Brooks ably fills in with Gray on bench

For the past year, Kelvin Sampson has watched Armoni Brooks get his “brains beat in” going up against some of the University of Houston’s best basketball players during practice.

There was Damyean Dotson, a second-round pick of the New York Knicks, last year and Rob Gray, one of the nation’s top scorers, this season.

“Guarding them is not easy,” Brooks said. “Guarding (Dotson) every day was the toughest thing I had to do in my life. It helps me figure out what I have to do to be as good as them one day.”

With Gray suspended for Friday night’s season opener, Brooks did his best impersonation with a career-high 22 points to lead University of Houston to an 81-53 victory over McNeese State at Texas Southern’s H&PE Arena.

Gray, whose 20.6 points led the American Athletic Conference last season, was suspended one game by the NCAA for playing in a church recreational league.

Sampson said Gray became ineligible for the opener because a friend paid a $5 entry fee for the senior guard to play in the rec league game in March at Second Baptist Church.

“He played in the game,” Sampson said. “That was the violation. Nothing more, nothing less.”

The Cougars had more than enough firepower in the absence of Gray, who also had to pay back the $5 entry fee.

Brooks, a sophomore guard, scored the Cougars’ first nine points, eclipsed his career high before halftime and did not miss a shot until the second half. He finished 8-of-11, including five 3-pointers, and added six rebounds.

“My teammates kept finding me,” Brooks said. “If they have confidence in me, I have confidence in myself.”

Wes VanBeck added 14 points, including a couple hustle plays that received a loud ovation from the UH bench and crowd of 3,241. Just a few minutes apart in the second half, VanBeck chased a loose ball, diving on the floor before finding an open teammate, and then had a block after he was stripped of the ball near midcourt.

Freshman Breaon Brady had eight points and 10 rebounds in his collegiate debut. Corey Davis Jr. added 12 points and five assists.

Despite shooting 69 percent, UH held a slim 24-22 lead midway through the first half after McNeese State’s Kalob Ledoux hit a 3-pointer. The Cougars responded with a 13-3 run and then held the Cowboys to 19 points in the second half.

Jacob Ledoux led McNeese State with 10 points.