Local SHSU students ready for 'Rockets Night'

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - When the Houston Aeros left the Bayou City to take up residence in Des Moines, Iowa, Sam Houston State University professor Dr. Ryan Zapalac didn’t know what to do.

“We had a great working relationship with the Aeros for three years,’’ said Zapalac, who teaches an event facility management master’s degree class at SHSU in The Woodlands. “We had a real budding success.’’

The Aeros and students in Zapalac’s class and Brent Estes’ sport finance and sales sports management classes had worked together to put on “Sam Houston Night’’ since 2011.

“We really didn’t know what to expect,’’ Zapalac said. “The first year, we had 506 Sam Houston people (attend the Aeros hockey game). We were pleased with that.

“The second year, we had 813 and the third year we had 1,049. It was a great success.’’

Now, the SHSU program has turned to the Houston Rockets to try and not only continue that success, but build it into a training ground for the future.

“We contacted the Rockets and they were very interested in working with us,’’ Zapalac said. “I know all the kids are very excited about this opportunity.’’

Sam Houston State University night will be held on Saturday, April 12, at the Toyota Center in Houston. The Rockets will host the New Orleans Pelicans.

“I have been looking forward to this so much,’’ said 26-year-old Brent Ellis, who earned his bachelor’s degree in history and plans to finish his master’s program in the fall. “We have been putting this together since the beginning of the semester. I want to see the fruits of our labor pay off so we can build on this for next year.’’

Ellis said he hopes to work with a professional team after graduation.

“We have gone from a minor league (hockey) team to a major league (basketball) team,’’ he said. “Hopefully, this will help me catch on with a professional team.’’

Catie Laughlin, who graduated from and played basketball at College Park High School, said she has always been a sports fan.

“Growing up, I just loved sports,’’ said the 23-year-old Laughlin, who earned her bachelor’s degree in finance. “I would love to work in the game day operations for some team.’’

Zapalac came to SHSU in 2006 after spending 2004-2006 teaching at Rice University. The sports management program moved to The Woodlands branch of SHSU in 2007.

“Moving closer to Houston gives us more opportunities,’’ said Zapalac, who lives in Conroe.

Zapalac said graduates who come to the program get “experience and exposure to a wide range of sports.”

Zapalac said he has been working with Cris Garthe and Joelle Hardin in the Rockets’ ticket office.
“They have worked closely with us to allow the students to gain experience in all areas of putting on an event like this,’’ Zapalac said.

Rockets’ tickets for the April 12 game are being sold to SHSU students for $20, $30 and $55. Zapalac said the $20 seats are normally $49, the $30 seats are normally $65 and the $59 are usually $99.

Tickets can be purchased online at rockets.com/promocode with one of the following codes: SAM, SHSU, KATS or DUNK.

“The Rockets put together an aggressive package and we have done a tremendous job on ticket sales,’’ he added.

The ticket includes much more than the game.

The night will feature a VIP event for SHSU faculty and staff. The event will honor Houston Texans’ president Jamey Rootes with the Impact Award.

“Jamey is a great friend of our program,’’ Zapalac said. “He started the Battle of the Piney Woods (between Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin).’’

New SHSU head football coach K.C. Keeler, who used to be the head coach at Delaware, also will attend the event. He replaced long-time head coach Willie Fritz, who guided the Bearkats to back-to-back national championship games.

Provost and vice president of academic affairs Jaimie Hebert also will be in attendance, Zapalac said.

A pre-game meal will be served to students and 500 giveaways will be handed out during the contest, Zapalac said.

“We married the two classes together over the past few years and have been really successful,’’ Zapalac said. “But the real reason we do this is to give these guys some experience and make them more attractive to employers.

“At the end of the day, if they can show they have put together an event at a major sport, that is pretty impressive.’’