Phi Slama Jama
Phi Slama Jama. No, it’s not the name of a new fraternity. However, you can argue the Houston Cougars basketball teams of the early 1980’s functioned as a brotherhood.
It’s possible there might never be a big assortment of talent on the college hardwood as there was with those Cougars teams. This team wasn’t just good, they were entertaining. They were boosted by the presence of current Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon, who went on to have distinguished careers in the NBA and even won gold medals with the Dream Team.
Drexler and Olajuwon are best remembered due to what they did after leaving the university, but this was a team full of talent. The team also included standouts like Michael Young who has the honor like Drexler and Olajuwon of having his number retired. Benny Anders, Larry Micheaux and Co-captain Lynden Rose were also members of this memorable team.
Houston Post sportswriter Thomas Bonk coined the nickname Phi Slama Jama for this squad in an article due to the team favoring a run and gun style that featured a lot of dunking. This was a style that wasn’t condoned by many, especially other coaches. However, Cougars coach Guy Lewis encouraged his players to express themselves on the floor. Clyde Drexler’s son Adam is a member of the current Cougars basketball team and talked about what his father said about coach Lewis. “He was a tough guy. He wouldn’t accept anything but tough players, so that’s definitely something you look for in a coach because you want a tough team,” Drexler said, “You want a tough team and if you have a tough coach like that who’s not going to take nothing but the greatest and demand 100% from you, then that was the key to their success.”
Drexler isn’t the only current Cougars player to have a connection to Phi Slama Jama. Current player LJ Rose is the son of Lynden Rose, who served as the co-captain from 1981–82. Due to also being a senior, he served as a leader on that team. Rose shared the same sentiment as Drexler as both their fathers emphasized the importance and influence of coach Lewis on that team. “The main thing was just coach Lewis. How great of a coach he was, how good of a person he was, the impact he left on all the guys,” Rose said, “Even today they still love coach Lewis.”
This team was very competitive and that sentiment wasn’t just present when they took the floor against their opponents. “My dad said they had a no goaltending rule during practice,” Rose said, “So guys like Hakeem, Larry Micheaux, and Michael Young they would just wait under the rim. It was either you dunk it or it got blocked.”
“He talked about toughness, definitely coach Guy Lewis. How tough they were, how hard they played, how they always competed every practice.” Drexler said, “That tough competition made the games so much easier because they didn’t have to go up against each other. That’s a recipe for success especially when you have great players like Hakeem.”
The Cougars had a run with this team that was highlighted by consecutive appearances in the NCAA National Championship Game. Despite the fact this team didn’t win a title, they are still remembered very fondly. Houston Chronicle columnist Jerome Solomon remembers what it was like to watch Phi Slama Jama. “They were the most entertaining team in the city. Period. This is a football town and always will be. But for that stretch of time, Phi Slama Jama was it. That run they had? I don’t know if we’ll ever see that again. It was fun,” Solomon said, “They were the big show in town and the Rockets weren’t bad. They went to the NBA Finals in the middle of that. Moses Malone was the best player in basketball winning the MVP, but Phi Slama Jama was the main entertainment because they were running and dunking all over the place. The whole city was behind them and it was interesting.”
Critics will say Phi Slama Jama doesn’t deserve the attention it gets because they failed to win a title. However, not everyone agrees with that sentiment. “There are a bunch of teams that don’t win every year. That’s not an excuse for losing but, most of those teams just lose. These guys didn’t win the championship. Yet, you can go anywhere in the country and say Phi Slama Jama and people will know what you’re talking about,” Solomon said, “You try to bring up these other teams that lost in the finals and didn’t win; people have to have a hardcore knowledge of who they are. Phi Slama Jama is known worldwide, that’s how special it was. It’s extremely disappointing they didn’t win. Most Houston basketball fans remember where they were when they lost that night against NC State, so yeah it was painful.”
The members have all taken different routes in their lives after college. Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler went on to have Hall of Fame careers in the NBA and Drexler now works with the Rockets broadcast team. Reid Gettys is an attorney with ExxonMobil and Dave Rose is the current basketball coach at Brigham Young University. Drexler, Olajuwon, Michael Young all have their numbers retired. Guy Lewis was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013 and the court at Hofheinz Pavilion also bears his name. Jerome Solomon describes his Hall of Fame induction as “long overdue” due to being an “innovative coach who changed the game and opened doors that had previously been closed.” It’s been 30 years and counting since Phi Slama Jama made their notorious run, and it seems like the fascination never ends. After hearing some of the accounts and looking back on this stretch of time, it’s not hard to see why.
