Issue 14, Volume 81

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Issue 14, Volume 81

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Heading back to school UH alumnus Lanny Smith was once a star guard for the Cougars and is looking to do more for his alma mater, but he needs more help from his peers. | PG. 12

NEWS

Houston football film grabs attention

Beginning as just a film documenting an underdog Cougar football team, "The UH Football Experience" brought three Lone Star Emmy's to Houston. | PG. 2

OPINION

American films need more color

Despite priding itself on diversity and equality, the American film industry seems to be excluding groups with consistent white, male protagonists. | PG. 7

2 | Wednesday, November 18 2015

NEWS

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Rebecca Hennes, Editor

CAMPUS

UH Football Experience film lures eyes to campus LEEN BASHARAT

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @LEEENCUISINE

What started as a film to document an underdog team rising to new heights became a token for the UH football team and a prestigious recognition for UH— winning three Lone Star Emmy’s for outstanding achievement as director, editor and photographer.

Sculpting with Time Productions’ film, "The UH Football Experience," was nominated for five categories: audio, director, editor, photographer and writer.

The Lone Star Emmy Chapter is a regional EMMY Award to highlight the most experienced and talented television professionals from all disciplines of the industry and from all of Texas’ 19 television markets.

“It’s filled with so much drama, (it’s) so right for storytelling," SWT Founder and Director Alex Douglas said. "From the flip of the coin toss to the final buzzer, you never know the outcome, there’s no script. So many stories (are) unfolding as the game goes on.”

The intention of the film was to highlight UH’s strides in improving their athletic sector.

With the new stadium and President Renu Khator’s pro-

pelling support, the UH football team has made a historic record in performance compared to years past.

“We wanted to capture the drama, the spirit and the comradery of the team,” SWT Founder and Director Whitney Douglas said. “Our storyline is just what does it take to be this college athlete and maintain that image, what kind of sacrifices and dedication do you have to have.

This was all unfolding as the team was playing in the brand new stadium, and coach Herman was brought as the new leader.”

The film begins talking about the journey that started long ago, the football team’s rising journey to excellence.

Similarly, the founders, creators and directors Alex and Whitney Douglas’s journey in documenting, capturing and visualizing the Houston football team started early last year and lasted for eight months.

“As artists and storytellers, we’re just looking for the right story,” Whitney said. “We were both raised in Houston and when we heard more and more about all the investments the university was making in building this state of the art, multi-million dollar TDECU Stadium to the way Dr.

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UH alumni Fernando Castaldi was part of the crew that worked on the documentary. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

Khator has really had this vision for the school and really taking this to the next level. We just knew this was really an awesome time to bring this idea and make something special for the University of Houston.”

The film continues to talk about the sacrifices, the pain and the joy the members endure at every practice and at every game.

Alex explains that a change in the coaching staff and a change in the athletic director seemed

like an obstacle hindering their original idea of the film.

“With any film, nothing is going to go as it’s planned. You’re always going to encounter challenges and if you just stick your course, maybe you’ll end up with a lesser product,” Alex said.

“I think documentary filmmaking is all about adapting and being flexible and allowing the

DOCUMENTARY

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thedailycougar.com/news

NEWS

news@thedailycougar.com

Rebecca Hennes, EDITOR

LGBT

National Homelessness and Hunger week helps LGBT youth Recent report highlights LGBT community, UH addresses the need to tackle youth homelessness SONIA ZUNIGA

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Over the past four years, Houston has cut down the number of people living on the streets by 46 percent, according to the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston and Harris County’s report.

Despite its increased growth, the LGBT community hasn’t had as much assistance in terms of homelessness. A recent study shows 25 percent of the homeless population are LGBT, many of whom endure abuse or neglect in the streets.

When UH Downtown social work senior and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans equality issues activist T.S. T.S. Williams WILLIAMS was 15, he LGBT ACTIVIST found himself without a place to call home for seven years.

"I was in between San Francisco and Seattle, trying to find resources was a challenge, housing was difficult when I was a young age when I was afraid to be put into a foster system," Williams said. "It was hard to find consistency."

This year's National Homeless and Hunger Awareness week began Saturday and ends Sunday, and in honor of the title, UH social work assistant professor Sara Narendorf believes the community is ready to tackle the complex issue of youth homelessness, in particular those who are defined outside the society norm.

“One of the things that was preventing (efficient) child service deliveries for homeless youths was not knowing really about how find them, count them and how to cater to their service needs,” Narendorf said.

Homeless Gay Kids board members and founders Al Amado, Justin Haynesm, T.S. Williams and Jeff Hoffman. | Justin Cross/The Cougar

According to Narendorf ’s “I know that our community survey study, out of the 424 has been more focused on vethomeless kids surveyed in the eran homelessness and chronic city, one out of four identified homelessness," Narendorf said. themselves as LGBT. Those "I think there was a decision in identified in the study suffered Harris County that perceived high rates of psychological disthat it was an easier problem to tress and solve. more than That a third sort of attempted was the suicide, first statistically step into higher finding than their the heteroneed for sexual adults homeless who peers. were “They homeface less and multiple so comoverlapmunity ping risks wise, T.S. Williams, UH-Downtown social work they that make senior and LGBT activist are now them an especially increasvulnerable ing their group,” she attensaid. tion to this which I think is a The study also shows that out great first step.” of the 424 teens surveyed, those Metropolitan Volunteer who turn 18 are the highest Program Director and mathgroup to become homeless, ematical finance junior roughly 20 percent.

Christopher Pinto has worked

“Housing was extremely difficult when I was young, because I was afraid I'd be put into a foster shelter.

This program will (offer) a place for all young people who may not know where to go for a safe place.

They can find it with us.”

closely with many homeless volunteer programs but won’t be able to help those from the LGBT community this year.

“We have to be over the age of 25,” he said. “And that surprised me. I didn’t know that.”

According to Narendorf ’s study, 30 percent of those LGBT kids in Houston had no shelter, and 42 percent had traded sex for food or housing.

Homeless Gay Kids is aiming to change that. The organization, recently established by the Association for Family and Community Integrity, aims to provide direct support, including basic survival needs and life skills, to the hundreds of homeless LGBT teens in the city.

T.S. Williams, one of the board members of the group, hopes to gives these teens the choices he didn’t have at the time.

“Finding resources was a challenge, housing was extremely difficult when I was young because I was afraid I'd be put into a foster shelter," Williams said. "This program will (offer) a place for all young people who may not know where to go for a safe place. They can find it with us."

By next year, the organization plans to raise $300,000 to build an LGBT-specific youth drop-in center that will run seven days a week, according to its website. It will offer meals, support programs, counseling, therapy and even medical and dental services.

Williams hopes that the youth can find light in the darkest places, even when things aren't yet looking up.

“It is possible to look forward, I was able to end the cycle of homelessness after seven years and become a fighting member of the community," Williams said. "I’m in a position where I can actually give back and get people some help out of these situations."

Williams said they are looking at two locations to decide where to open the HGK–H organization in the spring of 2016. For now, the location has yet to be disclosed yet.

"We hope to provide these resources to ideally end this tragic cycle of homelessness," Williams said. news@thedailycougar.com

4 | Wednesday, November 18 2015

NEWS

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See the full story online at thedailycougar.com

DOCUMENTARY

Continued from page 2 story to reveal itself instead of forcing the story.”

Ultimately, the change in staff actually aided their finished, polished product.

“But then,” Whitney said, “came these amazing opportunities to make something bigger than what we had originally imagined.”

When they debuted the film at the Carl Luis Theater in the spring of 2015, it was not to young men who recently joined into the sport, but rather to athletes who endured many years of training.

“I think it was a really amazing way to honor all their time and sacrifice, all the energy they’ve put into this game,” Alex said.

“They’ve been playing their entire lives, since they were little boys and they take such pride in what they do and for it to be commemorated on a screen like that and to show all their sacrifice and all the work they put into it. I think it showed them of being larger than life and showed them of being these heroes of the city that they are.”

Captured in the film is Tom Herman speaking to his team.

“It takes no talent to be the

most physically, dominant team in the country, zero, it takes this,” he said, as he points to his heart.

Backup quarterback Kyle Postma elaborates on Herman’s statement as he has encountered in practice and games.

“It’s all about your heart, that’s really what we preserve with,” Postma said. “We really just played for each other which really helps out because it’s real easy to quit when you’re playing for yourself, and when you’re playing for someone else, as in your whole team, it’s almost impossible to just give up.”

Postma is one of many athletes recruited to the team after being inspired by the new coaching staff and the potential they brought entering the 2015 season.

With this film, the SWT hopes to encourage not only Cougars to support the team but also Houstonians.

“Over the past few years, (UH has) made so many leaps and bounds and investments in the school,” Alex said. “It just felt like the team really needs this…UH has a great record this year (and) getting a rally behind the team, it’s really put Houston on the map.” news@thedailycougar.com

Wednesday, November 18, 2015 | 5

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OPINION

thedailycougar.com/opinion

713-743-5304

opinion@thedailycougar.com

Anthony Torres, EDITOR

STAFF EDITORIAL

Good turnout for football, but don't forget about UH basketball

S

ince the beginning of football season, head coach Tom Herman has been asking for one thing every week. Last Saturday, he finally got his wish: the stadium was sold out.

Students, alumni and fans — 42,159 of them, to be exact — filled the stadium, leading to the largest crowd in TDECU’s stadium history and only the second ever sellout of the venue.

The fans were rewarded for their attendance with a thrilling 35-34 victory over a conference rival in arguably the biggest and best game in the stadiums history.

As the season winds down and with just one regular-season home game left, the push for sellouts will start to die down, but pursuit for fans attention is just starting to pick up in another area.

The Cougar basketball teams are set to begin their seasons, but if the men’s exhibition game is any sign, fan attendance looks to be slim again this season.

With football is on its way out, both basketball teams can have their time to shine. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

Football has seen consistently good turnouts this year, and that support for the team needs to overflow into the basketball season.

With the men’s team, head coach Kelvin Sampson returns with many players and he has added much needed depth to the roster, allowing him to finally run the offensive and defensive schemes he

wants, and they look to be a much improved unit this year.

Head coach Ronald Hughey and the women’s team return five seniors and 10 upperclassmen altogether, and he is looking to get the program back on track this year.

Hofheinz seats 8,479 people, roughly the amount of students who live on campus.

This football season, students have consistently been filling their section, with around 7,000 to 8,000 in the seats every game. That number alone for the basketball games would be enough to almost sell out Hofheinz.

Even getting one quarter of the students who live on campus going to the games would fill the student section inside Hofheinz and provide the jolt of energy that place needs.

All the teams that compete for UH are working hard every day to get better and they represent the University each time they take the court or field.

So when football season is over, don’t feel like you’ve done your job, support the men’s and women’s basketball teams and every other team that plays on campus.

We are the pride of this University, and we need to show pride in the students who fight for us.

— The Cougar Editorial Board

EDITORIAL BOARD SPORTS EDITOR

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Bryce Dodds

Glissette Santana

COOGLIFE EDITOR

MANAGING EDITOR

Karis Johnson

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Justin Tijerina

NEWS EDITOR

Anthony Torres

Mónica Rojas

PHOTO EDITOR

Sean Alder

OPINION EDITOR

Rebecca Hennes CHIEF COPY EDITOR

Taelor MarquettiGadison COMMUNITY MANAGER

ASSISTANT EDITORS

Leen Basharat Efren Diosdado Sarah Kim Brittaney Penney Sonia Zuniga

Jasmine Morris

STAFF EDITORIAL The Staff Editorial reflects the opinions of The Cougar Editorial Board (the members of which are listed above the editorial). All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons reflect only the opinion of the author.

Opinions expressed in The Cougar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Houston or the students as a whole.

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Wednesday, November 18, 2015 | 7

713-743-5304

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OPINION

Anthony Torres, EDITOR

DIVERSITY

The film industry in America needs more color

KRISHNA NARRA

OPINION COLUMNIST

A

merica prides itself on diversity and equality, but the movies shown at theaters continue to disprove this.

The vast majority of films I see are centered around a white male protagonist. Even Neil Patrick Harris noted this when he hosted the 2015 Academy Awards, KRISHNA NARRA jokingly saying, OPINION “Tonight we COLUMNIST honor Hollywood’s best and whitest, I mean brightest.”

So, where is the diversity in the American film industry?

As an Indian-American, I often saw a barrage of stereotypes and misrepresentations of my ethnicity through characters like Apu from "The Simpsons."

My first time seeing a brown character who I could relate to was when I saw the first "Harold and

Kumar" movie.

Whitewashing holds the spotlight while diversity struggles to escape the shadows.

According to a 2013 report by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA, only 16.7 percent of lead film roles went to minorities. Yet, when we walk through any spot of the UH campus, we see the various cultures that make up this city.

“Not only is Hollywood overlooking amazing talents outside of the Caucasian spectrum of actors,” an exploratory studies sophomore and aspiring filmmaker George Chuang said. “It's misrepresenting characters in movies who should be another race to begin with.”

The movie "21," inspired by a true story, contained a lead cast of four Caucasian and two Asian-American actors. However, in actuality, five of those real life characters, including the one portrayed by Kevin Spacey, were of Asian origin.

The upcoming live action adaptation of anime, "Ghost in the Shell," will cast Scarlett Johansson for the lead character, who was originally

Hollywood's lack of diversity in casting doesn't really show the mixed cultures that the U.S. has. . | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

Japanese.

If Hollywood cannot stay true to the characters it portrays, what does that tell us about our culture?

“Even at a time when minorities account for almost 40 percent of the American population, when Hollywood wants an ‘everyman,’ what it really wants is a straight white guy,” comedian Aziz Ansari told the New York Times. “Even though I’ve sold out Madison Square Garden as a standup comedian and have appeared in several

films and a TV series, when my phone rings, the roles I’m offered are often defined by ethnicity and often require accents.”

Despite the troubles minorities face in the film world, TV shows have started evolving as shows such as "Fresh off the Boat" and"Dr. Ken" take flight with positive reviews. This only proves that people are craving diverse stories not just stories that enhance stereotypes, but stories that enhance authenticity.

If TV shows can push boundaries and excel, why must the film world follow the redundant formula it has been using for decades?

“Television and web series entertainment are boldly and successfully telling stories that reflect the many colors of the world,” alumnus Dominique Champion, a theatre graduate and aspiring actor, said. “Film producers, for the sake of the dollar sign, don't attempt to try and step into racial openness."

Filmmakers need money to continue working. The paying audience determines their decisions.

Our stories determine our culture and values. If diversity must be promoted, it's time we support movies that are more inclusive like the upcoming "Star Wars" movie or even independent films that actually cast minorities while staying true to the art.

Over time, change may come.

But that change starts with us as consumers.

Opinion columnist Krishna Narra is a marketing junior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

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8 | Wednesday, November 18, 2015

OPINION

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opinion@thedailycougar.com

Anthony Torres, EDITOR

THE OCTOGENARIAN

How my mom made me master the art of learning

KEN LEVIN

OPINION COLUMNIST

R

ecently, my son Herschel and I were invited to be the guests on the Friday evening radio interview on Coog Radio.

Nothing controversial is allowed, no religion and no politics — keep it clean. It's a problem because I am, by nature, controversial.

But it's also not a problem because I have this long-standing love affair with the KEN English lanLEVIN OPINION guage.

COLUMNIST I managed to squeeze in one political story without mentioning a politician’s name or political party, although I briefly created noticeable apprehension in my host interviewers when I started that story.

Because of my command of English, we got away with it. So, where does my mom come into the story?

I lost my mom in 1990 due to a brain tumor. We all felt

cheated because the women in our family normally live well into their 90s.

When my mom was a girl, she only went to school until sixth grade.

She was pulled out by her mother and grandmother, with love, to learn how to be a homemaker. But she still yearned to learn.

She educated herself by becoming a vociferous reader.

In our family, a gift was almost always a book, and as a child I was dragged to the Enoch Pratt Free Library on Keyworth Avenue regularly.

When my mom died, her bedside table held the ever-present Webster’s Dictionary and a thesaurus. Her walls were covered by bookshelves with oft-referred books, and the tables, chairs and floor held books.

I saw my small, shy, but extremely brave mother stand on the stage of the Lyric Theatre and address a packed house.

I saw her do the same thing for the March of Dimes. If you didn’t know her, you would have believed that the diminutive giant you are observing had her doctorate from Vassar.

She taught us what I have

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Ken's mom, Selma, left school after the sixth grade. | Courtesy of Ken Levin

The answer is having a blast.

More than 20 years ago when I was 63 years old, my wife pre-

sented me with a son.

That son and I are now students together here sharing four classes this semester. This college go around, my third, I am majoring in political science with a minor in history.

Part of the fun is that a lot of what my fellow students are studying as history, to me, is memory.

This affects my classroom participation, but worse, I can’t keep it out of the papers I submit which makes for some great interplay with my professors. In fact, only one teacher has ever chastised me for what he calls my "anecdotal comments," and he has asked me to stick to the textbooks and papers given to read. His loss.

When asked for a secret to long life, I answer truthfully.

What I do is wake each morning and question God as to whether we are going to try for another day. Should he be willing to give me enough of those days, I think it would be enjoyable to teach.

Time will tell.

Opinion columnist Ken Levin is a political science senior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

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passed on to my children.

"If you master the English language and learn history, so as not to repeat the same mistakes, there is nothing in the world that you cannot achieve," she said.

These last few years, I have lost my sight and was eventually declared legally blind. I have appreciated my mom even more.

I no longer have the thrill of casually picking up a book and settling in to a comfortable spot to read it. Even newspapers are impossible for me to read, and I have been reading the paper since I could first read 80 years ago.

But the support out there is amazing. The Veterans Hospital's Visual Impairment Services Outpatient Rehabilitation program has issued me very specialized glasses for every need, plus other support. The Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, the civilian agency, has coordinated all kinds of help to replace my inability to see.

So what is a blind old man who is functionally deaf and has lost his short-term memory due to a stroke doing going to college full time?

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713-743-5303

thedailycougar.com/sports

SPORTS

sports@thedailycougar.com

Bryce Dodds, EDITOR

ROUND TABLE

With two games remaining, Cougars looking to sprint to finish

The Cougar sports staff discusses the upcoming schedule, including the road game against UConn and hosting Navy in the season finale

SHARDANNA JONES Senior staff writer

J.D. SMITH Senior staff writer

MICHAEL CALDERON Senior staff writer

What chance do you give the Huskies of being a trap game for UH?

Do you think the Cougars can clinch the right to host the AAC title game?

What do you expect from the game against UConn?

You'd think that the Cougars would become complacent and have their focus solely on the Navy Midshipmen, however, that is not in their culture. Their culture is to be 1-0 in every game.

Although it can be seen as a trap game, for the Cougars, it's no different than any other game. They will approach it with intentions of being 1-0 and the end of regulation, and they will play as such.

The real test will be Navy and the triple-option it runs. The key will be to stop the run and make sure the offense has sustained touchdown drives. They certainly have the talent to do it and at this point, it would be a big upset if they did not win the AAC West and finish the regular season 12-0.

UConn has a strong defense and a terrible offense, so I expect the same type of game that the Cougars had against Vanderbilt University. They might struggle offensively at first, but once they make their adjustments, I think they might run away with the game. Ward's health coming off a rolled ankle is concerning, but with what Postma was able to do under center, they should be able to outscore the Huskies easily.

Recover

Senior safety Trevon Stewart and the defense played a pivotal role for the Cougars on Saturday, and the team will need more of the same in their next two games against UConn and Navy. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

life.

________________________

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SPORTS

Bryce Dodds, EDITOR

FOOTBALL

Despite slow start, Cougars get best win of season MICHAEL CALDERON

around.

“There was nowhere to go but up after that first half,” Herman said.

“It was a putrid display of offensive football until the last drive of the first half.”

SENIOR STAFF WRITER @ MWC0052

The Cougars remain perfect for the season after pulling off a comeback upset against the University of Memphis Saturday night, but their play was far from great.

The ugly: quarterback controversy brewing?

The good: best win in Cougars’ recent history It goes without saying that the Cougars’ 35-34 win over then No. 25 Memphis will go down as the best game of the young Tom Herman era and the two-year history of TDECU Stadium, but it is also the best win in the program’s recent past.

This game had it all: a sellout crowd, a national audience, a record 20-point comeback and a down-to-the wire finish capped off with a missed field goal to seal the UH win.

“It is something that you dream about all your life — coming to college, playing on ESPN, playing these big games in this type of atmosphere,” junior receiver Demarcus Ayers said. “Just to come out on top and to know that we have a chance to still obtain our goal of a

Sophomore backup quarterback Kyle Postma, center, came into the game and led the Cougars back from a 20-point deficit. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

conference championship going into these next two games is a good feeling.”

Not since the Cougars’ 2009 upset of No. 5 Oklahoma State University has the program taken home a win of this caliber.

This game had been pegged by many analysts and Cougar fans before the season began as the best one on the schedule, and it didn’t disappoint.

It may not have been pretty, but from an entertainment standpoint,

what else could fans have asked for?

The bad: another wretched start on offense For the second week in a row, the Cougar offense came out flat, coming up with just one first down and 24 total yards on their first six possessions.

The same unit that scored touchdowns on its opening drive in each of the first six games of the year managed just six punts this time

The Cougars’ No. 1 offensive weapon, junior quarterback Greg Ward Jr., had been a major reason for the team’s 9-0 start to the season, but he struggled against the Tigers Saturday.

Before leaving with a rolled ankle late in the first half, Ward completed just five passes for 60 yards and was unable to use his trademark athleticism to avoid the defense and scramble for yards on the ground.

When he wasn’t getting sacked five times for minus 25 yards, Ward gained just six yards on four runs and was clearly not the player he had been to start the season.

When sophomore Kyle Postma entered the game at quarterback in the final drive before half, the Cougars’ turnaround began.

Postma came in and played like

a seasoned veteran, completing 21 of 33 passes for 236 yards and one touchdown to go along with 49 yards and another score on the ground.

“He’s a playmaker,” Herman said of his backup quarterback. “He’s a great athlete that has a good arm, quick release, he’s football smart… finds a way to get it done.”

He was definitely not perfect against Memphis, but the bottom line is that Postma delivered.

Herman however, is not going to rock the boat after such a small sample size.

“Greg is our starter if he’s healthy, that’s a no-brainer,” Herman said.

“We’re talking about a guy who has led us to this point.”

But knowing your backup can win you the game, it will be much easier to replace him with Postma, should the need arise.

With just two games remaining on the schedule, the Cougars are in prime position to go undefeated on the season, but they can’t let this win go to their heads and have to get off to a faster start on offense. sports@thedailycougar.com

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Bryce Dodds, EDITOR

Former Cougar Lanny Smith wants to see an increased bond between former players and the team, something he hardly experienced in his time at UH. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

MEN'S BASKETBALL

Former Cougar looks to build community, brotherhood SHARDANNA JONES

SENIOR STAFF WRITER @SHAYGOTIT

As a program, Houston men’s basketball has had a disconnect—a lack of true camaraderie and kinship—among current and former players. Cougar alumnus and former UH guard Lanny Smith intends to change that.

You might remember Smith as one of the only four players in UH history to score over 1,000 points and have over 400 assists in his career.

He was projected to be drafted to the NBA, but broke his foot senior year and after having three surgeries, he was told he'd never play again.

He wasn’t always certain of where his basketball career would take him, but he was certain of one thing: at some point, he’d return to his stomping grounds and do something that had nothing to do with stepping back onto the hardwood floor.

He wanted to reintroduce brotherhood back into Houston basketball.

“Where we are right now, we’re behind other major universities where they have that family atmosphere,” Smith said. “At those universities, former players are very much involved with the program. They go back and share experiences with the current guys, and for me, that’s very important.”

As a former Houston Player of the Year honoree, Smith said he’s constantly questioned his decision to play at Houston. He was even recruited by current head coach, Kelvin Sampson, who offered Smith a scholarship to the Univer-

sity of Oklahoma during his junior year, which he turned down.

But big-name universities didn’t appeal to him. He wanted to help bring UH back to prominence, where he believes it’s supposed to be.

“This is a program that has such a rich tradition,” Smith said. “We’re talking about what Guy V. Lewis did here with five Final Fours, the guys that they put in the NBA, being ranked in the top 10 in the country year after year… I wanted to be part of bringing that back.”

So, that was his vision. That was the dream.

While a majority of the top basketball players in Houston left to play at other schools year after year, Smith said he wanted to be a part of building and growing something here at home.

“I wanted to be one of the building blocks,” Smith said. “I had a relationship with coach Michael Young, Clyde Drexler and all those guys when I was in high school, and they kind of influenced me as well. Seeing what they did here, I just wanted to be a part of that tradition.”

Smith eventually learned that the tradition, however, had been broken a long time ago.

“When I was playing here, we didn’t really see any other former players,” Smith said. “Damon Jones, who played here and went on to play in the NBA, he’s a friend of mine and he’d come back whenever he was in town and sit down with us, talk with us, we just needed more of that.”

That’s where it started.

"I didn’t see that cycle of guys coming back to support and be

Smith is glad to see that Kelvin Sampson has opened the program up to former players wanting to be a part of the program. | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar

around the program,” Smith said.

“I knew then that whenever I was done, I was going to make sure that I was one of the guys who came back.”

His teammates, on the other hand, simply carried on what they had seen, or more-so, what they had not seen.

“They didn’t see guys coming back to visit them.," Smith said, "They didn’t see guys coming back to support them. So, I think they just continued that streak of ‘When I leave here, I’m gone, and that’s it’. It’s sad, but that’s the reality of where are now."

Being from Houston, Smith felt he had a responsibility to do things differently.

“I think I have a little more

ownership in the fact that I played here and graduated from here.”

Smith said.

Not only does Smith look to build a lifelong tradition of connection and brotherhood, he wants to reinforce the dignity of being a Houston Cougar.

“It helps when the current guys understand that ‘Hey, there’s a pride about wearing this jersey, about what I represent’,” Smith said. “Understanding that it’s not just about me, it’s about the guys before me, who paved the way for me.”

Senior point guard L.J. Rose said he noticed the lack of player involvement after transferring to Houston.

“Coming from Baylor, I defi-

nitely noticed the difference,” Rose said. “At Baylor, a lot of those guys would spend their summers working out with us. That isn’t the case here.”

Rose, who said he watched Smith play during his time at Houston, said it means a lot to him and his teammates to have the support of a former player, and especially one who has gone through same thing he has gone through with his foot injury.

Smith is pleased to see that Sampson is making an effort to establish an ingrained culture of welcoming former players back into the program.

“The people that deserve the credit for what has been accomplished here in the past are the former players — it's people like Lanny Smith," Sampson said.

“These former Cougars are our eyes and ears too, the more the connection they have to us, the more this program keeps going.”

That is all Smith has been wanting.

“That open door hasn’t always been there,” Smith said. “(Sampson) sees the importance of creating that culture again, and I think some of the former players will be pleased about that.”

Now, he’s ready to do his part, whether by making telephone calls and reaching out via social media, Smith is ready to do whatever he can to keep things going in the right direction. He believes it’s necessary to get more guys his age to come back and help keep it going.

“That’s what I am going to do to: keep building,” Smith said. sports@thedailycougar.com