Houston Women’s Basketball Set For Culture Rebuild Under New Head Coach

The Cougars finished at the bottom of the conference last season, and look to improve in their third season in the Big 12 Conference.

Iowa State Cyclones' forward Addy Brown (24) takes a three-point shot over Houston Cougars guard Kierra Merchant (2) during the second quarter in the Big-12 women’s basketball at Hilton Coliseum on Wednesday, Feb19, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Houston women’s basketball finished with a 5-25 record last season and placed last in the Big 12 Conference.

A season full of injuries plagued the Cougars, but the lone win in conference place was enough to fire their head coach Ronald Hughey after 11 seasons.

In response, Houston went out and hired Matthew Mitchell, who was a former head coach for the University of Kentucky.

Matthew Mitchell: The Future of the Houston Women’s Basketball Program

Kentucky's head coach Matthew Mitchell on the sidelines during the game against MTSU on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, at MTSU | HELEN COMER/DNJ, Murfreesboro Daily News Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Mitchell is a three-time SEC Coach of the Year and brings over 30 years of coaching experience to the University of Houston.

The veteran head coach began coaching at Kentucky in 2007 and ended his prosperous career in 2020.

In that time frame, he led the Wildcats to nine NCAA tournament appearances and is now focused on leading Houston to their first NCAA tournament game since the 2010 season.

Mitchell is Kentucky’s all-time winningest head coach in program history with 303 wins with the Wildcats.

He now joins a Houston team that is in need of a rebuild, much like the teams head men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and head football coach Willie Fritz inherited to begin their careers.

Kentucky's head coach Matthew Mitchell on the sidelines during the game against MTSU on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, at MTSU. 11 Mtsu V Kentucky Women | HELEN COMER/DNJ, Murfreesboro Daily News Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Mitchell mentioned that he looks up to both Sampson and Fritz and he has been in contact with both of the coaches as he transitions to Houston.

“I am incredibly excited and deeply grateful for the opportunity to become the women’s basketball head coach at the University of Houston,” Mitchell said at his introductory press conference. “This is a true honor, stepping into this role in a city with such a rich basketball history. I want to begin by extending my heartfelt thanks to President Renu Khator and Eddie Nuñez for their belief in me to elevate this program to compete at the highest level in the country. Their trust in me means the world, and I’m eager to begin this journey alongside them.”

Mitchell enters a program with a lot of potential, and the interest in women’s basketball is at an all-time high.

”I think overall it is a great time to be a part of women's basketball,” Mitchell said. “You are seeing record interest in the WNBA, and I don’t think there is any doubt that this city will get behind us if we do what we are supposed to do.”

Mitchell is faced with a tall task, joining a team that finished towards the bottom of the conference for the past two season, and only have three returning players from last year.

For him, it is nothing new as he was faced with a very similar situation at Kentucky and transitioned them into a competitive team in the SEC for most of his career.

Mitchell is excited for his team going forward and ready to bring excitement back to Houston women’s basketball.

”The best marketing plan we can have right now is to play great basketball,” Mitchell said. “We need to let the city know we are building this program the right way.”