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2014–15 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

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2014–15 Houston Cougars men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record13–19 (4–14 The American)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaHofheinz Pavilion
Seasons
2014–15 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 18 SMU 15 3   .833 27 7   .794
Tulsa 14 4   .778 23 11   .676
Temple 13 5   .722 26 11   .703
Cincinnati 13 5   .722 23 11   .676
UConn 10 8   .556 20 15   .571
Memphis 10 8   .556 18 14   .563
Tulane 6 12   .333 15 16   .484
East Carolina 6 12   .333 14 19   .424
UCF 5 13   .278 12 18   .400
Houston 4 14   .222 13 19   .406
South Florida 3 15   .167 9 23   .281
The American Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2014–15 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the University of Houston during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was their first season under head coach Kelvin Sampson[1] and second as members of the American Athletic Conference. The Cougars’ home arena was the on-campus Hofheinz Pavilion. Their record was 13–19, and 4–14 in conference play to finish in tenth place. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2015 American Conference tournament, where they lost to Tulsa.

Pre-season

[edit]

Departures

[edit]
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Brandon Morris 2 G 6'0" 185 Senior Alexandria, Louisiana Graduated
Jaaron Simmons 3 G 6'1" 175 Freshman Dayton, Ohio Requested release to move closer to home; transferred to Ohio[2]
Jimmy Jones 12 G 5'10" 160 Senior Plano, Texas Graduated
Tione Womack 14 G 6'1" 170 Senior Baltimore, Maryland Graduated
Danuel House 23 G 6'7" 195 Sophomore Sugar Land, Texas Requested release after resignation of former head coach James Dickey; transferred to Texas A&M[3]
Lawrence Paye 24 G 6'0" 185 Senior Houston, Texas Graduated
TaShawn Thomas 35 F 6'8" 215 Junior Killeen, Texas Requested release after resignation of former head coach James Dickey; transferred to Oklahoma[4]
Valentine Izundu 45 C 6'10" 215 Sophomore Houston, Texas Requested release after resignation of former head coach James Dickey; transferred to Washington St.[5]
J.J. Richardson 55 F 6'8" 245 Senior Missouri City, Texas Graduated

Returnees

[edit]
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Danrad Knowles 0 F 6'10" 195 Sophomore Nassau, Bahamas Competed in 31 games as a freshman with 10 starts. Two-time American Rookie of the Week. Third on the team in rebounding. Averaged 7.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game on 47% shooting.
Mikhail McLean 1 F 6'8" 205 Senior Nassau, Bahamas Competed in 28 games as a junior with 16 starts. Averaged 2.6 points and 1.8 rebounds per game on 49% shooting.
LeRon Barnes 4 G 6'6" 190 Junior Stonewall, Louisiana Competed in 30 games as a sophomore with 15 starts. Averaged 3.2 points and 2.5 rebounds on 39% shooting.
L.J. Rose 5 G 6'4" 190 Junior Houston, Texas Competed in 28 games as a sophomore with 25 starts. Led the American Conference in assists at 5.5 per game. Finished 11th in the conference at 77.8% from the free throw line. Scored 8.5 points with 2.5 rebounds per game on 40% shooting.
Adam Drexler 20 F 6'5" 205 Junior Houston, Texas Redshirted last season after transferring from Loyola Marymount.
Jherrod Stiggers 21 G 6'5" 210 Junior Terrell, Texas Competed in 33 games as a sophomore with 9 starts. Finished as the third leading scorer with 11.2 points per game. Ranked 3rd in the American Conference with 2.4 three-pointers per game. Also averaged 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game on 39% shooting.

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Ronnie Johnson G 5'10" 160 Sophomore Indianapolis, Indiana Transferred from Purdue; will sit out the 2014–15 season[6]

Class of 2014 signees

[edit]
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Cavon Baker
PG
Queens, NY Lee College 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Apr 30, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Egi Gjikondi
PF
Boston, MA San Jacinto College 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) May 14, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Torian Graham
SG
Marianna, FL Chipola Junior College 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Apr 20, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Bertrand Nkali
PF
Baytown, TX Lee College 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) May 16, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Devonta Pollard
SF
De Kalb, MS East Mississippi CC 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) May 21, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
J.C. Washington
PF
Houston, TX Yates HS 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Nov 22, 2013 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 73
Eric Weary
SG
New Orleans, LA Howard College 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Apr 21, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: NR   Rivals: NR  ESPN: NR
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Houston Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  • "2014 Houston Basketball Commitment List". Scout.com. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  • "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 29, 2014.

Injuries

[edit]

In July, both LJ Rose and Mikhail McLean had foot surgery. Each needed three to four months to recover.[7]

Roster

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2014–15 Houston Cougars men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
F 0 Danrad Knowles 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS So Nassau, Bahamas
F 1 Mikhail McLean 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Nassau, Bahamas
G 3 Cavon Baker 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Queens, NY
G 4 LeRon Barnes 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Stonewall, LA
G 5 L. J. Rose 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Houston, TX
F 11 J.C. Washington 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Houston, TX
G 12 Wes VanBeck (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Houston, TX
F 13 Bertrand Nkali 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS So Bertoua, Cameroon
G 3 Ronnie Johnson 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS So Indianapolis, IN
F 20 Adam Drexler (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Houston, TX
G 21 Jherrod Stiggers 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Terrell, TX
G 23 Eric Weary Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr New Orleans, LA
F 24 Devonta Pollard 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Porterville, MS
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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On May 28, the American Athletic Conference announced the format and opponents for the 2014–15 conference schedule. Due to an odd number of conference members and maintaining an 18-game schedule, each team played 8 opponents twice (home and away) and two opponents once (1 home, 1 away). UConn (home) and Temple (away) were the two teams the Cougars played just once this season.[8] On July 18, the team announced participation in the championship pairings of the 2014 Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic, alongside Boise State, Texas Tech, and Loyola–Chicago at the Orleans Arena. Two on-campus games preceded the Las Vegas-hosted games,[9] with one at South Carolina State.[10] In August, ESPN reported that Houston's visit to Harvard for a game on November 25.[11] The remainder of the Cougars' schedule was announced by the American Athletic Conference on August 28.[12]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 8*
12:00 pm
North Alabama W 108–83 
Hofheinz Pavilion 
Houston, TX
Regular season
Nov 14*
7:00 pm
at Murray State W 77–74  1–0
CFSB Center (5,056)
Murray, KY
Nov 22*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Morgan State W 72–57  2–0
Hofheinz Pavilion (3,058)
Houston, TX
Nov 25*
6:00 pm
at Harvard L 63–84  2–1
Lavietes Pavilion (1,423)
Cambridge, MA
Dec 4*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Texas–Pan American W 72–58  3–1
Hofheinz Pavilion (1,858)
Houston, TX
Dec 6*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Abilene Christian W 71–59  4–1
Hofheinz Pavilion (2,007)
Houston, TX
Dec 16*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Houston Baptist W 83–76  5–1
Hofheinz Pavilion (2,016)
Houston, TX
Dec 17*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Arkansas–Pine Bluff
Las Vegas Classic regional round
L 56–61  5–2
Hofheinz Pavilion (2,082)
Houston, TX
Dec 20*
1:00 pm, ESPN3
South Carolina State
Las Vegas Classic regional round
L 63–71  5–3
Hofheinz Pavilion (1,996)
Houston, TX
Dec 22*
9:30pm
vs. Boise State
Las Vegas Classic semifinals
L 73–75 OT 5–4
Orleans Arena (N/A)
Paradise, NV
Dec 23*
8:00 pm, FS1
vs. Texas Tech
Las Vegas Classic 3rd place game
W 82–69  6–4
Orleans Arena (N/A)
Paradise, NV
Dec 28*
4:00 pm, ESPN3
Mississippi Valley State W 80–53  7–4
Hofheinz Pavilion (2,147)
Houston, TX
Dec 31
1:00 pm, ESPNU
at Memphis L 54–73  7–5 (0–1)
FedEx Forum (13,415)
Memphis, TN
Jan 4
1:00 pm, ESPNews
at Tulsa L 54–72  7–6 (0–2)
Reynolds Center (4,171)
Tulsa, OK
Jan 6
6:00 pm, ESPNews
UCF L 78–79 OT 7–7 (0–3)
Hofheinz Pavilion (2,003)
Houston, TX
Jan 11
3:00 pm, CBSSN
Memphis L 44–62  7–8 (0–4)
Hofheinz Pavilion (2,697)
Houston, TX
Jan 14
6:00 pm, ESPNU
at East Carolina L 61–66  7–9 (0–5)
Minges Coliseum (4,368)
Greenville, NC
Jan 17
11:00 am, ESPNews
Tulane L 65–68  7–10 (0–6)
Hofheinz Pavilion (2,547)
Houston, TX
Jan 21
6:00 pm, ESPNews
at Cincinnati L 54–67  7–11 (0–7)
Fifth Third Arena (9,815)
Cincinnati, OH
Jan 24
5:00 pm, CBSSN
at SMU L 59–80  7–12 (0–8)
Moody Coliseum (7,094)
Dallas, TX
Jan 28*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Rice W 59–48  8–12
Hofheinz Pavilion (3,465)
Houston, TX
Feb 1
2:00 pm, CBSSN
UConn W 60–58  9–12 (1–8)
Hofheinz Pavilion (3,498)
Houston, TX
Feb 5
6:00 pm, ESPNews
Tulsa L 44–57  9–13 (1–9)
Hofheinz Pavilion (2,847)
Houston, TX
Feb 12
8:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 25 SMU L 69–75  9–14 (1–10)
Hofheinz Pavilion (3,315)
Houston, TX
Feb 15
1:00 pm, ESPN3
at UCF L 54–56  9–15 (1–11)
CFE Arena (4,269)
Orlando, FL
Feb 17
6:00 pm, ESPNews
at South Florida L 67–69  9–16 (1–12)
USF Sun Dome (3,128)
Tampa, FL
Feb 21
8:30 pm, ESPNU
Cincinnati L 53–63  9–17 (1–13)
Hofheinz Pavilion (3,562)
Houston, TX
Feb 26
6:00 pm, CBSSN
at Temple L 54–66  9–18 (1–14)
Liacouras Center (7,023)
Philadelphia, PA
Mar 1
2:00 pm, ESPN3
South Florida W 72–55  10–18 (2–14)
Hofheinz Pavilion (2,816)
Houston, TX
Mar 4
7:00 pm, ESPNews
at Tulane W 68–63 OT 11–18 (3–14)
Devlin Fieldhouse (2,041)
New Orleans, LA
Mar 8
1:00 pm, ESPNews
East Carolina W 72–54  12–18 (4–14)
Hofheinz Pavilion (2,879)
Houston, TX
American Athletic Conference Tournament
Mar 12
5:00 pm, ESPNews
vs. Tulane
First Round
W 66–60  13–18
XL Center 
Hartford, CT
Mar 13
7:00 pm, ESPNU
vs. Tulsa
Quarterfinal
L 51–59  13–19
XL Center 
Hartford, CT
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Cougars hire Kelvin Sampson, ESPN.com, retrieved 29 May 2014
  2. ^ Houston Freshman PG Jaaron Simmons Transfers To Ohio, SB Nation, retrieved 29 May 2014
  3. ^ Former UH guard Danuel House transfers to A&M, Houston Chronicle, retrieved 1 June 2014
  4. ^ Former UH basketball player Thomas heading to Oklahoma, Houston Chronicle, retrieved 29 May 2014
  5. ^ Valentine Izundu granted release from UH basketball team, Houston Chronicle, retrieved 29 May 2014
  6. ^ Purdue transfer Ronnie Johnson lands at Houston, CBS Sports, retrieved 29 May 2014
  7. ^ Surgeries Not Expected to Make McLean, Rose Miss Any Games, Chron.com, retrieved 16 August 2014
  8. ^ 2014-15 Men's Basketball Schedule Format Announced, TheAmerican.org, retrieved 29 May 2014
  9. ^ Men's Basketball to Compete at Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic, UHCougars.com, retrieved 23 June 2014
  10. ^ SC State Men's Basketball Releases 2014-15 Schedule, retrieved 16 August 2014
  11. ^ Harvard Hoops Schedule in Focus, retrieved 16 August 2014
  12. ^ American Athletic Conference Announces 2014-15 Men's Basketball Schedule, TheAmerican.org, retrieved 30 August 2014