TOP 6 DON’T MISS GAMES
for UH Men’s Basketball
Dec. VS LSU 12 • 8 p.m. Tigers are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll this season but lost in their last trip to Houston to face the Cougars.
Jan. 2 • 7 p.m. VS Tulsa Cougars open the New Year and American Athletic Conference play.
Jan. VS Memphis 6 • 5 p.m. New Memphis Head Coach Penny Hardaway makes his first trip to Houston at the head of the Tigers’ bench.
Jan. 12 • 7 p.m. VS Wichita State Cougars knocked off the Shockers a year ago on the 50th anniversary of the Game of the Century.
Feb. 10 • 3 p.m. VS Cincinnati Cougars meet the defending American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champions.
March 2 • 3 p.m. VS UCF Houston meets the preseason American Athletic Conference favorite in the penultimate home game of the regular season.
As fans visit the Fertitta Center and gaze at the basketball playing court, they will see two sets of words on the court. The first is Fertitta Center, named after University of Houston System Board of Regents Chairman Tilman J. Fertitta, who joined with his family to provide a $20-million gift toward the renovations of the facility. The second set of words is Howie Lorch & Elvin Hayes Courtside. Only at the University of Houston—known today as one of the nation’s most diverse universities—could a 5-foot-7 Jewish kid from New York and a 6-foot-9 African-American player from Louisiana become good friends and contribute so much to the University together. Lorch came to the University of Houston from Schenectady, N.Y., in 1962 after receiving a basketball managers’ scholarship from legendary Head Coach Guy V. Lewis. In 1963, Lewis became a trailblazer when he began recruiting African-American studentathletes to compete for the Cougars during a time when integration was slowly beginning in the South. Working with Lewis and other Houston coaches and student-athletes, Lorch met a tall, young man from Rayville, L.A., named Elvin Hayes in 1963 on the latter’s official visit to the school. Knowing Lorch grew up in an integrated environment in the North, Lewis asked his student manager to escort Hayes and eventual Athletics Hall of Honor inductee Don Chaney around campus and show the two future stars the city. Hayes and Lorch hit it off so well on that visit that Hayes asked Lewis if he could room with Lorch as a freshman during the 1964-65 season before signing his National Letter of Intent to join the Cougars. The two men became friends and continued as roommates until Hayes was married during midway From 1965 through to 1968, his senior Hayes, season Lorch in and 1967-68. Houston Men’s Basketball enjoyed some of the program’s best days. The Cougars posted a combined 8112 record and advanced to three straight NCAA Tournaments, including back-to-back NCAA Final Fours in 1967 and 1968, the first two of five in school history. Lorch received his bachelor’s degree in physical education and earned his master’s degree in education from the University. He went into the financial advising business as a wealth manager and later began a family real estate business with his wife, Jamie, who he met at a football game in 1972. Together, Lorch and Jamie and their children, Brandon, Robin and Steven, have been long-time supporters of the University and its Athletics Department. In 2007, Research Magazine inducted Lorch into their Financial Advisors Hall of Fame, and he also received the prestigious Wells Fargo Spirit Award in 2015. Hayes left the Cougars as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1968 NBA Draft and went on to a Hall of Fame career in the NBA. from recognized He 1969 was as to a an 12-time 1980 All-NBA and All-Star FirstTeam was selection three times. He led the Washington Bullets to the 1978 NBA championship and finished his career with more than 27,300 points, a total that continues to rank among the league’s Top-10 career scoring leaders more than 30 years after his final game. Despite their physical differences and despite the years that have passed, the two men remain good friends and are often found together, cheering on the Cougars at Houston Basketball games. In August 2016, the school announced Fertitta’s and his family’s $20-million gift to Houston Athletics toward the $60-million renovation of Hofheinz Pavilion to become the Fertitta Center. When the opportunity was presented to name the courtside seating area inside the facility, Lorch and Jamie immediately thought of their friend. The Lorchs talked with Houston Athletics administrators, and the matter was quickly decided. Houston Basketball fans would cheer from the sidelines at Howie Lorch & Elvin Hayes Courtside. In more than 50 years, the University of Houston has grown from a private school to its current position as a premier school with one of the most diverse campuses in the country. For Howie and Jamie, and to the the decision Basketball to give programs back to the was University a simple decision. “The University of Houston opened the door of opportunity for me to build a strong foundation upon which I have built for more than 50 years. It gives Jamie and me great pleasure to give that same opportunity to many future Cougars in need of a great education,” Lorch said.