Cougars begin title defense
AAC play starts with team on win streak
Veteran leadership was replaced by inexperience, proven scorers by a committee approach, and for the first month of the basketball season — and perhaps still to some extent — the University of Houston was in search of an identity.
The low point came a month into the season with a 61-55 nonconference loss to Oklahoma State. Not because the Cougars lost. But how they lost.
Coach Kelvin Sampson publicly questioned his team’s lack of effort and preparedness. He said the performance “disrespected our program.”
In the days that followed, the Cougars held a players-only meeting inside the Guy V. Lewis Development Facility. Written on a grease board, junior forward Fabian White Jr. said, were “three or four things to clean up.” Transition defense. Limit turnovers. Energy and effort.
“In the beginning, it was a little tough,” said White, the AAC player of the week after averaging 17 points and seven rebounds in the last two games. “We started off slow because we were young and inexperienced.”
Or, as White added, “We were hearing coach, but we weren’t listening to coach.”
UH (10-3) has not lost a game since, a stretch that includes three wins in four days to capture the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. A learn-as-they-go season continues Friday when the Cougars begin their title defense against Central Florida in the American Athletic Conference opener inside Fertitta Center.
“There’s a lot of teams that play their best basketball in November because they are so veteran,” Sampson said. “But they are bumping their head against
the ceiling in November. They don’t get any better. I knew how much better we were going to get, that’s why I didn’t react to anything.
“We’re a lot better today. Look at us on Nov. 30. We’ll be a lot better Jan. 30. This team has a really good ceiling above it.”
The improvement can be traced to one thing: experience. UH was one of the last few teams to begin the season, the product of a schedule backloaded with the participation in a holiday tournament. All three losses have come to veteran squads — BYU, Oregon and Oklahoma State. The BYU game was decided on a shot at the buzzer. Against Oklahoma State, the Cougars fought back from 18-point deficit to tie the game in the closing minutes. If a few breaks bounce the Cougars way, Sampson said the Cougars are a “sneeze and a hiccup and a burp from being (11-1).” Or 9-4.
“This ain’t no science project,” Sampson said. “We needed to get
some games under our belt. You can’t improve until you play games. You can practice all you want, but, at some point, practice can become counterproductive.”
The two biggest wins of the season have come in completely different fashion. UH led from start-to-finish in a dominating 7656 road win against South Carolina. In the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic, the Cougars rallied from a 14-point deficit — they had just two turnovers in the second half and ended the game with a pair of freshmen on the floor — to beat No. 21 Washington 75-71.
“I think we took a little step forward,” said guard Nate Hinton, who is nearly averaging a doubledouble with 13.4 points and 9.4 rebounds. “We showed we’re finding different ways to win and trying to figure out our identity.”
Unlike a year ago when they relied on majority of scoring from guards Corey Davis Jr. and Armoni Brooks, the Cougars have five players nearly averaging double figures — Quentin Grimes (14.3), Hinton, Caleb Mills (11.7), White (9.9) and DeJon Jarreau (9.0). What has not changed: a commitment to defense and rebounding.
As the Cougars open AAC play, a schedule filled with potential potholes awaits. Memphis (12-1) and Wichita State (12-1) are off to fast starts and seven conference teams have at least nine wins. Earlier this week, Sampson said it’s unlikely the conference champion will post a similar 16-2 league mark as Cincinnati and UH the past two seasons.
“There’s definitely a big target on your back (as defending champion),” Grimes said. “Every team is going to want revenge from last year.”
Added White: “Our motivation is to keep the conference championship here instead of someone else having it.”