HRR Fans' Blog

The New Face Of The Village School Basketball

2009-06-23T15:21:00.002-05:00

WHO? WHERE? After much ramblings on who will stay and who will leave?, where are they going? The Village School is very determined to build one of soon to be second to none basketball programs for both boys and girls . The faces will change, but the intensity remains and will keep on shaking the basketball community around the nation. The new MOTO is “Here Comes The Vikings!” The program will be built around the remaining student athlete for both boys and girls basketball committed to their academic and athletic growth. The Village School known to be one of the best academic school in the state of Texas will now expand their horizon in athletics. It is already attracting athletes nationwide and a few from abroad. But the BIG QUESTION remains… If you can handle the classroom, then the chances are you will get in. Watch for the new faces “Coming Soon!”

Wayman Tisdale: 1964 - 2009

2009-05-16T11:27:00.000-05:00

Wayman Tisdale passed away Friday, May 15, after battling cancer, at the young age of 44.

Tisdale was great at two of my personal favorite things -- basketball and jazz.

Wayman was all-Everything at the University of Oklahoma in the early 1980s; and, he was a fantastic jazz musician strumming the bass guitar.

Tisdale, a Tulsa, Oklahoma native, was Mr. Oklahoma Sooner.

My condolences to his family, friends, teammates and colleagues.

"Sooner great Wayman Tisdale wore a smile to the end"

Chuck Daly (aka Daddy Rich): 1930-2009

2009-05-09T12:16:00.004-05:00

Thank you, Chuck Daly, for all of your accomplishments on and off the basketball court. My thoughts and prayers to Chuck Daly's family, friends, associates, players and loved ones.

Rest in peace, Daddy Rich.

"Dumars, Thomas Comment on Death of Chuck Daly"

Jemele Hill: Daly cool when it counted most

Ken Shouler: Daly was a players' coach

Mourners say farewell to Chuck Daly

Phi Slamma Jamma Shoes

2009-03-29T13:36:00.000-06:00

I'm old enough to remember when Houston Cougar basketball kicked plenty of butt; put on a show; and made me cry like a baby (at 11 years of age).

Apparently, Nike is paying homage to "America's Tallest Fraternity" better known as "Phi Slamma Jamma".

Read about the shoes:

Sportsmanship Still Exists

2009-02-18T18:56:00.000-06:00

I'd like to share this article:

"Team's Gesture Supports Grieving Opponent"

Good to see sportsmanship does indeed still exists.

Strong Finish... The Village High School

2009-02-16T10:19:00.005-06:00

The last two games of The Village high school shows a lot of maturity. The young Vikings lost against to one of the nations rated prep high school team Houston Christian Life helps the Vikings understand what they need to work on for the next season. After the lost to Houston Christian Life, they ended their season winning over HCYA Warriors coming back from a 30 points deficit and sealing the season with another win at home. Michael Carey (23) played with a lot of heart together with Smith (5), Williams (24) and Leal (15). Wannah Bail (32) had a great game with two slam dunks showing his authority at home. O'neal (44) give HCYA trouble in the middle grabbing rebounds both on defense and offense. From here on the Vikings can only look forward to their great future ahead. The Village School now looks f0r the return of Alexander and Matthews who both suffered injuries. Alexander who could have contributed to the team this past season injured his knee at practice while Matthews tore his ACL late in the season. Upon their return and a few possible new addition to the Vikings roster makes it a lot brighter for The Village School next year.

Quiet Uprise of The Village School

2009-02-09T10:40:00.002-06:00

When everyone thought it was over... from The Village School stand point it was just the beginning. Silent but they explode like thunder and will crash everyone that will stand in their way to the future. The season is almost over and they are closing it out with a strong message to everyone. WE ARE COMING BACK! They have a few more games left and everyone is about ready to put on their summer AAU team jerseys. Uncertain where each players will be playing, but for sure all AAU coaches are eyeing these young group of talents. Village School boys and girls basketball program are in the development stages and will soon be one of the elite sports program in the nation. Academically well prepared athletes are soon to be recognized with it's 1st graduating class in 2012. The boys basketball is very well underway to be a great team if not the best next year. The girls program will need a lot of help and are still looking to build around a very young guard. It may take them another year or two to get that program to rise up and be recognized.

'Tis the Season

2008-12-25T19:20:00.000-06:00

I'm sitting here listening to some jazz; sipping some egg nog and watching some hoops; and, I decided to do a search on the Net for a favorite of mine. I found it.

Enjoy!

Newsflash from Disney's Wide World of Sports Florida

2008-12-15T09:25:00.005-06:00

December 3-7, 2008 - The Lady Vikings brought home the basketball bronze medal from The Meritas Games held at the Wide World of Sports in Disney Orlando, Florida. Hannah Cambel also played volleyball for The Village School in the yearly event. The Lady Vikings played for the Meritas cup in volleyball and brought home the silver medal losing to a selection of players from Rancho Solano schools representing Arizona. Both basketball and volleyball was won by Rancho Solano. Cambel has a double double on all her games. She played extremely well scoring over 30 points with 11 assists and a couple of steals against The Henderson Prep School from Nevada and injuring herself at the second half of the elimination game against Rancho Solano. They are back in Houston and will be playing their next game away against their rival school @ St John's (12-0). Game time 7:00pm January 7th 2009.

The Village School @ Pearland

2008-11-29T17:53:00.001-06:00

The Village School coast for an easy win against the Pearland Dawson Eagles at their home turf. Vikings started sluggish in the 1st quarter, but after leading by a few at the start of the 2nd quarter. Carey and Bail took over the game. Williams hits some long distance shots and Smith help with great tenacious defense that lead to a lot of steals. Matthews and Clear help grab a lot of rebounds and put some back in the basket. Everyone contributed and played very well as a team. The team is slowly learning how to play together and will soon be a great dominant high school team in the Houston area.

Future KG @ The Village High School

2008-11-27T23:26:00.004-06:00

6'8" Wanna Bail (2012) shows the looks and style of play like KG. He is one of the promissing young athlete that will be highly recruited in the next coming years. Quick and long can shoot and handle like a guard but decent and strong in the post.

The Village School Jr High Girls

2008-11-27T23:01:00.003-06:00

The Village School blow by fast KIPP Academy in a very physical game Thursday night defending their home turf. Vikings led by Hannah Cambel and coached by Phillis Dallas of Houstonians summer AAU basketball program that has produced quality players out of Houston. Her latest signee to UNC Walita Rolle.

The Village High School

2008-11-27T22:52:00.004-06:00

Michael Carey - (2012) Guard and top leading scorer for the Vikings. The Village beat Gulfshores by double digit on Nov 21st for their season's opening game at home. Wannah Bail (2012) F/C contributed in double digit.

I See Red People

2008-11-17T20:29:00.006-06:00

As a very proud alum of the University of Houston, I want to acknowledge the fantastic weekend enjoyed by Cougar athletics.

Take a look...

Women's Basketball: went 2 and 0. Sophomore Courtney Taylor was named Conference USA Player of the Week and freshman Roxana Button was named Conference USA Rookie of the Week.

Men's Basketball: went 2 and 1 including a very good win over Western Kentucky 73 to 64 Saturday afternoon. Plus, junior guard Aubrey Coleman earned C-USA Rookie of the Week honors.

Football: blasted then - #24 Tulsa 70 to 30 Saturday night. Swept the weekly C-USA Honors. Also, Named National Team of the Week.
Sophomore quarterback Case Keenum was named C-USA Offensive Player of the Week.
Sophomore cornerback Loyce Means was named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week.
Freshman wide receiver Tyron Carrier was named C-USA Special Teams Player of the Week.

Women's Country: Freshman Stephanie Aldea, for the first time since 1994, was named one of 38 individuals to qualify for the NCAA Divison I Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships.

Count them up: Seven individual honors and one team honor for UH athletics. Also, realize of those seven individual honors, not one of the athletes is a senior and just one is a junior. Three sophomores and three freshmen!

Let me paraphrase a famous saying, the future of UH athletics is so bright, UH has to wear shades.

I see Red People...Cougar Red People!

October Is where all teams are 0 and 0

2008-10-10T14:43:00.002-05:00

As a basketball fan ,ya just gotta love October . It's where we everyone is O and O a new start a great beginning .
For a brief moment we all are hopeful of a championship of greatness .. Ah ! sounds of large crowds cheering one the team that is in a new season , forget about the past season , the past losses and disappointments .
We are always so anticipatory so high on wow it's the first game the league is all tied up .
unlike the middle of the season where we are disapointed or we have lost faith . let's all drink to new beginnings and fresh starts.

KCOH: Best Radio Station

2008-09-26T20:57:00.000-05:00

The Houston Press announced its "Best Of Houston 2008 Edition" awards; and, once again, KCOH 1430 AM (http://www.kcohradio.com/) was selected as the "Best Radio Station".

Currently, KCOH is off the air -- radio air that is. Hurricane Ike destroyed the station's radio transmitter; but, the station can still be heard over the Internet -- click the "Listen Live" and take a listen.

Fortunately, a new transmitter is almost ready; and, the station should be ready to be heard over the radio airwaves by the end of next week.

FRS Walkie Talkies

2008-09-12T15:37:00.005-05:00

I received this email about 12 hours ago; but, since I've been prepping for Ike, I just checked my email.

This info may be too late to help us now; but, I'm posting it anyway.

Buy FRS walkie talkies anywhere they're available and use them on CHANNEL 1 during a storm.

If everyone uses FRS CHANNEL 1 as a "party line" and first responders do the same, communications can take place even when phones and power are down.

Info Sheet.

PSA Text.

PSA Audio.

More Info.

WAC and ESPN Announce 7-year Extension

2008-09-03T14:20:00.003-05:00

ESPN and its "family of networks" announced a seven-year contract extension with the Western Athletic Conference today.

The agreement to extend their current contract for rights across multiple platforms an additional seven years beginning in 2010-11 and continuing through 2016-17, was announced by Burke Magnus, ESPN senior vice president, college sports programming, and Karl Benson, WAC commissioner.

ESPN will receive rights to distribute WAC football, men’s and women’s basketball, Olympic sports and conference Championships across ESPN, ESPN on ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Regional Television, ESPN360.com, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN GamePlan, ESPN FULL COURT, ESPN International, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Classic. As part of the agreement, ESPNU will obtain rights to televise conference controlled games for the first time beginning with the 2008-09 season.

Southland on TV 55

2008-09-03T14:14:00.002-05:00

FRISCO, TX -- Today, the Southland Conference and KTBU-TV announced KTBU will serve as the exclusive affiliate in Houston for the new Southland Conference Television Network.

KTBU will carry all 36 telecasts of the league’s in-house television offering, including nine football games, 16 basketball games and a monthly magazine show.

Seems like a good move by both sides.

SEC on ESPN

2008-08-25T20:16:00.002-05:00

BIRMINGHAM, AL -- Fans of the Southeastern Conference REJOICE!

Today, the SEC and ESPN announced a milestone 15-year agreement beginning in 2009 - 2010 and ending with the 2023 - 2024 season. The deal is reportedly worth $2B. (That's B as in billion!)

The deal will result will result in ESPN entities (ESPN, ESPN on ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Regional Television, ESPN360.com, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN GamePlan, ESPN FULL COURT, ESPN International, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Classic) carrying more than 5,500 SEC events - including football, men's and women's basketball, Olympic sports and SEC Championships.

I wonder what the ACC, Big 12, Pac-10, and other top level conferences think of this deal.

Coogs Fan Appreciation Day

2008-08-09T16:13:00.002-05:00

HOUSTON, TX --- I'm a very proud alum of the University of Houston; and, I want to pass along this note about the August 10th UH football team's "Fan Appreciation Day" which will be held at the Yeoman Fieldhouse inside the Athletics / Alumni Center.

Doors open at 12:45 p.m.

Head coach Kevin Sumlin and the coaching staff as well as the 2008 Cougars will be on hand to speak with fans during the annual preseason event.

Following Sumlin's preview, fans are invited to eat free pizza, talk with, receive autographs from and take photos with the Cougar coaches and players.

The Cougars open their season at 6 p.m., Aug. 30, when they play host to Southern on John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium.

Bigger, Stronger, Faster

2008-07-10T09:18:00.003-05:00

I had a chance to see a documentary film -- "Bigger, Stronger, Faster -- the Side Effects of Being American" earlier this week; and, I urge you to see it if for no other reason it makes you think.

The Houston Chronicle's Jerome Solomon wrote a commentary about the documentary; and, Solomon discusses a few points in his commentary which are interesting:

Why does the Air Force openly give amphetamines to fighter pilots to help them stay alert, while Major League Baseball suspends players for use of same?

How can Tiger Woods have Lasik surgery to give him better than perfect vision and be celebrated, while the NFL suspends Patriots safety Rodney Harrison for taking human growth hormone to aid his recovery from career-threatening surgery?

Why is disgraced Tour de France winner Floyd Landis labeled a cheater for having unusually high testosterone levels, yet his sleeping in an altitude chamber to produce a high count of red blood cells is not considered cheating?

The movie begins in a unique way; and, honestly, at the time, I had no idea which direction the movie was heading to discuss steroids.

In the movie, director Chris Bell, shows how steroids impact his two brothers; their wives and kids; as well as their parents. Bell shows how American society uses different types of medications; supplements; vitamins; etc. to make them feel better; perform better on tests; however, those same people will vilify anyone for using steroids for similar reasons.

Before I saw "Bigger, Stronger, Faster", I was one of the people who thought steroids were bad because they are termed "illegal performance enhancements"; however, a basic question the movie made me ask is "what makes one thing legal and okay to use and another thing illegal to use"?

See "Bigger, Stronger, Faster" and form your own conclusions.

The 2008 ESPYs

2008-07-01T10:59:00.003-05:00

Nominees for The 2008 ESPYs hosted by Justin Timberlake were announced today … and voting has begun.

Voting runs through 10:59 p.m. CDT on July 12, and The 2008 ESPYs will be televised Sunday, July 20 at 8 p.m. CDT on ESPN and ESPN HD.

For the fifth consecutive year, fans will determine the winners in 37 categories (excluding special awards) by voting online at www.espys.tv and, for the first time, via mobile phone at www.espn.mobi. Last year, more than 12.5 million votes were tabulated.

The ESPYs gather top celebrities from sports and entertainment to commemorate the past year in sports by recognizing major sports achievements, reliving unforgettable moments and saluting the leading performers and performances.

The ESPYs are committed to the advancement of The V Foundation for Cancer Research, established by ESPN with the late Jim Valvano and announced at the inaugural ESPYs in 1993.

For the first time in several years, a limited amount of $100 ESPYs tickets are available for public purchase through www.ticketmaster.com.

The Arthur Ashe Courage Award will be given to 1968 U.S. Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos.

Two special ESPYs will also be presented this year: the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, honoring Kevin Everett, the former Buffalo Bills tight end who is again able to walk after suffering what was deemed a paralyzing spinal cord injury during an NFL game; and Best Comeback, being given to Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers who, after several years battling addiction issues, has posted Triple Crown-contending numbers this season.

My Evening with Hilton…

2008-06-04T00:59:00.002-05:00

Tonight we decided to eat in the “Championship Club”. It is named for the four championships the Comets won. Pictures of the four championships are featured outside the two doors. Inside the Championship Club are two areas. The area on the right is reserved for the bar. Reliant Arena Officials and Hilton plan to have this bar area open for the floor and clubhouse seated fans to meet before, during, and after the game. Hilton would like to have drinks and some “low end” food served there. Currently only drinks are being served through a fully stocked bar. You enter the bar area through the right side door.

On the left side of the Championship Club is an area with cloth cover tables and a 5 station buffet. This is the restaurant area of the Reliant Arena. If any of you have had the opportunity to eat in the Red & White Bistro at the Toyota Center, this is Reliant Arena’s version of the R&W Bistro…and the food is excellent. It is prepared by Aramark, the same company as the Toyota Center. It is a little different from the R&W in that when you go to the station, the food is prepared for you with the ingredients you choose. There are salad, pasta, meat, dessert, and coffee stations. At the pasta station, we chose between penne pasta and cheese stuffed ravioli…then we selected additions of meat and vegetables…then the sauce of our choosing. It was put in a pan and cooked briefly and then placed on our plates. It is the same for the other stations...mixed and served to your choosing. Tonight the meat station had prime beef…very tender and good. Mr. Sorf had the dessert station prepare berry shortcake with the fixings of his choosing; whereas I selected the brownie. The buffet is $25.00 per person…all you can eat…beverages other than water and tea are extra. To enter the buffet area of the Championship Club use the left door behind the guest check-in stand.

Tonight Hilton was in the Championship Club meeting with the Reliant Arena officials. They were discussing how to set up this club. I overheard some of the conversation. Hilton would like the clubhouse to accommodate fans wanting to eat the buffet and fans that want an area to meet and spend time together. He asked Reliant Arena officials if low end food could be added to the bar area. He also would like the windows remove so the fans in the Championship Club could hear the game as well as watch it. Reliant Arena is going to try to include all of his suggestions. He did express his appreciation of the newly installed televisions in the Championship Club.

After the meeting with the Reliant Arena officials, Hilton “worked” the clubhouse. After a few minutes he visited the buffet and sat his plate on the table next to ours. He then turned around and talked to us. He asked us to bear with him as he tries to set the arena up. He said Reliant Arena was working hard to make the arena an arena that we (the fans) would like. He said they are going to paint the floors around the outside of the arena. (They need it) He said they agreed to remove the windows in the club so the fans could hear the game. He wants the fans to have the total fan experience while in the Championship Club. He said Reliant Arena will increase the bar area for fans to mill around. I suggested they include some seating in the bar area because some handicap people can’t stand long periods of time…he said that was a good idea and called the RA official over and asked if they could add seating in the bar area…and it was done. I also suggested that the Championship Club be publicized because most people sitting on the floor and the clubhouses don’t know about it. He said Reliant Officials would be making announcements during the game about the Championship Club. And at tonight’s game it was announce before the game and at halftime. I still think it would be wiser to send out an e-mail to STHs. I promised him to spread the word about it,

I also suggested that fans that do not sit on the floor or in the clubhouse sections should be allowed to dine at the Championship Club by making a reservation prior to the game, as it is done at the Red & White Bistro at the Toyota Center…he thought that was a good idea too.

As he sat down to his dinner, we continued our conversation. He told us about the plan to present Tina Thompson her Team USA jersey prior to the game. I told him that Phoenix did the same thing and Diana Taursi threw hers to a fan, and Anne Myers had to retrieve it and explain to the fan that it was the original. He laughed and said he hadn’t heard about that, but it definitely sounded like something she would do. He said DT is very friendly and assessable to her fans. It was quite evident that he has met her. He said if there was anything we needed to let him know. To which MR. SORF said, “how about a win?” He giggled and said, “don’t even get me started…I was screaming at the radio during the last game. I feel sorry for the SASS team tonight because I’m expecting the Comets to come out mad and win this game”.

And the Comets did!

Is T-Mac a Superstar?

2008-04-21T19:08:00.002-05:00

The question or debate of is Tracy McGrady is a superstar was kicked around this evening on KCOH 1430 AM (www.kcohradio.com) on Ralph Cooper's Sports Rap.

Houston's own Astro Mike (a sports radio legend) has his own "Superstar Theory".

Take a look:

Add up the career averages of points per game; rebounds per game; assists per game; steals per game and blocks per game. Then, subtract (from that total) the turnovers per game.

A score of 35 or better is a Superstar -- according to Astro Mike.

Here are McGrady's career numbers:

22.4 ppg
6.2 rpg
4.7 apg
1.3 spg
0.9 bpg

The sum of those numbers is 35.5.

Next, subtract McGrady's 2.35 turnovers per game.

The answer is 33.15.

Therefore, McGrady is not quite a superstar.

What do you think?

Did you need that theory to tell you McGrady wasn't a superstar? Or, is T-Mac a superstar regardless of any theory?