Kelvin Sampson Delivers Encouraging Update On Incoming Talent
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Houston basketball was very aggressive with the loss of nine players from last year’s team by landing Dedan Thomas Jr., Delrecco Gillespie, Corey Hadnot and Braden East in the transfer portal.
The Cougars also have a very talented incoming 2026 high school class who include Arafan Diane, Tyus Thomas, Ikenna Alozie and Djafar Silimana.
With all the variety of talent coming into the program, Houston’s head coach Kelvin Sampson gave a very encouraging update for Cougar basketball fans.
Kelvin Sampson Speaks On Incoming Players
Sampson began speaking about his two talented freshman bigs in Diane and Silimana, who both are the future of this program.
He told sports journalist Chris Baldwin from @PaperCityMag that both the newcomers were already at the University of Houston and acclimating to their new home.
Diane is a 5-star recruit from Iowa, and he is a force down low standing at 7-foot-1 and 290 pounds and is expected to have an early impact in his Houston career.
On the other hand, Silimana also has a ton of upside; however, Sampson said earlier this month that he would most likely make his first real impact either his sophomore or junior year.
Sampson also gave an encouraging update on Gillespie, who was a key target in the transfer portal out of Kent State.
”Delrecco is training with Zuby Ejiofor of St. John's and a bunch of big guys getting ready for the draft,” he told Baldwin. “He’s been in Vegas training with them.”
Gillespie was one of the most exciting additions from the transfer portal this offseason, and his averages of 17.7 points and 11.3 rebounds per game last year make him an instant impact player for the Cougars.
While several transfers and high school guys are getting ready for the upcoming season, Sampson also gave an update on his returners.
He mentioned Joseph Tugler, Bryce Jackson, Kordel Jefferson, Chase McCarty and Mercy Miller as guys who were putting in the work until the team can practice together later this summer.
”All of our guys are working hard,” Sampson told Baldwin. “They’ll all be back here at the end of the month to get ready for the season starting in June.”
The Cougars are less than a month away from starting a grueling summer of workouts and conditioning to get ready for the season.
With the mix of hard work this offseason and talent from the transfer portal and high school class, Houston will once again be a force next season in the Big 12 Conference.
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Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).