What's next? A lot actually.

As we all recover from the heartbreak of Monday night's National Championship game, the world of UH athletics continues to move. While we enter portal season for basketball and hold our breaths for no injuries during spring ball, there are other storylines worth following over the next few months. Below are just a few that I will be watching closely:

Softball - Sitting with an overall record of 20-16 and an abysmal conference record of 3-10, the pressure continues to mount on Head Coach Kristin Vesely. Coach Vesely will be out of a contract at the end of this season and it would probably be best if the program take a look in a new direction. If the allegations of cultural issues within the program weren't enough, the on the field record certainly is to warrant a change in leadership at the top. Of the two coaches that new Athletic Director Eddie Nuñez has already made a change from, this would be the easiest as there would be no contract to terminate. Having missed the NCAA tournament since 2019 and on a solid path to missing it again this year, time is running out on the Vesely era of UH Softball.

Women's Basketball - Speaking of coaching changes, Nuñez made his splash hiring announcement last week as Matthew Mitchell took the helm of the women's program. Mitchell will have to overhaul pretty much the entire roster as well as hire a coaching staff. Who will he be able to land in the portal? Who wants to come get their hands dirty and build a program from the ground up? This upcoming season will obviously be the first step in a rebuilding process, but in laying the foundation Mitchell needs to get some early wins here.

Baseball - Why not mention coaching changes again? Head Coach Todd Whitting's team is currently sitting at a 19-13 record and has a 5-7 record in Big 12 play. This is shaping up to be, or possibly already has, become a situation where the only path to the NCAA tournament is by winning the conference tournament. Only the top 12 teams make the tournament and UH is currently sitting in a precarious 9th place. Even if the Coogs make the conference tournament is that enough for Whitting to keep his job? Once a powerhouse, baseball has not made the NCAA tournament since 2018. After this season Whitting will have one year remaining on his current deal. Does Nuñez make possibly his 4th coaching change in less than a year or does he let the Whitting deal expire after next season giving him one more chance to turn it around? A coaching change would make the fans happy, but there is already a lot of fish frying in the skillet of the athletic department.

Softball Head Coach Kristen Vesley, Athletic Director Eddie Nuñez, Baseball Head Coach Todd Whitting

Big 12 private equity/new sponsorship revenue - A few weeks ago, there were reports that the Big 12 was moving towards a private equity partnership with RedBird Capital. While a number was not given, this would obviously mean a lot more money for UH to have in the bank for the athletic department. With the possibility of universities having to revenue share with athletes, this infusion of cash would quite literally help to "save the day" as we continue to compete for the best basketball players and start to work our way for the best football players. This isn't the only possible money maker coming soon to the smallest power conference budgeted athletic department in the country.

Also a few weeks ago, a report came out detailing our renewal with Learfield. In this renewal, Learfield will start to look for and negotiate a possible "presenting sponsor" for the Fertitta Center, as well as logos on the court and football field. There were also other marketing spots being made available in various sports. That same report also shared that there were multiple sponsorship deals in the works, some of them with Fortune 500 companies. When Dr. Khator hired Nuñez, she tasked him with DOUBLING the athletic department's budget. Nuñez obviously has to close these deals, but there is no doubt that positive movement is happening for the first time what feels like forever.

UH BOR - Board Chairman Tilman Fertitta is soon to be confirmed as the next Ambassador to Italy and San Marino under President Donald Trump. The Houston Chronicle reported a few weeks ago that if he were to be confirmed, Fertitta would step down as the Chairman of the Board. This leaves a huge leadership position open and it will be important to see how this develops. Does the new chairperson feel the same about athletics as Fertitta has? Or do they decide to focus more on academics and enrollment? The next schedule board meeting will be on Wednesday, May 14 and I will be watching for any news on this front as well as general athletic department updates.

These are just a few of the stories I will be watching as we head into the summer on top of the basketball portal and roster construction for next year's team. As always, thank you for following along and Go Coogs!