The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Houston Chronicle's Joseph Duarte Talks Houston's Tragic Loss

Episode Date: April 8, 2025

Houston Chronicle's Joseph Duarte Talks Houston's Tragic Loss

Joseph Tortay, excellent coverage, as always, one of the few legit members of the media that covers the Houston Cougars for the Houston Chronicle with us here from the Matt Thomas Show, Ross. All right, Joseph, let's get to it. Take us through your life when the games ended. You go to the locker room, you go to the press conference, you go in there. You know you've been in some tough locker rooms before, but size it up for the audience that couldn't get into where you were last night. Well, typically they open up the locker rooms, Matt, pretty fast after games. We, there was probably close to 100 plus media members, and Houston's doors to their locker room remain closed for about 40 minutes,

maybe 35 minutes after the game. Delvin Stamson was in there for a really long time, just talking to the team. I think he wanted to let some of the emotion get out before we all came in. once we did get in complete silence. I mean, you had guys crying out loud. I mean, I hadn't

been in one of those, at least on the college level. I've seen the pros. But, you know, they were hugging each other, crying, guys were sitting alone at their locker room with towels over their head. I mean, you could hear a pin drop, and it was a lot of disappointment.

A lot of, it was right there for the taking type of feelings. But, yeah, that was, I mean, you've been around this school a really long time. This is just another chapter to not able to get over the hump. You had a really good seat for the game, and I think part of where you were will also be part of things I'll ask you about, but ultimately, as being as close as you were to the action, what, again, the Cougars got done to them last night,

what they did to Duke on Saturday. And look, it wasn't a pretty game throughout. Both teams were some 40%. The game was completely different and officiated in the second half as compared to the first, and we'll get to that in a second. But the late game execution, the inability to get the Cougars or get any of their offense, did Florida put the clamps on or did something happen from the U of H side

that you're like, I have not recognized this from them at any point this year? Yeah, the stuff that they did well this year that at some point, even when things weren't going their way, they found a guy to step up. You know, that's what Kellan Thames did up to game. You know, maybe we rebound a little better. Maybe we don't have that stretch where the shots aren't falling. In the past, you can have those stretches and beat a Utah or you beat a, you know, BYU. They didn't have anybody come to the rescue.

And, you know, I don't know if it was so much what Florida did. I mean, you've got to give them credit for, you know, for how they played in the second half, but just the characteristically, uncharacteristically bad play at times. I mean, the turnovers, four critical turnovers in the last couple of minutes, you know, two big ones there at the end with Emmanuel Sharp. It did look like the same team. And, you know, if you're a Houston fan for the first 28 minutes, maybe 30, you felt like this was your year. Like, it was about to happen. I mean, it was that close.

and as you pointed out the things that we're not used to seeing or them overcoming just just ripped it all apart I mean it was it was really I don't know how to describe it man I mean just yeah it all on the fold there I mean it was just I couldn't believe what I was watching Joseph this is you know this was Kelvin's best shooting team perimeter wise since he's been there. And from my vantage point, I was pretty close. I felt pretty lucky where I was sitting. There were shots that were leaving guys' hands that I knew on takeoff.

They were wanting a chance in hell they were dropping. I mean, some of the misses, I mean, Sharp was really off. Ouzon was off. I mean, and then you got in the low block where Roberts couldn't finish last night. Yeah, I mean, it was you know, inside, outside,

there was a one sequence where I think they got two or three shots, back-to-back with the tip out, and none of the balls even can't go's hitting the rim. And I wish I could say that, okay, you know, the playing in the don't, but, you know, you played it in Indianapolis. That was four games you had played in a don't, so I don't think that had anything to do with it. And then on the footside, Matt, you would think that if somebody told me that they're all-American

guard, Walter Clayton, Jr. was not going to have a field goal for the first 33 minutes. I would have said, you know what, Houston is your national champion. And so from that standpoint, the defense was really good early on. I thought they had some hiccups with dealing with Richard and the three that he was making. But you're right, it came down to offense. It came down to that lull that they had. I think it was 12 out of 13 misses at one point. That just wasn't going to get it done.

and then the game changed with the officiating. I think there were 12 or 16 fouls called in the first, I don't know if it was eight minutes or so, the second half, compared to the total that was the entire first half. So I'm sure that played a role because Tugler ended up fouling out. Francis had four. You know, that's the position that they couldn't afford to have guys in trouble and on the bench.

Joseph Tortay from San Antonio and joining us here on the Matt Thomas show at Ross. So you are right behind the scorers table, and Florida gets not only one technical foul, but from the bench and then one from a player on the court. And the tone of the game clearly changed. First of all, how much jawing was being said by that Florida bench that eventually the officials said,

I got to tease some people up. And then, from your perspective, was there anything that you saw that said, this game was going to be officiated completely differently in the second half than it wasn't a first. I'm not saying that was an advantage one way or the other, but it made it a very choppy, uneven, hard-to-watch game

beyond the fact that both teams were not shooting well. Right. On the first part, you know, I was behind to the side of the Houston bench, so I wasn't really on that side. You know, they, Todd Golden, he was pretty animated throughout the game. He was, he was

not happy with something. So he was vocal, and I think that sort of was part of the technical on the bench. And then the other one, I thought it originally was on the Condon's guy, but apparently the other guy, it looked like he spiked the ball, and he did it right in front of the rest, and that triggered the other tech. And I think Houston missed two of the free throw attempts, or at least one, in that. And that was another thing, Matt. They didn't make free throws. Jay-Wan Roberts hits both in the biggest win of the program's history against Duke.

But down the stretch, other guys and him as well, they couldn't make their free throws. So, I mean, there's a lot of things you can point at. I don't know. I mean, certainly being in the bonus as early as Florida got, that played a role. And I think that certainly had an impact on how Houston was able to do things. But, you know, that last play, you know, the Lorenzo Charles Dunk in 83 was, was such a huge play to remember, but you look at last night, that was pretty, a really devastating shot that, you know, Emmanuel, the plan was for Emmanuel to get that three, and I don't think he

saw or thought that Clayton was going to close that fast, and he went up and was like, oh, no, and he kind of stopped, and then mid-air, and then he had to let the ball go. That ball bounced. It felt like an eternity. Just watched that ball bounce, and there was nobody from Houston nearby to be able to get on it. I would have maybe fouled there, and at least you get a few seconds, and who knows what could have if you get it, if you get one more shot of him, but it just all sort of just that those three seconds will, three or four seconds will just live on because they didn't even get it.

And the difference to miss a shot at the end, they didn't even get a shot. Yeah, the reality is the right play would have been to go ahead and grab the ball, get called for the travel, then you foul Florida immediately, hoping they miss one of the two free throws. Now, you're out of timeout, so you have nothing to do. I mean, we're talking about the percentages are very slim, but at least you would have been given an option.

But in Emmanuel's defense, that's the last thing you're thinking it's about, oh, I don't want to commit a traveling violation in the last two seconds of a ballgame knowing that that would have been the way they ended. So, yeah, it just was... I can't tell you how many times I've seen him on that, particular play where if he has enough time, he'll sort of lean in and he'll draw contact, get to the foul line.

And that's sort of, you know, if you're not going to get a clean shot, that's, you want to be in that position or, you know, be able to maybe drive in the lane there and do something. I mean, all that was just taken off the table. And I think that it was similar to Purdue where they try to move LJ to draw some defenders his way and free up a guy. unlike that game Florida had a guy in position and in the vicinity

and just took everything off and if you go back and look Kelvin stands there just like a statue I mean he watches all it's it's really sad to watch because he watches it all unfold and there's just no reaction I mean it's just

kind of a stunned look and I think that's the biggest takeaway from last night that they said that he felt like this was the team to win it. They felt like they were constructed to go to the tournament and win it. And he's still searching for it. And I talked to his wife after the game. She's been with him the entire time. And she said, this was going to take a while to get over. The Michigan

game and stuff, you know, the second round, you know, you get over those. This is, you know, down to the last few minutes of winning a national championship and he's still looking for once. And the cruelest thing of it all, Joseph, we wrap things up here, is that that would have been his 800th victory. Instead, he's going to win his 800th game against God knows who. I mean, some small D1 that, you know, a buy game. And that's just going to have nearly not as much of an emotional situation for him. If he had won the 800th in here at the Alamadole.

Oh, it would have been a great. I mean, who's been a storybook? He wins 800. They win a national championship. You know, he's not hanging it up. You know, he's got two years left. I mean, that was never the issue going into the last game. They've got a – they're going to lose a lot of guys.

They lose five guys. They lose Cryer. They lose Francis. They lose Roberts. They lose Wilson. Guys like that. But they also have the three of the highest rated players ever to come in. They'll probably go portal.

shopping for a couple of things, and then you bring back your point guard, and Sharp will be back. So I've already seen them as early number one on some, you know, websites. So it's not a doom and gloom. This was the window, and now it's closed. I think it's built. They certainly have put themselves in position to be built for the long haul. It's just when you get to Monday night, that's your chance.

That's how the Dukes win back to back, and you got teams like that. Duke and North Carolina and Yukon's. And, you know, all Houston wants is one. I'm sure as an alum. That's what you want. You just want one. You know, not to be greedy. If it works out, you get a bunch, that's great.

You just want one. And there's been seven trips to the Final Four, and it's been bad timing and bad luck. You deserve some time off. I owe you a large meal. Take care of that family years and safe travels back to Houston. Thank you, buddy. Have a good one. We'll see if Joseph Tore.

to Houston Chronicle with us from San Antonio.