Houston Basketball Lands Visit From Elite Mid Major Guard

As the Cougars are looking to rebuild this offseason, they are set to host a standout from the Horizon League.

Dec 21, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons guard Corey Hadnot II (10) drives past Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Braeden Shrewsberry (11) during the second half at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

With the NCAA Transfer Portal back in full swing, the Cougars look to rebuild arguably their most depleted roster since coach Kelvin Sampson took over in 2014.

As of now, Houston only has four players returning next season, who include junior forward Joseph Tugler, redshirt sophomore guard Kordel Jefferson, sophomore guard Mercy Miller, and redshirt freshman forward Chase McCarty.

In response, Purdue Fort Wayne transfer Corey Hadnot II set a visit with the University of Houston next week, he told @CBBcontent.

Corey Hadnot II Locks In Visit With The Cougars

Nov 18, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons guard Corey Hadnot II (10) drives against Utah Utes guard Obomate Abbey (21) during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

With just four players set to return for the 2026-2027 season as of today, Sampson and staff are in uncharted territory; however, Houston always finds a way to assemble a team that can compete at the top of the league year after year.

They will now be forced to be aggressive in the transfer portal to fill in for the four starters who will all enter the NBA Draft.

Houston does have a good track record in the portal so far, landing LJ Cryer from Baylor and Milos Uzan from Oklahoma, and now they are once again searching for a dynamic guard who can take over games.

Now, Hadnot seems to be a potential fit as Houston’s next standout guard. The 6-foot-3 playmaker is a scoring threat anywhere on the floor, and he averaged 20.4 points per game as a junior.

With Miller and McCarty likely to be the 2 and 3 in the starting lineup positionly, Houston lacks a point guard, and Hadnot could very well slide into that role.

This season, he averaged 3.5 assists per game, and his quickness allows him to draw multiple defenders, then kick out to open shooters, making him a two-way threat.

Over the course of his three year career, he has totaled just under 1,200 points, and there is no doubt the best part of his game is scoring.

Another good sign for the Cougars is he took a big jump on defense this season, totaling 58 steals on the year, which is 1.8 per game.

Hadnot also has a respectable three-point shot, shooting 35.8 percent from behind the arc this past season.

By far the most impactful part of his game is his ability to get to the rim and make tough baskets.

Because of his quickness, he can get into the paint consistently, and that is a big reason why he shot an impressive 52 percent from the floor last year.

While Hadnot is still deciding where his future will be, it is safe to say if he ends up a Cougar, he will be an electric scoring option that Houston is looking for.