His own House. Don't tell Eddie his son, UNM Lobo guard Jaelen House, is in his shadow

There was The Show.

The Hurd.

“That one guy in the hat.”

And then there was the dad.

As opposing fan base after opposing fan base continued to lash out at Jaelen House over the past three years, their hate and distaste for the UNM Lobo senior guard growing to epic levels for his on-court persona that includes plenty of give-them-what-they-give-you exchanges between player and offended fan, a legend was growing.

And in case anyone was wondering if all those “they should be ashamed of how he acts” pearl-clutching social media post from opposing fans were hitting the mark, Jaelen’s dad — NBA Champion and former college basketball great Eddie House, while wearing his son’s No. 10 Lobos jersey in the stands on Saturday afternoon in the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada — spoke for everyone who knows House and is sick of people thinking they need to apologize for him.

“That’s my m-Fson! That’s my m-Fson!” the proud father screamed in a sea of Lobo fans going crazy as Jaelen House had just taken over yet another Mountain West Tournament game en route to winning Tournament MVP honors after UNM beat San Diego State — the team’s fourth win in as many days — to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Shame? Are you kidding me?

The CBS broadcast clip of the proud father’s moment went viral on social media, receiving hundreds of thousands of views and ecstatic replies from people who saw the pure joy of a father watching his son deliver on the biggest stage of his life.

The frenzy took another step when basketball legend LeBron James posted on X the video, adding, “I love that!!! So (seven fire emojis)!”

“I expect him to do stuff like this,” Eddie House told the Journal in a postgame interview on Saturday on the Thomas & Mack Court as confetti fell and the Lobo players, including his MVP son, began cutting down nets after ending a decade-long NCAA Tournament drought.

“To show up in big moments. He lives for this. He won four straight state championship titles. He was a big part to everything that they did there. He’s always been a guy who stays in the gym. He loves playing the game of basketball. He puts everything he has into it. So, I don’t expect nothing less.”

Monday, the Jaelen House show that is about to hit more of a national stage in the NCAA Tournament hit ESPN’s NBA Today show where father and son were interviewed by Kendrick Perkins, a former Eddie House teammate.

And while they shared the screen Monday, father makes clear at every turn he is Jaelen House’s father right now. This is his son’s story being told.

“I don’t cast a shadow,” Eddie House told the Journal on Saturday when the topic of Jaelen growing up in his father’s shadow was brought up. “He’s making his own footsteps. His name is Jaelen House. And don’t forget it.”

Not many around the Mountain West will forget anytime soon as the Lobo legend who, in three seasons alongside teammate Jamal Mashburn Jr., also the son of a famous basketball star, helped rebuild a program that progressed from four Division I wins the season before they arrived to a current NET ranking of No. 22 and a 26-9 record as they head into Friday’s NCAA Tournament game against Clemson.

Saturday’s 28-point, three steal exclamation-point performance against defending national runner up San Diego State might have introduced Jaelen House to a new audience, but for him, it was something he knew was in him for a long time.

“It felt great just being out there playing my game, being myself,” Jaelen House told the Journal. “And you know, the chips just fell how they were supposed to today.”

Asked earlier in the tournament about his star guard’s on-court persona — one that no doubt has resulted in becoming the target at times of referees, resulted in technical fouls and driven his own team as crazy as the opposing one at times — UNM coach Richard Pitino had the same answer he had given several times in the regular season already.

“I don’t care. I don’t do it, but that’s him. The guy had 29 points (in the March 14 win over Boise State),” Pitino said. “What would I ever do to get in the way of that?

“It doesn’t affect him. Utah State, they’re screaming at him, swearing at him. It doesn’t affect him. So what do I care? He’s a great kid. He competes his butt off. There’s an old expression, you would rather tone down a bronco than warm up a corpse. I don’t want to tone him down too much. He’s damn good.”

Asked about House after his team’s loss, San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher had nothing but praise.

“House is a big reason,” Dutcher said explaining how the Lobos managed to win four games in four days. “His body type allowed him to play four games in four days. I mean, if he’s a big, physical guard that would wear down, but he doesn’t wear down. He is blessed with an athletic, live body, and I know he is tired, but he was sensational.

“They just put him in ball screens. He refused ball screens, and he drove the ball. That was the game. There wasn’t any pin-downs for jump shots. There wasn’t throw the ball in the post and get any production. It was House downhill, miss a shot, and if he missed it, they rebounded it. That was the game. He was sensational in a big game and hats off to him for being the player he is to be able to do that on a fourth straight game.”

And now, the college basketball world gets to see the Jaelen House show in the NCAA Tournament — something the younger House has on his father, who never played in the Big Dance while becoming Arizona State’s all-time leading scorer in his day.

“He’s been to the NIT. We both did that. But now I’m going to the (NCAA) Tournament,” Jaelen House said. “He’s got an NBA championship, though, so I can’t really do too much. I can’t really do too much.”

And as for dad, who works for NBC Sports, you know he’ll be trying to get to the game.

“For sure,” Eddie House said. “I gotta call NBC and say, ‘I gotta miss some time. I can’t work today. Can I get some PTO?’”

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