Virtually all of the recent publicity that former Houston Cougar Coach Guy V. Lewis has been receiving has been directed at getting him elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. I strongly support the contention that Lewis should be in the Hall.
Friday's edition of the UH student newspaper, the Daily Cougar, featured an interview with current UH Coach Tom Penders. Penders made the case for Lewis's induction as eloquently and as succinctly as I've heard anyone do it:
It's a total injustice. The man has twice the credentials of many of those who are already in there. The five Final Fours are mind boggling. The records, the pioneer that he was here, what he did for African-Americans here at the University of Houston, he's always been considered a class individual. He didn't have any NCAA violations. He did it the right way, didn't cut corners, and I know how his former players feel about him. There's just no explanation for it.
I can take another coach who's in the Hall and look at his record and his NCAA record, and they'll fall far short of coach Lewis'. Then I ask, "How can this guy be in there and coach Lewis not?" You've got to right the wrongs that have been done in the past. There are some guys that are in there -- and I'm not saying that they don't belong -- but if they're in there, then they should have an entire room for Guy Lewis, never mind just getting him in there.
