Gresham grows into role with Cougars
All players arrive on campus, University of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said, as a “blank sheet of paper.”
In his third and possibly final season, Brison Gresham is filling in some of the final chapters.
Once a Umass transfer along with best friend and teammate DeJon Jarreau, Gresham finally is the man in the middle for the No. 11 Cougars, who play Tulane on Saturday inside Fertitta Center.
Gresham, a 6-foot-8 forward/ center, has started all but one game during UH’S 9-1 start, averaging 3.6 points and 3.9 rebounds. He’s second in the American Athletic Conference with 15 blocks, not to mention several more altered shots that do not appear on the stat sheet.
He’s no longer the thin, 208pound kid who showed up as a sophomore before the 2018-19 season. With the help of the Cougars’ strength staff, Gresham is a “muscle and lean” 230 pounds.
And when the spring semester begins later this month, Gresham is one class (three credits) shy of completing his bachelor’s degree in liberal studies.
“When I look at Brison from where he started as a sophomore to where he is now, he’s where he should be,” Sampson said. “Part of our deal is to help these kids go from being boys to men. Brison is a man. He’s really come a long way.”
The journey, like for all the others, began for Gresham with that blank sheet of paper. Sampson conducts individual meetings with each newcomer, asking “a ton of questions” to learn about each player.
“They all have something they are good at, which is why we recruited them,” Sampson said. “But none of them know anything about what to do, what role they are going to play. They all come in here sometimes with delusions of
grandeur — I want to be this guy, I want to be that guy.”
Before Gresham could find a role, however, he needed to learn one of the staples of a Sampsoncoached team.
“When he first got here, there were issues with his motor, being a
guy that understood how to give great effort possession after possession after possession and not relax,” Sampson said. “Bending over and grabbing his shorts, putting his hands on his knees, I’d hold him accountable for all that stuff in practice. If he wasn’t play
ing hard, we’d hold him accountable for that.
“There’s no such thing as up and down with effort. Playing hard is the most important thing a coach can teach his team. Not have a beautiful offense or run the best matchup zone ever. None of that stuff works unless you know how to play hard. That was the thing Brison had to learn to do.”
In his first season in 2018-19 — the Cougars finished 33-4 and advanced to the Sweet 16 — Gresham was the backup center to senior Breaon Brady and ahead of junior Chris Harris. Last season, Gresham again was the backup, falling behind Harris, and usually coming off the bench. Additionally, Gresham was not on the floor late in the games, as Sampson preferred to use a lineup that featured forward Fabian White Jr. as a center, Nate Hinton at power forward and three guards.
“I didn’t think Brison was as locked on as he needed to be,” Sampson said.
As this season was delayed by COVID-19, Gresham said he spent the offseason working on conditioning and his jumper.
“I really felt like I couldn’t showcase my game because I would get in foul trouble,” Gresham said.
His minutes have steadily increased, from 13.6 to 15 to 19.1 this season. Gresham is coming off two of his best games, finishing with six points and four blocks in a pivotal 74-60 road win against SMU and six points and seven rebounds in Wednesday’s 70-63 win over Wichita State.
Another step Gresham has taken has been as a more vocal leader, as one of only three seniors on the roster.
“I’m ready to take on the challenge of being a vocal leader,” he said. “I feel like that’s me, but sometimes I shy away from it.”
Sampson said Gresham’s work with younger players, freshman Kiyron Powell and redshirt freshman J’wan Roberts, has especially been noticeable.
“Brison is a first-team All-american teammate,” Sampson said. “He really cares.”
Three years later, the blank sheet of paper has filled up nicely.