Houston Still Needs To Address These Positions in the Transfer Portal
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Questions still remain.
Houston doesn’t have many answers, but it soon will.
The 30-day window to pull players from the transfer portal opened recently, and several players have chosen to enter their names into the market of players searching for a new home.
Those players hoping to find a new school to play include centers Jacob McFarland and Cedric Lath, as well as Isiah Harwell. Take into account that there will be a few more exits, including guard Kingston Flemings and forward Chris Cenac Jr., who are testing their chances of getting drafted in the NBA Draft.
That leaves plenty of open slots for the 2026-27 roster and a lot of trust in head coach Kelvin Sampson to rebuild the team to get to where it ultimately wants to be, but which positions need addressing?
Guard
Replacing two freshmen who are now declaring for the NBA draft is no easy task. One of them was a guard who led the team in scoring, so bringing someone in who can score efficiently has to be vital for this upcoming campaign. Keep in mind, there is no Emanuel Sharp.
There were several things that guys like Flemings brought to the table that are going to be hard to replicate, but that’s alright because every player brings their own skills. There are a few things that are needed when looking for a guard, and one of them is maturity.
Sampson always discussed the maturity he’s seen from his players, and he emphasized that communication is super important if an athlete wants to join the program. There has to be chemistry in practice, and there must be chatter. Getting a player in the portal like that would boost the vibes in the locker room, in practice, and on the court.
A couple of other unique skills a guard needs are the ability to play defense and to knock down mid-range jumpers. Houston is known for its scattered shot-taking abilities and for nailing shots from all around the floor, so if that, combined with great hands and eye coordination, comes to join the team, it could help a lot.
Center
The Cougars lost two centers on their roster this past season: Lath and McFarland. Both are no longer with the team. Why? Who knows. Replacements? Still to be determined.
As of now, Houston has retained one player from last year's team: the 6-foot-11 star Kalifa Sakho. Keep in mind that Joseph Tugler will also be in the rotation as he chose to stay with Sampson and Co. for the upcoming season, but he is more of a forward. Either way, the big man presence will be there, but will it look like the squad did last season?
Sampson doesn’t have to, but needs to find help in this position because a big part of their system is rebounding the basketball, and that is one of the things that the culture values. Attacking the glass. Bring someone in who can clean the glass and win battles inside to apply pressure to opponents. With help underneath and getting sharpshooters for around the perimeter and elsewhere, that could produce more success.
Kolton Becker is a journalist for Texas A&M Aggies and Houston Cougars On SI from Port Lavaca, Texas. He is a graduate from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural communications and journalism and a minor in sport management. As a former sports reporter with TexAgs and The Battalion, he has covered Texas A&M football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, track & field, cross country, swim & dive and equestrian. In his spare time, he loves to hunt, fish, cook, do play-by-play announcing at high school sporting events, spend time with family/friends as well as be involved with his local church.
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