Local College Podcasts

Defensive Coordinator David Gibbs has put a new emphasis on defense at U of H. Believe it or not, they were ranked 20th in the nation last season. In this Dan Wollken USA today feature, he takes a look at the 3rd Ward D & the big change in philosophy over on Cullen.

In this Michael Smith Sports Business Daily story, University of Texas Athletic Director Steve Patterson aggressively defends the NCAA & the lawsuits attacking the amateur system. He believes the competitive imbalance the power conferences have is good for college athletics. He says the cost of college is a huge value & shouldn’t be taken lightly.

While football & basketball get the headlines, the rest of the U of H athletic department is excelling in everything from baseball to tennis. In this C. Austin Cox story in The Best College News Network, he highlights some of the many successes the program is having.

Think the University of Texas is only focusing on its recruiting pipeline in Texas? Think again. Ryan Osborne reports in the Fort Worth Star Telegram that Texas already has 6 out-of-state recruits in the fold in Charlie Strong’s first recruiting class, its highest total since 2002.

Think this first overall pick could come back to haunt the Texans? Jim Corbett in this USA Today column interviews Jon Gruden, who says that Johnny Manziel has “a lot of magic to him” and he “can’t imagine Johnny not being successful.” This is in stark contrast to the perceived route the Texans are planning …

What looked like great news for UH with the hiring of Kelvin Sampson has turned ugly quickly. As Joseph Duarte reports in this Houston Chronicle article, TaShawn Thomas & Danuel House say they are definitely moving on from the program.

Greg Cosell writes on Yahoo.com about all the things certainly going through coaches’ and GMs’ minds on Johnny Manziel before the draft. He does show the flashes of superstardom, but Cosell writes about the question marks and suspicions that make him a dicey move for any team picking him. Please vote in our poll below.

Who …

Two University of Houston basketball players are requesting transfers but they’re being denied. TaShawn Thomas & Danuel House aren’t interesting in playing for new coach Kelvin Sampson, according to this Joseph Duarte story in the Chronicle.

Kelvin Sampson is ready & refreshed to return to college basketball, according to this Pat Forde article in Yahoo! Sports. The new UH coach feels he’s a better coach after years in the NBA, and is excited about the growth potential with the Cougars.

Houston Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson takes over the University of Houston basketball program & this could mean the end of their 30 year winless tourney drought. In this Mike DeCourcy Sporting News article, he goes over the head coaching career of Sampson, the indiscretions & the history of success. If they can hide Sampson’s cell …

Virginia’s WTVR-TV has an article with video of Rice’s press conference introducing new head basketball coach Mike Rhoades. The Owls’ new coach spent the last 4 years as an assistant for VCU’s much desired young head coach Shaka Smart.

Texas A & M’s Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Johnny Manziel put on a slam dunk highlight reel. Check out this Bleacher Report Video with all the visual evidence. Maybe he’ll be Johnny Basketball next.

Podcast Kiss of Death
As I watched SMU head coach June Jones pace the sideline against U of H late last year, I couldn’t help but think about what he & the entire Houston Gamblers staff did nearly 3 decades ago… and just a couple hundred yards away in the Astrodome.  They revolutionized the game of …

Kiss of Death
The BCS, as we know it, came to an end a few weeks ago.  Like everybody else, I’m pumped to see a 4 team tournament. I think the right number is still 8 teams, but we’re making  progress. At some point, we need to discuss the issue of these other bowl games.  You …