Inside The Rockets

Rudy Tomjanovich: 'I'm In Love With The Houston Rockets!'

Hall of Fame coach Rudy Tomjanovich had kind words for the current iteration of the Houston Rockets and Ime Udoka.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 16, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Former Houston Rockets player and head coach Rudy Tomjanovich
Dec 16, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Former Houston Rockets player and head coach Rudy Tomjanovich / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
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It's been 30 years since Rudy Tomjanovich brought the heart of a champion to the Houston Rockets organization, winning the franchise's first title.

Fast forward to the present day, Tomjanovich is still following the Rockets, and he couldn't be happier about the team and its recent success.

Dec 16, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Former Houston Rockets player and head coach Rudy Tomjanovich
Dec 16, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Former Houston Rockets player and head coach Rudy Tomjanovich / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

“I am in love with this team," Tomjanovich said in an interview with team reporter Vanessa Richardson. "I’m excited about basketball again. I watch all the time. It’s a great combination of youth and I just love the veterans they added. Great role models for the young guys. The team is tough and they have a coach to match that too. Intelligent, fiery, and I couldn’t be more excited for a team.”

The Rockets have won 10 games in a row and have played with this fire as they fight to get back into the playoff picture. It's reminiscent of the Rockets teams Tomjanovich played for and coached and a far cry from what the team has shown over the past three seasons.

Whether it happens this year or not, the Rockets will be back in the playoffs someday ... and they hope to do what only the Tomjanovich-coached teams from 1994 and 1995 have done - win the NBA Finals.

The Rockets are back in action tonight when they visit the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CT.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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