Sampson’s signees fit into program’s prestige
On the recruiting trail, Houston men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson looks for certain qualities.
A high basketball IQ.
Toughness.
Discipline. Defensive-minded. Right fit.
What he cares absolutely nothing about? How many “stars” a recruit has. Go ahead and leave that for the astronomers and sky-gazers.
“If all you can do is recruit, I don’t think you can win if you focus on just getting the highest rated players without looking at the fit,” Sampson said. “That’s why I think the strength of our program is evaluation. My staff does a great job evaluating.”
Down the road, if evaluations prove on the mark, the Cougars could be set up for years to come with the latest additions — Tramon Mark, Jamal Shead and Kiyron Powell — during Wednesday’s early signing period.
It was a historic day for Sampson and the UH basketball program, which signed a consensus top 25 class that is the school’s highest in the modern recruiting era. As of Wednesday night, UH’s class was rated 17th by 247Sports, 18th by Scout and 22nd by Rivals.
UH has been nationally relevant for the past two seasons, winning 60 games and making backto-back NCAA Tournament appearances, building state-of-the-art facilities and going toe-to-toe with blueblood programs.
The carryover now includes recruiting. At one point this spring, the Cougars briefly had the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation.
This is not the first time Sampson has landed sought-after recruits. Two years ago, Sampson went into the ACC’s backyard to get guard Nate Hinton.
On Wednesday, Sampson made it official with signatures from Mark, a 6-5 guard from Dickinson who is the third-highest rated signee for UH in the modern era, according to 247Sports; Shead, a 6-1 guard from Manor, just outside of Austin; and Powell, a 6-10 center from Evansville, Indiana. Shead and Powell are rated sixth and 11th, respectively, on 247Sports’ all-time UH signees list.
Impressively, since Sampson’s arrival, UH has signed a dozen of the school’s 25 highest-rated players, a list that includes J’Wan Roberts, Caleb Mills and Marcus Sasser in 2019, Fabian White Jr. and Breaon Brady in 2017, and Rob Gray Jr. and Chris Harris Jr. in 2015.
“Get a lot of national recognition and kids want to be a part of that,” Sampson said.
More than anything, Sampson said, one factor was the overwhelming difference: “I liked them for us.” Mark, Shead and Powell all committed on their official visits or shortly after. None of them ever wavered, either, despite offers from bigger schools.
In the case of Mark, the Cougars stumbled upon him as a 10th grader while recruiting another player.
“I told (assistant coach) Alvin Brooks he’s going to be pretty good,” Sampson recalled. “He’s a little soft right now, but I think he’s going to be pretty good. Well, he grew up and got tougher.”
At last year’s NBA Top 100, a showcase of national recruits, Mark led the entire camp in assists. A lefthander, Mark fits Sampson’s preference to feature guards with different lengths that can play all three perimeter positions.
“He can score, pass and rebound,” Sampson said. “We think he can develop into an outstanding basketball player here.”
The draw to Shead, Sampson said, was the better the competition, the better he played.
“He does the two things that are important in our program: he brings toughness and really guards the ball. He lives a disciplined life and he’s coming to a program that preaches discipline. So, he will be a good fit for us.”
Powell, a 6-10 shotblocker, is the best skilled big man the Cougars have signed since Sampson arrived in 2014. Much like current frontcourt players, White and Brison Gresham, Powell will get bigger and stronger as he goes through the Cougars’ strength and conditioning program.
“Long, long arms, naturally aggressive, very good shot blocker,” Sampson said. “He can shoot it, can block shots, is a very, very good athlete. Did I mention he was long? He’s a kid I think will develop here.”
The trio will join a roster filled with youth. Of the current roster the breakdown is: three freshmen, five sophomores, four juniors and one senior. Sampson said he does not anticipate signing anybody for next year, allowing the Cougars to focus on the 2021-22 classes.
“That’s why I think we are built for the long haul,” Sampson said. “How good can we be? We have to stay healthy and keep improving. I like where we are headed with this thing.”