How Houston Basketball Solved Its Interior Scoring Problem

Houston basketball finished well short of reaching back-to-back National Championships last season after suffering a 65-55 loss to Illinois in the Sweet 16.

Arguably the Cougars' biggest flaw last season was not having a forward/center who could consistently score in the paint, and head coach Kelvin Sampson and staff directly addressed that issue this offseason.

Houston brought in transfer forward Delrecco Gillespie and high school center Arafan Diane, which will directly fix this issue.

How Delrecco Gillespie and Arafan Diane Will Fix Houston’s Interior Scoring Problem

Since the graduation of six-year forward J’Wan Roberts, Houston has lacked a big that can really thrive in the paint offensively.

With that being a known fact, Houston went out and landed Gillespie, a former forward for Kent State.

Gillespie was a force last season with the Golden Eagles, and he averaged 17.7 points and 11.3 rebounds per game.

”Do you know how hard it is to average 11 rebounds?,” Sampson said. “We practiced this morning for about two hours and just watching, (Delrecco) is always where the ball is. That’s the key to being a good rebounder.”

Gillespie has turned a lot of heads so far this offseason, and he has shown why he lead the nation in double-doubles last season in both facets of his game.

”When the ball’s shot and it bounces, wherever it bounces that is where he is,” Sampson said. “That’s a knack. That’s something you can’t teach.”

While rebounding is a huge part of his game, he is just as good in the scoring department.

Gillespie stands at 6-foot-8 and weighs 230 pounds, and he is very athletics for his size.

All of his scoring comes from the paint, and he has very good footwork along with an outstanding hookshot that allows him to beat his opponent in several different ways.

His pure strength and size will lead to many easy buckets next season, and he will be one of the toughest bigs to guard in the entire Big 12 Conference.

The Cougars also landed Diane, a 5-star center from Iowa United Prep, and he was the No. 1 player at his position in the 2026 class.

Diane is mucher bigger than Gillespie, standing at 7-foot and weighing 293 pounds. While Gillespie is more athletic, Diane is an absolute force down low, and he is nearly impossible to stop because of his size.

In order to fit into Sampson’s system, Diane has already prioritized dropping slightly in weight to allow himself to move around better and to become more athletic.

With Gillespie and Diane now both in Houston’s program, it is clear that both guys fit the mold of what the Cougars are trying to do with their bigs.

Both players both directly fix the offensive scoring problem in the paint, and they can each rebound at an elite level.

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