B-Ball crazy

The UH Connection: Robert Wuhl, Brett Cullen & Guy Lewis plan Final Four visits

Robert Wuhl
Guy Lewis
Brett Cullen

Although the University of Houston isn't in the Final Four this year, a number of former students-turned-celebrities will be in town for the big basketball weekend.

Comedian Robert Wuhl, who played a sports agent in the HBO series Arli$$, will bring his radio show to Reliant Stadium on Friday morning. Wuhl studied acting at UH, and launched the national daily talk show, which covers sports, business and entertainment, in January. He will stay over for the NCAA basketball semifinal games on Saturday.

Veteran actor and UH grad Brett Cullen will take in both of Saturday's semifinals and the final game on Monday, as well as the Shell Houston Open on Sunday. Cullen has appeared in dozens of popular TV shows, including Castle, Lost, The West Wing and Friday Night Lights. He also stars is the independent movie, Skateland.

Another one-time UH drama student, Dennis Quaid, was set to join good friend Cullen (who introduced Quaid to his wife), but nixed plans at the last minute when he was called to do a promotional tour for his new movie, Soul Surfer. Quaid, who now makes Austin home, has told UH Alumni Association president Michael Pede he hopes to attend the university's No Limit Texas Hold 'Em poker showdown later this year.

Pede also is organizing a big event to honor legendary former UH basketball coach Guy Lewis on Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the University of Houston Alumni Center. The event, "Guy V. Lewis: Celebrating Houston's Basketball Pioneer," celebrates UH's five Final Four appearances under Lewis. Among those expected to attend: UH basketball greats Elvin Hayes, Don Chaney, Clyde Drexler, Otis Birdsong and David Rose. Tickets for the general public are $5 each.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”