College basketball in Texas is gaining a foothold

Tom Penders spent the gaping span of 1971-2010 head-coaching Tufts, Columbia, Fordham, Rhode Island, Texas, George Washington and Houston. By mid-October 2021, he heads from home in Miami Beach toward Austin because the University of Texas will induct him into its Hall of Honor. He heads by car — wait, there’s Exit 87, for Church Point and Rayne — because he’s recovering from a surgery at 76. His wife, Susie, drives him the 1,300-odd miles because love remains the utmost dynasty. He rides along jesting about how, in 1988, “I basically walked around campus with one of those lunch boards on. You know: ‘Free tickets! Come see the Running Horns!’ ”