Tom Penders
Encyclopedia
Tom Penders is a retired college basketball
head coach
, who last coached from 2004 through 2010 at the University of Houston
. He is from Stratford, Connecticut
and has a 648-438 career record. As a college athlete, Penders played both basketball and baseball for the University of Connecticut
, and is one of the few players to have competed in both the NCAA Tournament
as well as the College World Series
.
Prior to his last job as Houston's head coach, Penders was a sports analyst for ESPN
and Westwood One Radio. He also has been the head coach for Tufts
, Columbia
, Fordham
, Rhode Island
, Texas
, and George Washington
.
and Bridgeport Central High School in Connecticut. He led Bullard-Havens to a 14-6 record in his first season as a head coach. The next year he guided Bridgeport Central to a 23-2 record and a number two ranking in the state. The following year, he was named the New York Daily News Coach of the Year after leading Bridgeport to a 20-1 mark and Number one ranking.
in 1971, and compiled a 54-18 record in three seasons. On October 6, 2006, Penders and his 1972-73 Tufts team were inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
Next Penders coached for four seasons at Columbia University
. In his final two years there, Penders led the school to back-to-back winning seasons.
After Columbia, Penders moved to Fordham University
where he remained for eight years and compiled a 125-114 record. In 1980-81, Penders was named the New York Metropolitan Area Coach of the Year after leading Fordham to a 19-9 record.
In 1988, Penders led the Rams to the 1988 NCAA Sweet 16 with wins over Missouri
and Syracuse
before eventually losing to Duke
.
When Penders was hired in 1988, he inherited a team that won 16 games the year before; the Erwin Center (the Longhorns' home court) averaged 4,028 fans per game (in a 16,231-seat arena). Immediately after his arrival, Penders switched to a more uptempo offense, and called his team the "Runnin' Horns." His first team finished second in the Southwest Conference and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Longhorns also set 22 school and SWC records while more than doubling their attendance average to 10,011 per game, the largest increase in NCAA Division I.
In his final year at Texas, Penders underwent heart surgery and was unable to coach the first few games of what would end up being a tumultuous season. He would ultimately resign in 1998, after a scandal involved the release of a player's grade report to the local media, which violated NCAA rules.
His time at Texas was the subject of a book, Burned Orange by Kyle Dalton.
from 1998–2001, where he compiled a 49–42 record and led the Colonials
to the NCAA Tournament
. Penders' only winning season while directing the Colonials was his first, where he inherited a talented team composed mostly of recruits of former Colonial head coach Mike Jarvis
. Penders cited "burnout" and resigned from GW in 2001 after a number of scandals on campus, including an on-campus rape and weapons violations by player Atilla Cobsy which Penders did not tell the GW administration about, a phonecard scandal involving his son, who was an assistant coach, as well as star guard SirValiant Brown leaving after his sophomore year for the NBA because he wouldn't qualify to play the next season for academic reasons.
Penders said his resignation was because after 30 years of coaching, it was "time for a sabattical," and said the resignation was not related to the off-the-court issues. The university honored the rest of Penders' contract, with GW athletic director Jack Kvancz said honoring it "was the class thing to do." When GW's Kvancz was questioned about the payout (in the area of $1M) he refused to comment. "
, Penders guided the Cougars
to the nation’s fourth-best turnaround with an 18–14 overall record and Houston led the nation in turnover margin and set both team and individual school records for most three-point field goals made in a season.
In his second season, Penders led the Cougars to their first 20-win season, first back-to-back winning seasons and first back-to-back postseason tournament appearances since 1992–93. He also led Houston to back-to-back wins over nationally-ranked teams for the first time since the 1984 NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament
and their first postseason tournament victory since 1988 in his first two years at the school, in the NIT
.
Houston finished the 2005-06 campaign with a 2–2 record against nationally-ranked teams after beating No. 25 LSU on November 29 and 13th-ranked Arizona
December 3 in a nationally-televised game on ESPN2
.
Houston’s postseason tournament victory was against BYU
in the first round of the 2006 NIT
. It also was Penders’ first career victory in the NIT.
Houston led the nation in steals with a 12.4 average, and the Cougars finished second in turnover margin with an average margin of +7.5.
Penders came to Houston after spending three years as an analyst for ESPN
and Westwood One Radio.
Penders led the Houston Cougars to the Conference USA championship game in 2010 where they defeated UTEP for their first NCAA Tournament berth in 18 years.
This made him only the 8th coach to take 4 different schools to the NCAA tournament.
Penders resigned as coach of Houston on March 22, 2010 following a first round loss to Maryland in the NCAA tournament.
, where he starred as a center fielder for the baseball team and a point guard for the basketball team from 1964-67.
In his time at Connecticut, Penders also joined the Alpha Pi chapter of Theta Xi
.
from 1931–68, and led the school to four state championships. His brother, Jim, is the baseball coach at East Catholic High School
, and was named the national high school Coach of the Year in 1996. Just like his father, Jim won four state championships.
His two nephews also are collegiate baseball coaches. Jim was named the head coach at Connecticut
in 2003 after serving seven years as an assistant coach and playing four years for the Huskies. Rob serves as the head baseball coach at St. Edward's University
in Austin, Texas
.
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
, who last coached from 2004 through 2010 at 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...
. He is from Stratford, Connecticut
Stratford, Connecticut
Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. It was founded by Puritans in 1639....
and has a 648-438 career record. As a college athlete, Penders played both basketball and baseball for the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
, and is one of the few players to have competed in both the NCAA Tournament
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...
as well as the College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
.
Prior to his last job as Houston's head coach, Penders was a sports analyst for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and Westwood One Radio. He also has been the head coach for Tufts
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
, Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Fordham
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island is the principal public research university in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its main campus is located in Kingston. Additional campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Providence, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West...
, Texas
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, and George Washington
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
.
High school
Penders posted a 59-10 record as a high school coach at Bullard-Havens TechBullard Havens Technical High School
Bullard-Havens Technical High School is one of 17 vocational state schools in Connecticut, and is a part of the Connecticut Technical High School System...
and Bridgeport Central High School in Connecticut. He led Bullard-Havens to a 14-6 record in his first season as a head coach. The next year he guided Bridgeport Central to a 23-2 record and a number two ranking in the state. The following year, he was named the New York Daily News Coach of the Year after leading Bridgeport to a 20-1 mark and Number one ranking.
Tufts, Columbia, Fordham
Penders began his collegiate coaching career at Tufts UniversityTufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
in 1971, and compiled a 54-18 record in three seasons. On October 6, 2006, Penders and his 1972-73 Tufts team were inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
Next Penders coached for four seasons at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. In his final two years there, Penders led the school to back-to-back winning seasons.
After Columbia, Penders moved to Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
where he remained for eight years and compiled a 125-114 record. In 1980-81, Penders was named the New York Metropolitan Area Coach of the Year after leading Fordham to a 19-9 record.
Rhode Island
Penders took over Rhode Island’s program on October 4, 1986, two weeks before the regular season began. He was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Co-Coach of the Year after guiding the Rams to a 20-10 record and a berth into the NIT his first year.In 1988, Penders led the Rams to the 1988 NCAA Sweet 16 with wins over Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
and Syracuse
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
before eventually losing to Duke
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
.
Texas
In his 10 seasons at the University of Texas, Penders compiled a 208-110 record. During his time there, he became the "winningest" basketball coach in school history (although now passed by current Texas coach Rick Barnes). He led the Longhorns to three Southwest Conference championships and eight NCAA Tournament appearances, including an "Elite Eight" in 1990, and the "Sweet 16" in 1997. His teams at Texas averaged 20.8 wins per season, 87.2 points per game, and forced 19 turnovers per contest.When Penders was hired in 1988, he inherited a team that won 16 games the year before; the Erwin Center (the Longhorns' home court) averaged 4,028 fans per game (in a 16,231-seat arena). Immediately after his arrival, Penders switched to a more uptempo offense, and called his team the "Runnin' Horns." His first team finished second in the Southwest Conference and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Longhorns also set 22 school and SWC records while more than doubling their attendance average to 10,011 per game, the largest increase in NCAA Division I.
In his final year at Texas, Penders underwent heart surgery and was unable to coach the first few games of what would end up being a tumultuous season. He would ultimately resign in 1998, after a scandal involved the release of a player's grade report to the local media, which violated NCAA rules.
His time at Texas was the subject of a book, Burned Orange by Kyle Dalton.
George Washington
Penders served as head coach at the George Washington UniversityGeorge Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
from 1998–2001, where he compiled a 49–42 record and led the Colonials
George Washington Colonials men's basketball
The George Washington Colonials Basketball team represents The George Washington University in Washington, DC. It plays its home games in the Charles E. Smith Center, which is also shared with other George Washington Colonials athletic programs. The school's team currently competes in the Atlantic...
to the NCAA Tournament
1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1999, and ended with the championship game on March 29 at Tropicana Field in St....
. Penders' only winning season while directing the Colonials was his first, where he inherited a talented team composed mostly of recruits of former Colonial head coach Mike Jarvis
Mike Jarvis
Mike Jarvis is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at Florida Atlantic University. He has coached at Boston University, George Washington University and St. John's University. He also has worked as a commentator for college basketball games on ESPN...
. Penders cited "burnout" and resigned from GW in 2001 after a number of scandals on campus, including an on-campus rape and weapons violations by player Atilla Cobsy which Penders did not tell the GW administration about, a phonecard scandal involving his son, who was an assistant coach, as well as star guard SirValiant Brown leaving after his sophomore year for the NBA because he wouldn't qualify to play the next season for academic reasons.
Penders said his resignation was because after 30 years of coaching, it was "time for a sabattical," and said the resignation was not related to the off-the-court issues. The university honored the rest of Penders' contract, with GW athletic director Jack Kvancz said honoring it "was the class thing to do." When GW's Kvancz was questioned about the payout (in the area of $1M) he refused to comment. "
Houston
In his first season at the University of HoustonUniversity 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...
, Penders guided the Cougars
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...
to the nation’s fourth-best turnaround with an 18–14 overall record and Houston led the nation in turnover margin and set both team and individual school records for most three-point field goals made in a season.
In his second season, Penders led the Cougars to their first 20-win season, first back-to-back winning seasons and first back-to-back postseason tournament appearances since 1992–93. He also led Houston to back-to-back wins over nationally-ranked teams for the first time since the 1984 NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament
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...
and their first postseason tournament victory since 1988 in his first two years at the school, in the NIT
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
.
Houston finished the 2005-06 campaign with a 2–2 record against nationally-ranked teams after beating No. 25 LSU on November 29 and 13th-ranked Arizona
Arizona Wildcats men's basketball
The Arizona Wildcats basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of NCAA Division I. They are currently coached by Sean Miller.Arizona has a long and rich...
December 3 in a nationally-televised game on ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
.
Houston’s postseason tournament victory was against BYU
BYU Cougars men's basketball
The BYU Cougars men's basketball team represents Brigham Young University in NCAA Division I basketball play. Established in 1902, the team has won 30 conference championships and 2 NIT Tournaments , and competed in 26 NCAA Tournaments. It currently competes in the West Coast Conference...
in the first round of the 2006 NIT
2006 National Invitation Tournament
-Michigan Bracket:-Louisville Bracket:-Cincinnati Bracket:-Semifinals & Finals:...
. It also was Penders’ first career victory in the NIT.
Houston led the nation in steals with a 12.4 average, and the Cougars finished second in turnover margin with an average margin of +7.5.
Penders came to Houston after spending three years as an analyst for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and Westwood One Radio.
Penders led the Houston Cougars to the Conference USA championship game in 2010 where they defeated UTEP for their first NCAA Tournament berth in 18 years.
This made him only the 8th coach to take 4 different schools to the NCAA tournament.
Penders resigned as coach of Houston on March 22, 2010 following a first round loss to Maryland in the NCAA tournament.
College playing career
Penders played both baseball and basketball at the University of ConnecticutUniversity of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
, where he starred as a center fielder for the baseball team and a point guard for the basketball team from 1964-67.
In his time at Connecticut, Penders also joined the Alpha Pi chapter of Theta Xi
Theta Xi
Theta Xi was founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York on 29 April 1864. Theta Xi Fraternity was originally founded as an engineering fraternity, the first professional fraternity...
.
Family
In addition to Tom and Tommy, Jr. serving as basketball coaches, his father was a longtime baseball coach at Stratford High SchoolStratford High School (Connecticut)
Stratford High School is a high school in Stratford, Connecticut, USA. Stratford High serves students in grades 9 - 12. It is part of Stratford Public Schools and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the Connecticut State Department of Education.-Extracurricular...
from 1931–68, and led the school to four state championships. His brother, Jim, is the baseball coach at East Catholic High School
East Catholic High School
East Catholic High School is a college preparatory high school in Manchester, Connecticut. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford. The parochial school was founded in 1961...
, and was named the national high school Coach of the Year in 1996. Just like his father, Jim won four state championships.
His two nephews also are collegiate baseball coaches. Jim was named the head coach at Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
in 2003 after serving seven years as an assistant coach and playing four years for the Huskies. Rob serves as the head baseball coach at St. Edward's University
St. Edward's University
St. Edward's University is a private Roman Catholic institution of higher learning located south of Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas. The university offers a liberal arts education and its campus is located on a hill overlooking the city of Austin. The campus's most notable landmark is Main...
in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.