By Mike Emery
Staff writer

As the University of Houston band rendered the UH fight song, new head basketball coach Tom Penders walked into the Great Hall of the Athletics Alumni Center to greet an enthusiastic crowd of Cougar fans and local media.

“I love that sound,” Penders said looking toward the band. “I’ll learn the words because that’s a great fight song.”
Penders was hired as UH’s head basketball coach on March 23 and was formally introduced to the media and campus community at a press conference and reception that afternoon.

During his time as coach of the University of Texas at Austin (UT) Longhorns, Penders was credited with reviving the university’s basketball program, taking the team to 10 NCAA tournaments.

“I think that UH is a great fit for me and my family,” he said. “I just can’t wait to hit the ground running and get the best players that we can and to get the most out of the players we have. We’re going to be the best conditioned, hardest-playing team. Our goal will be to bring a national championship to UH.”

In attendance were former UT players that Penders had coached, as well as former Cougars, including legendary hoops coach Guy V. Lewis. Penders was quick to credit Lewis with inspiring him as a coach.

“When you made those great runs in the 1970s and 1980s, I was a big-time Cougar fan,” Penders said to Lewis, who was seated nearby. “You’ve had a lot of influence on my style of coaching, and it’s so much of an honor to have you right in front or me today.”

While his reputation for winning brings both optimism and excitement to the basketball program, Penders knows that he cannot succeed alone. With support from his players and the university community, he pledged to do his best to make Cougar basketball a force in college athletics.

“My father always told me to aim high. If you don’t aim for the moon, you can’t get there,” Penders said. “I promise that I will work my hardest to bring you the best program and return UH basketball to where it belongs.”