The Houston Cougars Just Landed Another Transfer Portal Visit
In this story:
The Houston Cougars and head coach Kelvin Sampson are left with plenty of work to do this offseason with the major roster turnover the Cougars are about to endure with losses coming due to the transfer portal, eligibility exhaustion, or decisions to the NBA Draft.
The Cougars will become big-time players in the transfer portal as they've never done before, as Sampson will look to replenish his roster through the transfer portal after losing the majority of it after the 2025-26 season.
And the Cougars seem to be doing just that, as they've recently landed a few commitments out of the transfer portal in LSU guard Dedan Thomas Jr. and Kent State forward Delrecco Gillespie. They have continued to work the portal, as they've recently landed a scheduled visit with a big man.
Houston Lands Visit with Lamar Transfer
As reported by Sam Kayser of LeagueRDY on Friday, the Cougars have scheduled a visit with Lamar forward Braden East for Tuesday, April 14. He spent his first two seasons of college basketball in the Southland Conference with the Cardinals.
East didn't play much as a freshman, seeing time in just 10 contests. However, the forward had a breakout season as a sophomore, ending his second year with the Cardinals playing in 30 games while averaging 12.8 points per game, shooting 53.3 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from three, and 70.6 percent from the free-throw line.
The 6-9 sophomore was also a key part of the Cardinals squad outside of scoring the basketball, with East averaging 9.1 rebounds per game, which led the Cardinals, as well as averaging a block and about an assist per game.
East's best game of the season came in the back half of the year in early February when the Cardinals took on the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. The forward ended the game with a season-high 33 points, shooting 15-19 from the field, 1-2 from beyond the arc, and was 2-2 at the free throw line.
The performance ultimately came in a loss with the Lumberjacks winning 84-74. East was also effective on the board, bringing down 10 rebounds to go with a single assist in his 29 minutes played.
A potential commitment with the Cougars would be a return home for East as the forward is a Houston native who played his high school basketball at Stafford High School, which is located about 30 minutes away from the Fertitta Center.
The forward ranked as a three-star recruit per 247Sports coming out of high school in the class of 2024, while ranking as the No. 91 player at his position and the No. 47 player out of the Lone Star State in the 2024 cycle.
