1982–83 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball 1982–83 Houston Cougars University of Houston classic logo.png 100px Southwest Conference SWC 1 1 31–3 16–0 Guy Lewis 27th Terry Kirkpatrick Don Schverak Hofheinz Pavilion NCAA tournament, Runner-upNCAA Division I regular season championsSWC tournament championsSWC regular season champions National Championship Game L Lost 52–54 vs. NC State The 1982–83 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the University of Houston. The team was led by head coach Guy Lewis, played their home games in the Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston, Texas, and was then a member of the Southwest Conference. This was the second of Houston's famous Phi Slama Jama teams, led by Michael Young, Larry Micheaux, and future Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler and Akeem Olajuwon. The Cougars swept through the Southwest Conference schedule and were ranked #1 for the final three polls of the 1982–83 season. Riding a 26-game winning streak, they advanced to the 1983 National Championship Game, where they fell 54–52 to Jim Valvano's NC State Wolfpack. Despite the loss, Olajuwon was named Tournament MOP. To date, this remains the last time the MOP was from the losing team. Roster 1982 Houston Cougars y yes Benny Anders y 32 G/F 6 5 188 So Bernice, LA Bernice HS Dan Bunce 50 C 7 0 235 So Conroe, TX Conroe HS David Bunce 52 C 6 11 225 Sr Conroe, TX Conroe HS Eric Dickens 14 G 6 1 168 So Houston, TX Madison HS Clyde Drexler y 22 F 6 6 205 Jr Houston, TX Sterling HS Alvin Franklin y 20 G 6 2 185 Fr La Marque, TX La Marque HS Reid Gettys y 44 G/F 6 6 190 So Houston, TX Memorial HS Derek Giles 10 G 6 3 175 Jr Queens, NY Bayside HS Larry Micheaux y 40 F/C 6 9 220 Sr Houston, TX Worthing HS Akeem Olajuwon y 34 C 7 0 235 So Lagos, Nigeria Muslim Teachers College Gary Orsak 30 F 6 7 200 So Alvin, TX Alvin HS Dave Rose basketball y 24 G 6 3 185 Sr Houston, TX Dixie College Renaldo Thomas 12 G 6 4 215 Fr Gary, IN Roosevelt HS Bryan Williams 54 F 6 7 215 Sr Inglewood, CA Palisades HS Michael Young basketball, born 1961 y 42 F 6 6 210 Jr Houston, TX Yates HS https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/houston/1983.html 2018-Mar-18 Guy Lewis (Houston) Terry Kirkpatrick Don Schverak 1982–83 SWC men's basketball media guide, p. 18 Schedule and results yes yes |- !colspan=12 style=Houston Cougars| Regular season Nov 26, 1982 yes 14 Arizona Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, TX Kettle Classic 104–63Houston slams UA for Lewis' 500th career win https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/121655460/ The Arizona Republic via newspapers.com 19 November 27, 1982 March 24, 2018 8,000 1–0 Micheaux 26 Micheaux 16 Drexler 4 Nov 27, 1982 yes 14 Lamar Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, TX Kettle Classic 106–72 8,000 2–0 Drexler 27 Drexler 13 Drexler 5 Dec 1, 1982 yes 11 1982 men Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, TX 74–65 6,800 3–0 Drexler,Young 20         Dec 4, 1982 yes yes 11 1982 men St. Thomas Bobcats Biscayne Unknown Miami Gardens, FL 78–59 4–0 Micheaux 24         Dec 8, 1982 yes 9 Auburn Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, TX 77–65 5–0 Young 22 Olajuwon 12     Dec 11, 1982 yes yes 9 Syracuse Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY 19,430 87–92Crane Andrew Crane: Why Houston's Sweet 16 win feels like SU's 1982 Phi Slama Jama victory http://dailyorange.com/2021/03/syracuse-houston-sweet-16-phi-slama-jama-1982-mens-basketball/ 29 March 2021 The Daily Orange 28 March 2021 Syracuse, N.Y. 5–1 Drexler 28 Drexler 12 Gettys 5 Dec 16, 1982 yes yes 14 1 Virginia Aoyama Gakuin University Gym Tokyo, Japan Suntory Ball Tournament 5,000 63–72Virginia 72, Houston 63 https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/17/sports/virginia-72-houston-63.html The New York Times December 17, 1982 March 18, 2018 5–2             Dec 17, 1982 yes yes 14 Utah Aoyama Gakuin University Gym Tokyo, Japan Suntory Ball Tournament 5,000 82–57Houston 82, Utah 57 https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/18/sports/no-headline-108560.html The New York Times December 18, 1982 March 18, 2018 6–2 Olajuwon 30 Olajuwon 18     Dec 27, 1982 yes yes 18 Pepperdine Firestone Fieldhouse Malibu, CA 93–92 7–2             Jan 2, 1983 yes 18 1982 men Pacific Tigers Pacific Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, TX 112–58 8–2             Jan 5, 1983 19 1982 men Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, TX 84–61 9–2 1–0             Jan 8, 1983 19 1982 men SMU Mustangs SMU Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, TX 105–71 10–2 2–0             Jan 10, 1983 16 Southwestern Louisiana Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, TX 79–78 11–2             Jan 12, 1983 yes 16 1982 men TCU Horned Frogs TCU Daniel-Meyer Coliseum Fort Worth, TX 54–51 12–2 3–0             Jan 15, 1983 7:30 p.m. yes 16 1982 men Texas Longhorns Texas Frank Erwin Center Austin, TX 6,396 77–52 13–2 4–0             Jan 17, 1983 14 Texas Tech Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, TX 98–73 14–2 5–0             Jan 22, 1983 11:00 a.m. 14 4 Arkansas Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, TX 10,061 75–60Arkansas Is Upset by Houston https://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/23/sports/no-headline-183442.html The New York Times January 23, 1983 April 25, 2022 15–2 6–0 Micheaux 26 Olajuwon 10     Jan 26, 1983 yes 9 1982 men Rice Owls Rice Rice Gymnasium Houston, TX 76–40 16–2 7–0             Feb 2, 1983 8 1982 men Baylor Bears Baylor Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, TX 86–69 17–2 8–0             Feb 5, 1983 yes 8 Texas A&M G. Rollie White Coliseum College Station, TX 86–66 18–2 9–0 Drexler, Young 20 Young 11 3 tied 5 Feb 9, 1983 yes 6 SMU Moody Coliseum University Park, TX 85–68 19–2 10–0             Feb 12, 1983 6 TCU Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, TX 74–66 20–2 11–0             Feb 15, 1983 7:35 p.m. 4 Texas Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, TX 7,500 106–63 21–2 12–0 Drexler 21 Olajuwon 13 Gettys 11 Feb 19, 1983 yes 4 Texas Tech Lubbock Municipal Coliseum Lubbock, TX 84–75 22–2 13–0             Feb 26, 1983 2 Rice Hofheinz Pavilion Houston, TX 86–52 23–2 14–0             Mar 3, 1983 7:30 p.m. yes 1 5 Arkansas Barnhill Arena Fayetteville, AR 9,512 74–66Top-Rated Houston Wins 19th in Row https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/04/sports/top-rated-houston-wins-19th-in-row.html The New York Times March 4, 1983 March 27, 2022 24–2 15–0 Anders 18 Micheaux 12     Mar 5, 1983 NBC yes 1 Baylor Heart O' Texas Coliseum Waco, TX 93–64 25–2 16–0             |- !colspan=12 style=Houston Cougars| SWC tournament Mar 12, 1983 yes 1 1 SMU 4 Reunion Arena Dallas, TX Semifinals 75–59 26–2             Mar 13, 1983 yes 1 1 TCU 5 Reunion Arena Dallas, TX Championship 12,857 62–59Houston Beats Texas Christian for S.W.C. Crown https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/13/sports/no-headline-030210.html The New York Times March 13, 1983 March 27, 2022 27–2             |- !colspan=12 style=Houston Cougars| NCAA tournament Mar 19, 1983 yes CBS 1 1 MW 8 MW Maryland The Summit Houston, TX Second round 60–50Maryland Winner On Last Shot, 52-51 https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/18/sports/maryland-winner-on-last-shot-52-51.html The New York Times March 18, 1983 March 27, 2022 28–2 Young 16 Drexler 8 Gettys 7 Mar 25, 1983 yes CBS yes 1 1 MW 17 4 MW Memphis State Kemper Arena Kansas City, MO Sweet Sixteen 70–63Houston 70, Memphis State 63 https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/03/26/Akeem-The-Dream-Olajuwon-could-command-respect-from-Mr/9408417502800/ UPI Archives March 26, 1983 March 27, 2022 29–2 Olajuwon 21 Drexler,Micheaux 7 Drexler,Gettys 4 Mar 27, 1983 yes CBS yes 1 1 MW 13 3 MW Villanova Kemper Arena Kansas City, MO Elite Eight 89–71Olajuwon's the One, And Houston's 1 of 4 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1983/03/28/olajuwons-the-one-and-houstons-1-of-4/184e4630-52a5-4022-9b87-49606e23ea8e/ The Washington Post March 28, 1983 March 27, 2022 30–2 Micheaux 30 Olajuwon 13 3 tied 3 Apr 2, 1983 yes CBS yes 1 1 MW 2 1 ME Louisville The Pit Albuquerque, NM Final Four 17,327 94–8113 Slam Dunks Fall From High Altitude https://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/03/sports/13-slam-dunks-fall-from-high-altitude.html The New York Times April 3, 1983 March 27, 2022Final 2: Houston, N.C. State Convincing Winners; Louisville Stricken by 21--1 Streak https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1983/04/03/final-2-houston-nc-state-convincing-winners-louisville-stricken-by-21-1-streak/00fca3da-b404-4346-9559-43a3d0ca3f0f/ The Washington Post April 3, 1983 March 27, 2022 31–2 Drexler,Olajuwon 21 Olajuwon 22 Drexler 6 Apr 4, 1983 yes CBS 1 1 MW yes 16 6 W NC State The Pit Albuquerque, NM National Championship 52–54 31–3 Olajuwon 20 Olajuwon 18 Franklin 3 AP Poll Central MW Midwest region ME Mideast region W West region Sourceshttps://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/houston/1983-schedule.html 1982-83 Houston Cougars Schedule and Results Sports Reference March 18, 2018 Rankings 1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings AP 0 17 14 14 11 9 14 19 18 19 16 14 9 8 6 4 2 1 1 1 Coaches 0 17 11 11 11 10 14 17 16 19 13 12 9 8 6 4 2 1 1 1 *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game Random House 899–900 2009 978-0-345-51392-2 Awards and honors Clyde Drexler, Consensus Second-Team All-American Akeem Olajuwon, NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player, Honorable Mention AP All-American Larry Micheaux, Honorable Mention AP All-American Michael Young, Honorable Mention AP All-American Guy Lewis, AP Coach of the Year Players drafted into the NBA Year Player Round Pick NBA club 1983 Clyde Drexler 1 14 Portland Trail Blazers 1983 Larry Micheaux 2 29 Chicago Bulls 1984 Akeem Olajuwon 1 1 Houston Rockets 1984 Michael Young 1 24 Boston Celtics 1985 Reid Gettys 5 103 Chicago Bulls 1986 Alvin Franklin 4 80 Sacramento Kingshttp://www.databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?lg=N&yr=1983 1983 NBA Draft on databaseBasketball.com databasebasketball.com 2014-04-06 usurped https://web.archive.org/web/20140630100122/http://databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?yr=1983&lg=N 2014-06-30 References 2 External links Jamfest for the Ages—2007 ESPN.com article commemorating Phi Slama Jama Phi Slama Jama: The greatest team to never win it all Category:Houston Cougars men's basketball seasons Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four seasons Houston Houston Houston Houston