BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ
NEWARK, N.J.–Houston continues to be one of the premier programs in all of college basketball year in and year out. But what makes them stand out as a program even more is the way that the Cougars do it; through development and continuity.
“I think the statistic that is, for today for this college basketball, amazing is in the last eleven years amongst our top ten players, we’ve only had four kids transfer,” Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson said after his No. 8 Cougars triumphed 94-85 over No. 14 Arkansas at Prudential Center. “Our kids don’t transfer.”
This season’s Cougars team features 12 players who have only ever worn a Houston jersey at the college level. Although the roster remains consistent, this team has seemingly reinvented its identity as a more offensive unit.
Houston has scored over 90 points in back-to-back games and is coming off the back of explosive guard play for a team that generally relies on hard nosed defensive performances instead.
“We used to be a defensive school,” Sampson told CBS Sports post game. “Maybe this way we’ll win maybe one more game who knows.”
Houston guard Emanuel Sharp led the way for the Cougars with 22 points while guards Kingston Flemings and Milos Uzan contributed 21 points and 13 points respectively.
Regardless of how they are doing it Houston is proving they are once again in the mix to return to the Final Four after a crushing defeat to Florida in last year’s National Championship game. But one thing is for certain, coach Sampson values developing his players and it has worked wonders for him thus far.
“Everybody does it different,” he said. “There’s no wrong way to run a team it’s just your way, and this is my way.”
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