Phi Slamma Jamma
Encyclopedia
Phi Slama Jama was the nickname
of the University of Houston
Cougars
men's basketball
teams from 1982 to 1984. Coined by former Houston Post
sportswriter Thomas Bonk in a January 3, 1983 article, the nickname was quickly adopted by the players and even appeared on team warmup suits by the middle of the 1982–83 season. Phi Slama Jama was coached by Guy V. Lewis and featured future Hall of Fame
and NBA Top 50 players Hakeem Olajuwon
and Clyde Drexler
. "Texas's Tallest Fraternity" was especially known for its slam dunk
ing and explosive, fast-breaking style of play.
. Wooden maligned dunking as flamboyant and unsportsmanlike and even forbade his players from performing the shot for several years. Guy Lewis not only condoned his players dunking, he “insisted on it,” dunks being what he called "high-percentage shots."
The young players who made up Phi Slama Jama had been influenced by the freewheeling style of play pioneered during the 1970s by the defunct ABA and its most famous player, Julius Erving
of the Virginia Squires
. In this paradigm, athleticism took precedence over fundamental skills, fast breaks were preferred to set plays, and dunking trumped the jump shot. In an interview with Thomas Bonk, Clyde Drexler succinctly espoused the Phi Slama Jama philosophy, saying, “Sure, 15-footers are fine, but I like to dunk." The Phi Slama Jama teams were notably poor at free throw shooting, with some critics attributing their 1983 NCAA Final loss to this deficiency.
each year from 1982 to 1984. As underclassmen in 1981–82, a young Cougar team lost to the eventual champion North Carolina Tar Heels
in the national semifinals
. The 1982–83 season
marked the high point of Phi Slama Jama. The Cougars posted an Associated Press
#1 ranking, a 31–2 record and a 26-game winning streak before losing in the NCAA Final
. Considered one of the most unlikely upsets in NCAA tournament history, Phi Slama Jama lost a closely contested championship game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack
by a score of 54–52. The final margin was decided on a last-second dunk by Wolfpack forward
Lorenzo Charles
.
Despite the early departure of star forward Clyde Drexler after the 82–83 season, Phi Slama Jama continued their success in 1984. Hakeem Olajuwon
became the focal point of the team and was selected as a consensus first team All-American. Guard
Michael Young
was also selected to the All-America team and led the Cougars in scoring for the second consecutive year. The Cougars returned to the Final Four once more
, this time losing to the Patrick Ewing
-led Georgetown Hoyas
in the final. Olajuwon, with one year of eligibility remaining, declared for the NBA Draft
shortly after the loss in the title game. He was selected first overall by the Houston Rockets
in a draft class that included Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton. Michael Young was also selected in the first round, chosen 24th by the Boston Celtics. The departures of Olajuwon and Young after the 1984 NCAA Final, in addition to the loss of Drexler and Larry Micheaux
the previous year, brought the Phi Slama Jama era at UH to a close.
, who was a member of the Cougar golf team and roommate of Fred Couples
.
The team included:
Having already helped to popularize college basketball with "The Game of the Century
" in 1968, the Cougars' captivating 1983 postseason run again helped college basketball in its drive to join the first rank of major sports. The #1 vs. #2 clash of titans between Phi Slama Jama and Louisville's "Doctors of Dunk" in the Final Four served as an enthralling preamble to the dramatic title game. Ironically, Phi Slama Jama's title game loss to North Carolina State is widely considered their most immediate contribution towards putting NCAA basketball on a par with college football in terms of television viewership and revenue. The Cougars' last-second loss in the final was an iconic moment in the history of “March Madness
” that helped to establish the NCAA Basketball Tournament as a major television event. The CBS broadcast of the 1983 Final between Houston and NC State drew 18.6 million households and the Houston-Louisville national semifinal attracted 14.8 million, both ratings records at the time for national final and semifinal games.
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
of the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
Cougars
Houston Cougars
Houston Cougars is the name given to the sports teams of the University of Houston. Informally, the Houston Cougars have also been referred to as the Coogs, UH, or simply Houston. Houston's nickname was created by early physical education instructor of the university and former head football...
men's basketball
Houston Cougars men's basketball
The Houston Cougars men's basketball team represents the University of Houston in Houston, Texas in U.S. NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The university is a member of Conference USA...
teams from 1982 to 1984. Coined by former Houston Post
Houston Post
The Houston Post was a newspaper that had its headquarters in Houston, Texas, United States. In 1995, the newspaper was absorbed into the Houston Chronicle.-History:The newspaper was established on February 19, 1880, by Gail Borden Johnson...
sportswriter Thomas Bonk in a January 3, 1983 article, the nickname was quickly adopted by the players and even appeared on team warmup suits by the middle of the 1982–83 season. Phi Slama Jama was coached by Guy V. Lewis and featured future Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
and NBA Top 50 players Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008,...
and Clyde Drexler
Clyde Drexler
Clyde Austin "Clyde The Glide" Drexler is a former National Basketball Association shooting guard and small forward. A ten-time All-Star and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, the NBA named him one of basketball's fifty greatest players as of 1996. Drexler won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and...
. "Texas's Tallest Fraternity" was especially known for its slam dunk
Slam dunk
A slam dunk is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air and manually powers the ball downward through the basket with one or both hands over the rim. This is considered a normal field goal attempt; if successful it is worth two points. The term "slam dunk" was...
ing and explosive, fast-breaking style of play.
Philosophy
Phi Slama Jama played a frenetic, playground-influenced style of basketball that was in near diametric opposition to the fundamentally polished and methodical style espoused by basketball traditionalists like John WoodenJohn Wooden
John Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games...
. Wooden maligned dunking as flamboyant and unsportsmanlike and even forbade his players from performing the shot for several years. Guy Lewis not only condoned his players dunking, he “insisted on it,” dunks being what he called "high-percentage shots."
The young players who made up Phi Slama Jama had been influenced by the freewheeling style of play pioneered during the 1970s by the defunct ABA and its most famous player, Julius Erving
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
of the Virginia Squires
Virginia Squires
The Virginia Squires were a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.-In Oakland :...
. In this paradigm, athleticism took precedence over fundamental skills, fast breaks were preferred to set plays, and dunking trumped the jump shot. In an interview with Thomas Bonk, Clyde Drexler succinctly espoused the Phi Slama Jama philosophy, saying, “Sure, 15-footers are fine, but I like to dunk." The Phi Slama Jama teams were notably poor at free throw shooting, with some critics attributing their 1983 NCAA Final loss to this deficiency.
On the court
The Phi Slama Jama Cougars advanced to the NCAA Final FourNCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
each year from 1982 to 1984. As underclassmen in 1981–82, a young Cougar team lost to the eventual champion North Carolina Tar Heels
1981–82 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
The 1981–82 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented University of North Carolina. The Head Coach was Dean Smith. The team played its home games in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
in the national semifinals
1982 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1982 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1982, and ended with the championship game on March 29 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
. The 1982–83 season
1982–83 Houston Cougars men's basketball team
The 1982–83 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the University of Houston. The Head Coach was Guy Lewis. The team played its home games in the Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston, Texas, and was then a member of the Southwest Conference.- Roster :...
marked the high point of Phi Slama Jama. The Cougars posted an Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
#1 ranking, a 31–2 record and a 26-game winning streak before losing in the NCAA Final
1983 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1983 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 52 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 2, 1983, and ended with the championship game on April 4 at The Pit, then officially known...
. Considered one of the most unlikely upsets in NCAA tournament history, Phi Slama Jama lost a closely contested championship game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack
1982–83 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team
The 1982–83 North Carolina State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented North Carolina State University. The Wolfpack were a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.-NCAA basketball tournament:*Mideast**North Carolina State 69, Pepperdine 67...
by a score of 54–52. The final margin was decided on a last-second dunk by Wolfpack forward
Power forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...
Lorenzo Charles
Lorenzo Charles
Lorenzo Emile "Lo" Charles was an American college and professional basketball player.Charles was a graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School...
.
Despite the early departure of star forward Clyde Drexler after the 82–83 season, Phi Slama Jama continued their success in 1984. Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008,...
became the focal point of the team and was selected as a consensus first team All-American. Guard
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...
Michael Young
Michael Young (basketball)
Michael Wayne Young is a retired American basketball player. After a 15-year playing career spent in the NBA and overseas, he is currently the director of basketball operations and performance enhancement at the University of Houston, his alma mater.- College :Young, a native Houstonian, played...
was also selected to the All-America team and led the Cougars in scoring for the second consecutive year. The Cougars returned to the Final Four once more
1984 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1984 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 53 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1984, and ended with the championship game on April 2 in Seattle, Washington. A total of...
, this time losing to the Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player and current assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. He played most of his career with the NBA's New York Knicks as their starting center and played briefly with the Seattle...
-led Georgetown Hoyas
1983–84 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team
The 1983–84 Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team represented Georgetown University. The Head Coach was John Thompson. The team was a member of the Big East Conference.-Roster:Coaches: John Thompson-NCAA basketball tournament:*East...
in the final. Olajuwon, with one year of eligibility remaining, declared for the NBA Draft
1984 NBA Draft
The 1984 NBA Draft was the 38th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York on June 19, 1984 before the 1984–85 season. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the USA Network. In this draft,...
shortly after the loss in the title game. He was selected first overall by the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
in a draft class that included Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and John Stockton. Michael Young was also selected in the first round, chosen 24th by the Boston Celtics. The departures of Olajuwon and Young after the 1984 NCAA Final, in addition to the loss of Drexler and Larry Micheaux
Larry Micheaux
Larry Wayne Micheaux is a retired American professional basketball player.-College:An all-state basketball player as a senior at E. E...
the previous year, brought the Phi Slama Jama era at UH to a close.
Fraternity brothers
The team members during the Phi Slama Jama era are listed below, along with a few nicknames for which they came to be known. Many of these nicknames were coined by then-public address announcer and UH graduate Jim NantzJim Nantz
James William Nantz, III is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his work with CBS Sports television.-Early life:...
, who was a member of the Cougar golf team and roommate of Fred Couples
Fred Couples
Frederick Steven Couples is an American professional golfer who competes on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. A former World No. 1, he has won numerous events, most notably the 1992 Masters Tournament. In August 2011 he won his maiden senior major at the Senior Players Championship...
.
The team included:
- Hakeem "Dream" Olajuwon (AKA Akeem "Jelly" Olajuwon)Hakeem OlajuwonHakeem Abdul Olajuwon is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008,...
- Benny "Bomber from Bernice" AndersBenny AndersBenny Anders was a star player at the University of Houston during the early 1980s and a member of the school's so-called Phi Slama Jama basketball fraternity that included Akeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Michael Young, Alvin Franklin, Reid Gettys, and Larry Micheaux.-High School:A cousin of former...
- Clyde "Glide" DrexlerClyde DrexlerClyde Austin "Clyde The Glide" Drexler is a former National Basketball Association shooting guard and small forward. A ten-time All-Star and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, the NBA named him one of basketball's fifty greatest players as of 1996. Drexler won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and...
- Larry "Mr. Mean" MicheauxLarry MicheauxLarry Wayne Micheaux is a retired American professional basketball player.-College:An all-state basketball player as a senior at E. E...
- Michael "Silent Assassin" YoungMichael Young (basketball)Michael Wayne Young is a retired American basketball player. After a 15-year playing career spent in the NBA and overseas, he is currently the director of basketball operations and performance enhancement at the University of Houston, his alma mater.- College :Young, a native Houstonian, played...
- Alvin Franklin
- Rob WilliamsRob Williams (basketball)Robert Aaron Williams , is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 1982 NBA Draft....
- Reid GettysReid GettysA "set up man" in large part, Reid Gettys played a pivotal role in the success of the powerhouse Phi Slama Jama basketball teams at the University of Houston during the early-to-mid 1980s....
- Ricky Winslow
- Greg "Cadillac" AndersonCadillac AndersonGregory Wayne "Cadillac" Anderson is a retired American professional basketball player.He attended and played collegiate basketball at the University of Houston. He competed in the 1984 Final Four in Seattle while at Houston.A 6' 10" power forward/center, he was selected 23rd overall by the San...
- Dave Rose
- Christopher "Lethal" God
- Eric Dickens
- Bryan "Swoo" Williams
- Derek Giles
- Gary Orsak
- Sean MacRitchie
- David Bunce
- Dan Bunce
- Antonio Chappell
- Renaldo Thomas/O'Neal
- Lynden Rose Co-Captain
- Jamie Weaver
- Marvin Alexander
- Eric "General" Davis Co-Captain
- Rodney Parker
Impact on the game
Though it was pioneered largely in the ABA, Phi Slama Jama is widely credited with popularizing the frenetic, “above the rim” style of play that pervades college basketball to the present day. Phi Slama Jama achieved its greatest prominence at a time when the overall popularity of basketball was burgeoning. Their entertaining style of play appealed to a broad audience, and helped to bring many casual fans to the sport. Olajuwon’s international origin foreshadowed the worldwide explosion in the popularity of basketball in the 1980s and 1990s. In light of his unprecedented success, college basketball recruiters fanned out across the globe in search of the next undiscovered superstar. The legacy of Phi Slama Jama has remained at the fore of basketball discourse thanks in large part to the long and distinguished professional careers of Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.Having already helped to popularize college basketball with "The Game of the Century
Game of the Century (college basketball)
The Game of the Century in college basketball was a historical NCAA game between the University of Houston Cougars and the UCLA Bruins played on January 20, 1968 at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. It was the first NCAA regular season game broadcast nationwide in prime time...
" in 1968, the Cougars' captivating 1983 postseason run again helped college basketball in its drive to join the first rank of major sports. The #1 vs. #2 clash of titans between Phi Slama Jama and Louisville's "Doctors of Dunk" in the Final Four served as an enthralling preamble to the dramatic title game. Ironically, Phi Slama Jama's title game loss to North Carolina State is widely considered their most immediate contribution towards putting NCAA basketball on a par with college football in terms of television viewership and revenue. The Cougars' last-second loss in the final was an iconic moment in the history of “March Madness
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
” that helped to establish the NCAA Basketball Tournament as a major television event. The CBS broadcast of the 1983 Final between Houston and NC State drew 18.6 million households and the Houston-Louisville national semifinal attracted 14.8 million, both ratings records at the time for national final and semifinal games.