rim does not discriminate. If you can handle the rock, you’ve got a place. … Continue reading →

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Can we really measure the economic impact of sports events?

Posted on March 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know, but they’re going to give it a try in Dallas. Spending in the region on mega sporting events since the Dallas Cowboys moved to Arlington could top $1 billion when next month’s Final Four and next year’s … Continue reading →

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Anyone remember the Comets?

Posted on September 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Not much to remember them by. Five years ago Sunday, the Comets played their final game. There were no balloons, no confetti, no celebration. There weren’t even fans. The final game the WNBA team played was at Strahan Coliseum in … Continue reading →

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Sebastien De La Cruz

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

You da man, Sebastien. A soft-spoken boy with a big voice isn’t about to let obnoxious online remarks bring him down — especially when he has so many positive ones in his virtual corner. Fans of Sebastien De La Cruz … Continue reading →

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The Hall calls for Guy Lewis

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Long overdue. Former University of Houston coach Guy V. Lewis, who won nearly 600 games, was the architect of the high-flying, rim-rattling Phi Slama Jama dynasty of the 1980s and helped integrate college basketball in the South, will be inducted … Continue reading →

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How cursed is Houston as a sports city?

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

So another Super Bowl is history, and as you might have noticed the Houston Texans were not be playing in the game. This continues an unbroken streak of Houston football teams not making it to the Super Bowl, some in … Continue reading →

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The Big East is imploding

Posted on December 15, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I never really believed that the reconstituted Big East was going to be viable in the long term, but I didn’t see its demise happening in this fashion, nor this quickly. The Big East is headed for another break up. … Continue reading →

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Maryland to join the Big Ten

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The dominoes have resumed falling. Maryland is joining the Big Ten, leaving the Atlantic Coast Conference in a shocker of a move in the world of conference realignment that was driven by the school’s budget woes. The announcement came Monday … Continue reading →

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Beren

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Though they fell short at the end, the boys of Beren Academy had a remarkable and unforgettable basketball season, and I congratulate them. They rested. They reflected. And once the sun set on the Jewish Sabbath, the Beren Academy Stars … Continue reading →

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Why salary caps suck

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

In a sane world, the Houston Texans would not have to worry about whether they have or can free up the cap space to re-sign Mario Williams as well as whichever else of their free agents they would like to … Continue reading →

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2013 NBA All Star Game officially awarded to Houston

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Yay, us! Seven years after last hosting, NBA commissioner David Stern announced Wednesday that the All-Star Game and weeklong festivities will return to Houston in 2013 at Toyota Center. “Houston is a spectacular sports city, and for one week it … Continue reading →

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NBA lockout to end

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Glad to hear it. The NBA will be back on Christmas Day, pending approval of a tentative settlement of a lengthy, combustible lockout that came closer than ever before in league history to swallowing an entire season. A 66-game schedule … Continue reading →

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Shunning A&M

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not just the UT-A&M football game that’s on the endangered list. The SEC-bound Aggies have said they’d love to keep playing UT as a non-conference foe, but Longhorns athletic director DeLoss Dodds has said the school’s football schedule is … Continue reading →

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RIP, UT-A&M

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Tradition, schmadition. This Thanksgiving one of college football’s oldest and most storied rivalries will be put on indefinite hold when Texas and Texas A&M meet for the last time as Big 12 foes. The Aggies wanted to continue the series … Continue reading →

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Houston to get 2013 NBA All Star Game

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Assuming the lockout has ended by then, of course. The game will be played Feb. 17 at Toyota Center, which also hosted the 2006 game. “It’s a done deal,” a person familiar with the bidding process told the Chronicle on … Continue reading →

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Yao retires

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Godspeed, big guy. Yao Ming, who became the face of China’s outreach to the West and the NBA’s growing popularity around the globe, has informed the Rockets and NBA he would retire, several individuals told of the decision confirmed on … Continue reading →

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Are you ready for 2016?

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Unlike the Super Bowl, Houston will get to host another Final Four in the near future. Detroit set the previous record in 2009, but the Final Four at Reliant Stadium established a new standard for the event’s highest total attendance … Continue reading →

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Get your economic projection brackets ready

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Final Four will be played in Houston this year, and you know what that means. The NCAA’s estimate for economic activity in Houston puts the total to be spent during the Final Four at $60 million, while the Greater … Continue reading →

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Way to go, Caltech!

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Woot! The Caltech men’s basketball team ended a 26-year conference losing streak Tuesday night after posting a 46-45 victory over Occidental in the team’s regular-season finale on senior night. It was the first victory for the Division III Beavers since … Continue reading →

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Houston bidding for another NBA All Star Game

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I wish them good luck with that. Rockets CEO Tad Brown has often said that the Rockets have pursued another All-Star weekend since the 2006 event in Houston ended, but he said Tuesday that he was more confident than ever … Continue reading →

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TCU to the Big East

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t say that this was unexpected, given that TCU changes conferences more often than some people change clothes. TCU, located “Where the West Begins,” is headed east. To the Big East Conference, to be exact. The school announced Monday that … Continue reading →

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68 is a difficult number to work with

Posted on June 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The poobahs of the NCAA are gathering this week to discuss the nuts and bolts of the new 68-team basketball tournament, and they’ve got a challenge on their hands. After meeting in May, the [10-member Men’s Basketball] committee asked NCAA … Continue reading →

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The Suns take a stand

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m very glad to see this. In an extremely bold move, the Phoenix Suns as an organization made a strong political statement in opposition to the recent Arizona immigration bill. Discussions on taking action began last week after the bill … Continue reading →

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Not just MLB

Posted on May 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Basketball writer Bethlehem Shoals argues provocatively that NBA Commissioner David Stern should take a stand on the Arizona “Show me your papers” law. Enter the NBA’s éne-bé-a campaign, launched at the beginning of this season in attempt to capitalize on … Continue reading →

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Don’t play ball with the state of Arizona

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

What Kevin Blackistone says. About 10 years ago, the NCAA made one of its most bold and upright decisions: it refused to allow any more of its postseason tournaments, like March Madness, to be held in South Carolina until the … Continue reading →

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NCAA tournament expands

Posted on April 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

To 68 teams, which is a lot less than 96. The three-team expansion is much more modest than 80- and 96-team proposals the NCAA outlined just a few weeks ago at the Final Four. The move coincides with the new, … Continue reading →

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NCAA 96 on the way

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Let the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the reactionaries begin. The NCAA appears to be on the verge of expanding the men’s basketball tournament to 96 teams. Insisting that nothing has been decided, NCAA vice president Greg Shaheen nonetheless … Continue reading →

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If there’s a big sporting event in town…

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Then it must be time for a story about the economic impact of that big sporting event. For a city that has hosted the Super Bowl, the World Series and NBA and MLB All-Star games in the past decade, the … Continue reading →

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Expanding the NCAA Tournament may still happen

Posted on February 14, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Put me down as being in favor of this. The NCAA started talking about [expanding the men’s basketball tournament] in the fall, along with numerous topics in all 88 championships, and hasn’t gotten past the discussion stage yet. “It’s still … Continue reading →

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Sportsmanship

Posted on January 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll say this much in defense of Yates basketball coach Greg Wise: I don’t think it’s any less humiliating for the opponent that you’ve thoroughly dominated if you tell your team to just stop playing like they care about the … Continue reading →

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