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Tuesday, November 17, 1998
My Slama Jama: Clyde Drexler returns to University
of Houston
By Wendell Barnhouse
Knight Ridder Newspapers
(KRT)
HOUSTON - A former fraternity brother has returned to Phi Slama
Jama with the assignment of restoring the glory days.
Clyde Drexler, a former All-American who helped put the Slama
Jama in the University of Houston's basketball program in the
early '80s, has traded in his "NBA superstar" title
for that of "coach." He makes his coaching debut Tuesday
when Houston plays host to Texas and first-year coach Rick Barnes
in sold-out Hofheinz Pavilion.
Houston's basketball program, which produced three Final Four
trips from 1982-84, has gradually declined to an afterthought.
Last season, the Cougars finished 9-20, the first 20-loss season
in school history.
Now, the school has fired up the Wayback Machine. Drexler,
the native son who returned to help the Houston Rockets win their
second of two NBA titles, is expected to restore the Cougars'
national reputation.
"Absolutely," said former coach Guy V. Lewis when
asked if the Final Four magic can be recaptured. "Without
a doubt. How long will it take? Depends on recruiting. I honestly
don't think it will take 'em too long. The expectations already
are high."
There is a Cougar basketball buzz here that has been absent
for a decade. Billboards on the freeways say "Come Glide
With Clyde." Hofheinz Pavilion has undergone a makeover.
A $1 million scoreboard, 24 luxury boxes, 271 court-level seats.
Houston, which averaged 2,838 fans last season, has sold all of
its 6,800 season tickets. Drexler's hiring has had an economic
impact of nearly $2 million according to athletic director Chet
Gladchuck.
"I could have hired the No. 1 assistant from any of the
top 10 teams in the country and it wouldn't have fazed anybody
here," said Gladchuck. "I wanted to find someone who
could bring back some enthusiasm, bring the family home."'A
no-brainer'
Depending on the point of view, Houston hiring Clyde Drexler
as its basketball coach is inspiration or idiocy. Drexler's resume
includes one entry under coaching: "University of Houston,
March 1998 to present."
"Everything in life is a tradeoff, a balancing act,"
said Gladchuck, who has been athletic director at Tulane and Boston
College. "When I balanced the qualities he brings to the
program versus the learning curve he'll go through as a coach,
it's a no-brainer."
Harry Miller had experience only as a high school coach when
he took over at Baylor in 1994.
"I think experience is overrated," he said. "Coaching
isn't easy, but Clyde's an intelligent guy. He knows basketball.
He might not have coaching experience, but when he tells his players
something, they're going to listen."
Houston is a member of Conference USA. Drexler's 11 fellow
coaches in that league average 237 career victories and 11 years
of head coaching experience. The 36-year-old Drexler understands
why people question his coaching capability.
"Those people are right, but everything's relative,"
he said. "I've never had a chance. I understand people saying
that I don't have any experience, but it's just the game of basketball,
maximizing your players' talents and being efficient.
"I've been around the game, a student of the game, my
whole life. If you have the patience to teach it and can communicate,
I don't think there's anything that stands in your way. Coaching
isn't rocket science."
Drexler's supporters point out that Larry Bird and Danny Ainge
made smooth and successful debuts as coaches in the NBA. And his
current players have quickly accepted him - once they overcame
their awe.
"It's easy for him to relate to the players and for the
players to relate to him," sophomore forward Chad Kendrick
said. "He's been there, done that. He's fresh off the basketball
court.
"A lot of people have questions about his capability of
being a coach. It's surprising to find he knows so much about
the game. So far, he's proved that he's very capable. I don't
have any worries at all."'Volunteer coaching'
After a 15-year career that included two championships and
being named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history, Drexler
decided that the 1997-98 season would be his last.
While he contemplated his next career, he had several conversations
with Gladchuck about the Cougars basketball program.
"It just became logical," said Gladchuck when he
started thinking of Drexler as the successor to the ousted Alvin
Brooks. "The coaches he has played for, the athletes he has
played with, his success he's had in basketball and in life. He's
intelligent and he's had success in nearly every phase of his
life.
"I asked him if he had ever thought about coaching and
one thing led to another."
Gladchuck made sure Drexler was aware of the job's warts. At
one meeting, he showed Drexler a stack of NCAA rules and regulations
that was eight inches high. "I threw the kitchen sink at
him and all he did was become more enthusiastic about the job,"
Gladchuck said.
On March 18, Drexler was introduced as the fourth coach in
Cougars history. He signed a five-year deal that pays close to
$300,000 a year. A clause in that contract calls for him to complete
the 42 hours he requires for his degree in education.
His salary with the Rockets last season was $6 million. Considering
the NBA lockout, Drexler is gliding compared to his former co-workers.
"I call it volunteer coaching," said Drexler, a Houston
Sterling High School graduate. "I'm back here because this
is what I chose to do. It's been a lot of fun, a pleasant experience.
If we're really good, we can build this program back to national
prominence."
The Cougars lost their two best players from a 20-loss team.
This season's team doesn't have a player taller than 6-feet-8.
The roster roster does include Gee Gervin and Moses Malone Jr.,
sons of former NBA players George Gervin and Moses Malone.
"We're starting from a negative position," Drexler
said. "This is a major rebuilding job."
Reid Gettys is on the construction crew. A former UH teammate
of Drexler's, Gettys was a year away from making partner in a
top-shelf Houston law firm when he agreed to become a Cougars
assistant.
"We have an enormous learning curve and that makes us
different from any Division I staff," Gettys said. "We
don't have the egos, don't think that we're God's gift to coaching."
And Drexler has something that all but a handful of coaching
staffs lack: name recognition.
"The biggest chunk, though, is recruiting," Baylor's
Miller said. "He's got instant name recognition. I think
it's a program that's really going to come back. I think they're
re-energized."
In last week's early signing period, Houston signed two highly
regarded recruits, 6-5 guard Antonio Falu and 6-8 forward George
Williams. Significantly, both are from Texas. Drexler wants to
put the full-court press on talented Houston high school players,
who in recent years have turned their backs on the program.
Public relations, ticket sales, recruiting - Drexler hasn't
missed a shot yet. But the degree of difficulty increases now
that the games count. For the rest of this season, every one of
Drexler's substitutions, timeouts and sideline expressions will
be analyzed and annotated. The question - "Can he coach?"
- hasn't been answered.
"I get very defensive when people say Clyde can't do this,"
Gettys said. "You can say he hasn't done it, has never done
it before, he's got a lot to learn. Don't tell me Clyde Drexler
can't do it. He has been successful at everything he's done in
his life."
The Drexler file
Born: June 22, 1962, New Orleans
Family: Wife, Gaynell; children, Erika, Austin, Adam, Elise
Education: Houston Sterling High School, Univerity of Houston
College career: 1980-83, University of Houston. Played in 1982
and 1983 Final Fours. First team All-American in 1983. Only player
in Cougars history with 1,000 points, 900 rebounds, 300 assists
and 250 steals.
Pro career: Left school after junior season for NBA draft.
Was chose by Portland in the first round, 14th player selected
in 1983 draft. Played 15 seasons, becoming only third player in
NBA history with 20,000 points, 6,000 rebounds and 6,000 assists.
Played in NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992 and helped Houston Rockets
win 1995 NBA title. Named one of the 50 greatest players in exler,
on PressLink Online.
(c) 1998, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Visit the Star-Telegram on the World Wide Web: www.star-telegram.com.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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