Basketball Bonanza Too

A league of its own: University of Houston gets a Big East invite, chance toforge its own identity

Case Keenum will never play in the Big East, but he can take some pride inhelping UH get there.
Expect another red-and-white balloon dropping celebration at the University ofHouston soon. The Cougars have a Big East invite.
Photo by Thomas B. Shea/University of Houston

The University of Houston is poised to take a step up to the Big East, getting an invite from one of college football's Bowl Championship Series (BCS) conferences Monday night.

The invite's been expected for days as college football's frantic conference reshuffling continues. FOX 26 first reported that the Big East officially extended the official invite Monday after the league's presidents and chancellors held a conference call on expansion. The Big East is desperate to add members after Pittsburgh and Syracuse announced their intentions to bolt and TCU decided against joining and opted to jump to the Big 12 instead.

Besides Houston, the Big East is also expected to extend invites to underdog football power Boise State, service academies Air Force and Navy, and current UH Conference USA rivals SMU and Central Florida. Whether that will be enough for the Big East to maintain its automatic qualifier status (meaning that the conference champion is guaranteed to play in one of the ultra-lucrative BCS bowls) past 2013 when the current contract expires is uncertain.

Still for UH, the move would be a clear athletic status increase and would seem to reduce the university's fears of being left behind by the major football powers in this nation-wide explosion of conference reshuffling.

Big East commissioner John Marinatto will take realignment with reporters in a teleconference Tuesday. UH officials are expected to meet with the Big East's power brokers later this week.

Once the move becomes official, expect Houston to hold an exuberant press conference/pep rally along the lines of what the university did when it was deemed Tier One worthy by the Carnegie Foundation. Only magnified.

This move, like all the others in college sports recently, is all about king football. But for UH, the impact on its basketball program could be even greater. Coach James Dickey's program would be joining a conference with basketball powers like UConn (which won the 2011 national championship in Houston) and Louisville, if the rest of the Big East stays together.

For UH, this is a chance to forge its own athletic identity, separate from the University of Texas (which worked to keep Houston out of the revamped Big 12), separate from Rice University and other Conference USA schools that aren't as obsessed with going big time in college sports. It's a league of their own for the Cougars.

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pucker up

Growing pickleball franchise smashes into Houston with 2 locations

Two men play pickleball on a Picklr court.

Photo courtesy of The Picklr

A Picklr court campus similar to the ones soon to open in Houston.

Pickleball is one of the hottest sports sweeping the nation, and one of the biggest names in the game is setting up two new facilities in Houston. Picklr is scheduled to open indoor sports campuses in Cypress and The Woodlands in the coming months.

“Bringing a pickleball facility to Cypress will not only provide a fun and engaging recreational outlet for residents of all ages, but will also foster a sense of community and promote a healthy and active lifestyle,” said Steve Nguyen, owner of The Picklr Cypress.“This facility will serve as a vibrant hub for social interaction, skill development, and friendly/competitive competition, enhancing community bonds and offering a welcoming space for everyone to enjoy.”

Although the game is approximately 60 years old, pickleball saw a massive spike in popularity following the pandemic when people were looking for fun group activities with easy points of entry. Though a racket sport like tennis, it is far easier and slower thanks to using perforated balls, smaller courts, and lighter paddles. This means the game is open to players of all ages, and was originally most popular with retirees. Now, there are roughly 5 million players across America, with players under 24 making up the majority. Houston even has its own professional team, the Hammers (not the Texas Hammer; that's this guy).

The court in Cypress will be located in the old ASI Gymnastics building at 8920 Barker Cypress. It's a relatively modest facility with only six courts including a practice court. By contrast, The Woodlands location will be much more opulent. At 66,517 square feet, it will have 20 courts, 4 private event spaces (one with an exclusive viewing area), as well as a shower, changing room, dry bar, and kitchenette. Picklr The Woodlands will be located at 16590 Interstate I-45 South.

These locations are the first for Picklr in Houston. They have twelve locations all throughout Texas, including in Round Rock and McKinney, and many more nationwide. Picklr locations operate on a membership model similar to a gym. Memberships run $159 a month for adults and $89 for minors, with unlimited access to open play, league play, and tournaments , as well as four free clinics a month. Additional coaching is available.

There is currently no set opening date for the two Houston-area Picklrs. Players interested in learning more may sign up for updates at ThePicklr.com.

pickleball openings

Basketball Bonanza Too

A league of its own: University of Houston gets a Big East invite, chance toforge its own identity

pucker up

Growing pickleball franchise smashes into Houston with 2 locations

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