AN EVOLVING CAST
With only three holdovers, leadership list reflects upheaval in local sports
Change seems to be a constant theme in Houston sports during recent years. • It’s no different in this year’s Houston 10, with only three holdovers from last year’s midsummer ranking of the Bayou City’s leading sports figures. • The Houston 10 has always been hard to define. Does it consist of the city’s most important sports figures? Its buzziest? The biggest movers and shakers of the moment? The easy — and complicated — answer is yes. But that’s what makes compiling the list, first conceived by retired Chronicle sports writer Dale Robertson, an exercise in fun. • So without further ado, here’s this year’s Houston 10.
1. JUSTIN VERLANDER
ASTROS PITCHER 2021 ranking: Not ranked
After entering his age 39 season coming off Tommy John surgery, Verlander has delivered the same message he did after the Astros acquired him at the August 2017 trade deadline: Don’t assume his best days are behind him.
After being limited to one start in 2020 and missing all of 2021, Verlander has put together a stupendous comeback season, leading all major leaguers in wins (13) and ranking second in WHIP (0.88) and third in ERA (1.86). Opponents are hitting just .192 against him.
He’s resumed his place atop the Astros’ rotation and, after signing a oneyear contract for $25 million with a player option for 2023, faces an interesting decision this offseason. The Astros would undoubtedly love to have him back, but Verlander could be in line to get one last multiyear contract. But before then, he’ll be a pivotal cog to winning a second World Series in six seasons. It will be interesting to see how the Astros manage his workload the rest of the regular season to keep him fresh for what should be another October of playoff baseball in Houston.
2. KELVIN SAMPSON
UH BASKETBALL COACH 2021 ranking: No. 6
Sampson leads the best Houston franchise not named the Astros. In the past two years, he’s led the Cougars to a Final Four and then an Elite Eight berth despite being without two of the team’s top players for most of the season.
This fall, UH is being mentioned as a national championship contender with a solid core back, including a healthy Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark. Sampson also landed freshman Jarace Walker, a five-star power forward and potential 2023 NBA lottery pick, and Beaumont United sharpshooter Terrance Arceneaux.
If UH wasn’t hungry enough after last year’s near-miss, the 2023 Final Four will be in the Cougars’ backyard at NRG Stadium. Fertitta Center is sold out on a nightly basist, and the Cougars are back to national prominence, but Sampson doesn’t rest on those laurels. That’s seen in how hard his team plays, so expect another motivated group on the court this fall.
3. YORDAN ALVAREZ
ASTROS OUTFIELDER/DH 2021 ranking: Not ranked
Alvarez, who came to the Astros in a fabulous, under-the-radar deal former general manager Jeff Luhnow made with the Dodgers in August 2016, has established himself as one of the new faces of the franchise. If not for the international phenomenon that is Shohei Ohtani, Alvarez would’ve been an All-Star starter.
The Cuban slugger burst onto the scene as the unanimous American League Rookie of the Year in 2019. Last fall, he helped slug the Astros into the World Series, earning AL Championship Series MVP honors. After signing a six-year, $115 million extension earlier this season, he’ll be a heart-of-the-lineup staple for seasons to come.
And to think all it cost the Astros in the first place was Josh Fields.
4. JALEN GREEN
ROCKETS GUARD 2021 ranking: Not ranked
Since James Harden moped his way out of Houston, there haven’t been many compelling reasons for casual fans to watch the Rockets the past two seasons. Green might be changing that perception. The No. 2 pick of the 2021 draft finished last season with a flourish. In his final seven games, he averaged 29.3 points, hitting 47 percent of his shots and 40 percent from distance.
The Rockets still have quite a ways to go in their rebuild, but Green has shown he could be a foundational piece. It appears he got more help in this year’s draft, so the Rockets might be getting closer to playing meaningful games again at Toyota Center.
5. HÉCTOR HERRERA
DYNAMO MIDFIELDER 2021 ranking: Not ranked
The Dynamo, who have missed the MLS playoffs all but one year since 2014, had become stale of late. The arrival of Herrera, the highest-profile acquisition in franchise history, changed that. A decorated international player who’s also a member of Mexico’s national team, Herrera drew a crowd at Bush airport before he played his first Dynamo game.
His first home game at PNC Stadium drew a capacity crowd of more than 21,000, with his entry into the game giving the Dynamo more than a jolt at the box office as they rallied for a tie. The Dynamo are 1-2-1 since Herrera arrived, and plenty of work needs to be done, but owner Ted Segal and GM Pat Onstad undoubtedly hope their new addition helps spark a much-needed turnaround.
6. RENU KHATOR
UH CHANCELLOR 2021 ranking: Not ranked
We should have known Khator meant business years ago when she said “winning at the University of Houston is defined as 10-2.” That didn’t bode well for the Major Applewhite era. Khator and UH then somehow got Dana Holgorsen to make an unheard-of move going from West Virginia to a non-Power 5 football program.
The Cougars are now getting ready to join the Big 12 next summer. Khator, part of a leadership triumvirate with board of regents chairman Tilman Fertitta and athletic director Chris Pezman, has helped the Cougars realize their decadeslong goal of being in a major conference. During her tenure, UH has raised more than $250 million in funds to upgrade existing facilities or build new ones.
Khator has been front and center, getting appointed to the NCAA’s Division I board of directors in 2019 and recently attending Big 12 meetings in Arizona and Irving. She was also a part of interviews for the league’s commissioner job that went to Brett Yormark. College sports is a big-dollar game played at the presidents’ level, and Khator gives UH a seat at the table, with tangible results so far.
7. DAVIS MILLS TEXANS QB
2021 ranking: Not ranked
Mills, who had his ups and downs
after being forced into the starter’s role as a rookie, has something akin to an audition this fall. Barring something unforeseen, he’ll be the Texans’ starting quarterback and given a chance to show if he’s up to being a regular NFL starter.
With the Texans likely holding another high first-round draft pick (between theirs or Cleveland’s), they’ll need to know if they have something to move forward with in Mills or whether they need to start scouting college quarterbacks looking for someone to man arguably the most important position in pro sports.
For now, the job is Mills’. Is it his for the long term? To be determined.
8. JAMES CLICK
ASTROS GM 2021 ranking: No. 1
Click, in his third season running the Astros, faces another intriguing trade deadline with the team again a frontrunner to reach the World Series. Click’s bullpen upgrades at last season’s deadline played a big role in the team reaching the Fall Classic.
The Astros have been a deadline buyer in recent years, and it’s hard to imagine anything changing much this year. So Click will have big decisions to make on whether to hunt big game (Juan Soto?) or make smaller moves on the margins to fortify a top contender.
Click’s draft classes will take awhile to be judged, but his biggest responsibility now is to help keep the Astros’ championship window open. So what happens leading up to the Aug. 2 deadline will have Astros fans keenly interested.
9. NICK CASERIO
TEXANS GENERAL MANAGER 2021 ranking: No. 5
After inheriting a roster mess and having little premium draft capital when he arrived in January 2021, Caserio is starting to put his imprint on the Texans. He finally ended the Deshaun Watson imbroglio, getting three first-round picks from Cleveland. He then used the third overall pick on cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who’ll need to be an impact player given his draft status.
While the Bengals went from four wins in 2020 to the Super Bowl last year, the Texans have too many question marks to be serious playoff contenders in 2022. The key will be to make progress this fall, then draft and spend wisely in free agency next offseason for a postseason push in 2023. Caserio, whose coaching hires have been unconventional, has the luxury of working for patient ownership (unless your name is David Culley). He wields the power at NRG Stadium, and the team is being constructed his way. Now the onus is on him to put a product on the field that’ll eventually fill the seats again.
10. JABARI SMITH JR.
ROCKETS FORWARD 2021 ranking: Not ranked
A month ago, we had this spot reserved for Paolo Banchero. But Orlando threw the NBA draft a curveball and took the Duke star first overall instead of Smith, who’d been expected to go in that spot. So Smith fell to the Rockets at No. 3. He showed potential and his versatility in summer league play, with a chip surely on his shoulder from his draft-night snub.
Fortunately for Smith, he doesn’t have to be a franchise savior right away. He’ll have plenty of young talent to grow with. The Rockets hope he provides Jalen Green a running mate for the next 10 years. But NBA rebuilds usually don’t happen overnight, and there will be growing pains. Smith, however, brings plenty of promise to the reconstruction going on in Houston.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
(In alphabetical order): Simone Biles, gymnast; Jane Campbell, Dash goaltender; Jim Crane, Astros owner; Dana Holgorsen, UH football coach; Jeremy Peña, Astros shortstop; Chris Pezman, UH athletic director; Ted Segal, Dynamo/ Dash owner; Lovie Smith, Texans coach; Rafael Stone, Rockets general manager; Kyle Tucker, Astros outfielder