Bauer Madness
Bauer Alumni Share UH Basketball
Memories and Predictions
The University of Houston Men’s Basketball team is looking to etch themselves in college basketball history by earning their first ever NCAA championship this season. Earning the first seed in the South division of the March Madness bracket, the Cougars are primed to make a deep run.
Basketball has a long history of success at the university dating back to the '80s with the historic Phi Slama Jama team, to globally recognized entrepreneur and UH System Board of Regents chair Tilman J. Fertitta's transformational gift to transform the university's basketball arena into a modern-day sports venue. And, you'll find alumni from the C. T. Bauer College of Business rooting for the Cougars at Fertitta Center, on the road and from watch parties all over the country.
With March Madness underway, we asked Bauer alumni about their favorite UH Basketball memories and what they hope for this year's tournament. Here's what they shared:
KAITLYN AND JP DOWLING (BBA '16)
How long have you been attending UH Basketball games?
“Since we were students in the Hofheinz days! But now we prefer to tailgate with UH Young Alumni before home games at the Fertitta Center.”
What is your favorite UH Basketball memory?
“Watching DeJon Jarreau in the Oregon State Elite 8 game in 2021, or more recently, beating Kansas University by 30 points on Kaitlyn’s birthday.”
What is your prediction for UH Basketball in March Madness?
“Coogs all the way!”
CLAY WARZECHA (BBA '13)
How long have you been attending UH Basketball games?
“Since my first basketball game in 2009 against Rice University.”
What is your favorite UH Basketball memory?
“My favorite memory was watching Tramon Mark sink the buzzer beater against the University of Memphis in 2021. It was the COVID season and social distancing resulted in hardly any tickets being available. I had lucked into some tickets to see that game. Watching that game live was electric.”
What is your prediction for UH Basketball in March Madness?
“This team has been special to watch this year and has a higher offensive floor than previous teams. Our Cougars will reach the Final Four this year and will need to avoid additional injuries to go deeper.”
JOHN GARCIA (BBA '99)
How long have you been attending UH Basketball games?
“I have been attending basketball games as a season ticket holder since the Fertitta Center opened, but I have been going to basketball games off and on since I was a student, so about 27 years.”
What is your favorite UH Basketball memory?
“My favorite UH basketball memory was when we beat Oregon State in the Elite 8 game in Indianapolis and all of the fans saying after the game screaming/chanting ‘Houston!’ over and over again.”
What is your prediction for UH Basketball in March Madness?
“My prediction is that UH will give Head Coach Kelvin Sampson his first national title against the University of Connecticut in the championship.”
CHRIS COURTER (BBA '77)
How long have you been attending UH Basketball games?
“Since 1975.”
What is your favorite UH Basketball memory?
“Beating Kansas this season.”
What is your prediction for UH Basketball in March Madness?
“Coogs to the Final Four.”
DIANA PINEDA (BBA '17)
How long have you been attending UH Basketball games?
“Since I was a student in the Hofheinz days! The Fertitta Center is much more exciting and now there are tailgates for basketball. Happy to say that myself and some other friends on the Young Alumni Association board started this trend.”
What is your favorite UH Basketball memory?
“I have too many favorite memories but here are my top ones:
- Beating Kansas by 30 points this season!
- Sitting courtside during the Rice game this year
- Watching my nephew become a fan as well. I have been taking him since he was three years old and now, he is seven. It has been fun watching him grow and love this team.”
What is your prediction for UH Basketball in March Madness?
“Coogs all the way!”
CHRIS (BBA '17, MSACCY '18) AND LAUREN GERVASIO (BBA '18)
How long have you been attending UH Basketball games?
“We have been attending UH Basketball games since Fall 2014 – which just happens to be when Coach Sampson first joined UH and would walk around campus with a megaphone asking students to go to the games. To think we have gone from being two of 20 students max at Hofheinz to the last game ever there, to traveling to Texas Southern University, to now rocking the Fertitta Center has been a delight!”
What is your favorite UH Basketball memory?
“There are so many to choose from! Our favorite though has to be 2021 traveling with double masks on airplanes to Indianapolis to watch our Coogs play against Oregon State in the Elite 8 game and winning our generation’s first bid in a Final Four!”
What is your prediction for UH Basketball in March Madness?
“Would we be true fans if we did not say all the way?! We have injuries, but what it comes down to is one word from the Sampson family: Culture.”
ROLANDO CANO (BBA '16)
How long have you been attending UH Basketball games?
“I have been a season ticket holder since 2017, but I have been attending games since I was a student in the early days of the Sampson era. Back then you could do your homework at Hofheinz, it was that quiet."
What is your favorite UH Basketball memory?
“I have been to so many home and road games that it is hard to pick just one memory. But one that I will always remember is being there for the groundbreaking of the Fertitta Center. It was hard to imagine how much this program would accomplish in so little time, but Coach Sampson had a vision, and that groundbreaking marked the start of a new era. The six straight NCAA tournament appearances, including a Final Four appearance, that we are witnessing today would not have been possible without it.”
What is your prediction for UH Basketball in March Madness?
“The Houston Cougars will be the 2024 National Champions. We have been knocking on the door for too long. This will be the year we finally bust it down.”
JOHN (BBA '17) AND LAUREN FIELDS (BBA '17)
How long have you been attending UH Basketball games?
“We have been going to games since we were in college and have been season ticket holders for the last three seasons. Our kids love going to games with us and singing the Cougar Fight Song!”
What is your favorite UH Basketball memory?
“Watching the Coogs clinch the Big 12 title against Kansas at the Fertitta Center.”
What is your prediction for UH Basketball in March Madness?
“Let’s go bold. National Championship and Jamal Shead wins the Most Outstanding Player award.”
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