Houston Cougars Grace the Cover of SLAM Magazine
In this story:
The No. 2 Houston Cougars have been one of the top stories in college basketball this decade. Houston went from the greatness of the Phi Slama Jama days to a forgotten program in the early 2000s. The Cougars are now back in the national spotlight of college basketball thanks to a historic revitalization of the program led by Kelvin Sampson.
Houston’s run to the national championship last season only got more deserved eyes on its story. UH has turned into a key player in college hoops, and the expectations are high with this current group of returning players and some of the top freshmen talent in the country.
Being on the cover of SLAM, the most prominent basketball magazine in the country, can be a huge sense of pride. It’s now Houston’s time, as the Cougars have finally made it to the cover and received their own edition of the magazine that was circulated online on Friday morning.
By the time the blitz hits, it’s too late. With freshman lightning stacked on battle-tested vets Houston is circling back with something to prove. The Coogs cover SLAMU 020 with a title locked in their sights.
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 20, 2026
🔒 https://t.co/E3tWXbKSJV pic.twitter.com/gxKE4IkUkw
"They’re going to guard. They’re going to attack. They’re going to win a lot. They’re going to be quiet, almost unnoticed, until the moment late in the season when they roar to life."
That is one of the first lines of the story describing Houston. Here is how SLAM described the Cougars in 2026.
SLAM Houston
In an era of constant change in college basketball, Kelvin Sampson's identity stays constant.
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 20, 2026
The discipline is drilled, the rotations are regimented, and the hunger is real.
Read the full cover story now: https://t.co/9y18CNsE3z pic.twitter.com/Gv6T1G6dRk
The magazine features the three prominent freshmen: point guard Kingston Flemings, center Chris Cenac Jr. and guard Isiah Harwell. It also shines the spotlight on the three veteran leaders in junior forward Joseph Tugler, senior point guard Milos Uzan, and senior guard Emanuel Sharp.
On the online cover, the introduction reads as such:
“Stellar freshmen, wise upperclassmen, and a vigorous defense are the calling cards of the 2025-26 Houston Cougars. They've spent months in the nation's top 10 rankings because they spent months before the season working in silence.”
The magazine features individual photos of all six players as well as a couple of group poses on the Fertitta Center floor. Merchandise has already rolled out with shirts and hoodies now available.
The spotlight has continuously grown for Houston over the past few seasons since it entered the Big 12 conference. Houston’s utter dominance in the best basketball conference in the country has gotten the attention of the college hoops world. SLAM notes the incredible success the Cougars have had recently.
“His squad has done a lot of winning over the last five years. Stack up all the other blue bloods in the country. Look at their win totals since the decade changed. Count them all. See what the facts say; no other men’s basketball program has more wins in the 2020s than the Cougars.”
A big reason for making this cover edition is the best high school recruiting group in program history, ranked third in the class of 2025 according to SLAM. The three top freshmen have all been prominently featured and written about. However, the three seniors are described as the leaders.
“But Coach’s real strength lies in the return of three upperclassmen who have already walked through the fire with him.”
That group receives plenty of recognition. Tugler’s defense is described in detail, while Uzan’s point guard skills are mentioned. SLAM recognizes Sharp’s hard work on both sides of the ball to be the true leader of this group.
This is what was said of Sharp’s jump shot:
“Sharp’s got an ill-turned jump shot, meaning that he doesn’t go straight up and down when he rises. It’s not what the basketball textbook teaches, but it is what actually playing the game teaches.”
SLAM highlighted the defense of the team early in the piece. It was a great promotion and explanation of what Houston’s defense stands for under head coach Kelvin Sampson. The Houston way of being tough continues to gain prominence. The angle that SLAM seems to be taking is that the talented freshmen, combined with the veteran toughness of leadership, make for a lethal combination.
Flemings has obviously emerged as a key part of Houston, being the leading scorer on the team. SLAM uses some high praise for his elite work in the paint.
“He shifts around the floor like he placed a bunch of slip ’n slides out there, making defenders look silly, lost in the waves. Leaving folks bewildered behind him, Flemings can rise up to select from a menu full of different finishes. Whatever the moment calls for, this son of San Antonio has it.”
First step so quick it shot him into lottery pick projections. Kingston Flemings for SLAMU 020.https://t.co/9y18CNsE3z pic.twitter.com/Ud0hErDVpO
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) February 20, 2026
The magazine wraps up the piece with this line.
“This Cougars squad is coming, led by the battle-earned knowledge of Sharp, Uzan, and Tugler, and revitalized by the turbo-injected force of Flemings, Harwell, and Cenac Jr.”
Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.