2014–15 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

2014–15 Houston Cougars men's basketball
2014–15 Houston Cougars men's basketball
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Record	13–19 (4–14 The American)
Head coach	Kelvin Sampson (1st season);
Assistant coaches	Alvin Brooks; Talvin Hester; Kellen Sampson;
Home arena	Hofheinz Pavilion
	Seasons ← 2013–14 2015–16 →

2014–15 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	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

Departures

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

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

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

College recruiting information
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
Cavon Baker PG	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/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
Egi Gjikondi PF	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/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
Torian Graham SG	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/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
Bertrand Nkali PF	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/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
Devonta Pollard SF	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/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
J.C. Washington PF	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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
Eric Weary SG	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/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

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

Roster

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

Kelvin Sampson (UNC Pembroke)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

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

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

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	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

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

[Sampson-1] Cougars hire Kelvin Sampson, ESPN.com, retrieved 29 May 2014

[Jaaron-2] Houston Freshman PG Jaaron Simmons Transfers To Ohio, SB Nation, retrieved 29 May 2014

[House-3] Former UH guard Danuel House transfers to A&M, Houston Chronicle, retrieved 1 June 2014

[TaShawn-4] Former UH basketball player Thomas heading to Oklahoma, Houston Chronicle, retrieved 29 May 2014

[Valentine-5] Valentine Izundu granted release from UH basketball team, Houston Chronicle, retrieved 29 May 2014

[Ronnie-6] Purdue transfer Ronnie Johnson lands at Houston, CBS Sports, retrieved 29 May 2014

[Injuries-7] Surgeries Not Expected to Make McLean, Rose Miss Any Games, Chron.com, retrieved 16 August 2014

[Schedule-8] 2014-15 Men's Basketball Schedule Format Announced, TheAmerican.org, retrieved 29 May 2014

[Continental-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

[FinalSch-12] American Athletic Conference Announces 2014-15 Men's Basketball Schedule, TheAmerican.org, retrieved 30 August 2014

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v t e Houston Cougars men's basketball
Venues	Sam Houston Coliseum (select games; 1937–19??) Jeppesen Gymnasium (1946–1966) Delmar Fieldhouse (1966–1969) Fertitta Center (1969–present) Health and Physical Education Arena (2017–2018)
Rivalries	Rice SMU
Culture & lore	Shasta Phi Slama Jama Game of the Century "Cougar Fight Song" Spirit of Houston
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA Final Four appearances in italics