The Houston Cougars Just Secured Another Transfer Portal Commitment
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The Houston Cougars continue to boost their roster through the transfer portal. It was much needed for the program to add depth and talent this offseason and Houston is now making those moves in the portal.
The Cougars have significantly increased their front court presence and just added another key player to the mix. Braden East, a transfer forward from Lamar, committed to Houston on Wednesday according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
East will be an incoming junior and the 6-foot-9 forward spent his first two collegiate seasons at Lamar University, which is located just outside the Houston area in Beaumont. East, a Houston native, now makes the short transition back to his home city.
Houston Lands a Local Product
NEWS: Lamar transfer Braden East commits to Houston, source confirmed to @TheFieldOf68.
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) April 15, 2026
The 6-9 big man averaged 12.8 points and 9.8 rebounds this season. pic.twitter.com/ckDCwOcZOD
East averaged 12.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and one block on 53.3 percent shooting from the field last season. He also shot nearly 71 percent from the free throw line and 31 percent from three. East played in 30 games this past year for the Cardinals and made 28 starts.
East had a scheduled visit to Houston on Tuesday and clearly liked what he saw, and he joined the program a day later.
His numbers all went up signficantly in his sophomore season and he will likely play a key role off the bench for Houston. The Cougars' front court will be led by senior forward Joseph Tugler and more than likely freshman five-star center Arafan Diane. East will be one of the backup big men and significantly solidifies Houston's interior presence alongside fellow transfer forward Delrecco Gillespie out of Kent State.
The 238-pound forward nearly averaged a double-double similarly to Gillespie and offers another experienced option. Diane has no college experience and Tugler was prone to foul trouble, so Houston now has four bigs it can rotate during the game just like coach Kelvin Sampson said he wanted to do.
East is from Stafford, Texas and went to Stafford High School, which is just 20 miles away from Houston's practice facility. The local product was a three-star recruit and was also listed as a center coming out of high school. He was the 47th ranked player out of Texas in his class of 2024.
East fits the bill for Houston given the emphasis on rebounding and is also a good defender. He can score while maintaining the Cougars' brand of basketball. East scored in double digits 21 times during the season and racked up 14 double-doubles. He had a streak of seven double-doubles in a row at one point.
East had a 33-point and 10-rebound performance against Stephen F. Austin were he was 15/19 from the field and also a hit a 3-pointer. He's put together some strong outings and will now get an opportunity with Houston to compete for a national championship. The Cougars' back-up big men were two of the best available in the portal from the mid-major market and Houston is betting on the fact they'll step up and make use of this chance.
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Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.