2014–15 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

The 2014–15 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the University of Houston during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was their first season under head coach Kelvin Sampson[1] and second as members of the American Athletic Conference. The Cougars’ home arena was the on-campus Hofheinz Pavilion. Their record was 13–19, and 4–14 in conference play to finish in tenth place. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2015 American Conference Tournament, where they lost to Tulsa.

2014–15 Houston Cougars men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
2014–15 record13–19 (4–14 The American)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaHofheinz Pavilion
2014–15 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 18 SMU153 .833  277  .794
Tulsa144 .778  2311  .676
Temple135 .722  2611  .703
Cincinnati135 .722  2311  .676
UConn108 .556  2015  .571
Memphis108 .556  1814  .563
Tulane612 .333  1516  .484
East Carolina612 .333  1419  .424
UCF513 .278  1218  .400
Houston414 .222  1319  .406
South Florida315 .167  923  .281
The American Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Pre-season

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Brandon Morris2G6'0"185 SeniorAlexandria, LouisianaGraduated
Jaaron Simmons3G6'1"175 FreshmanDayton, OhioRequested release to move closer to home; transferred to Ohio[2]
Jimmy Jones12G5'10"160 SeniorPlano, TexasGraduated
Tione Womack14G6'1"170 SeniorBaltimore, MarylandGraduated
Danuel House23G6'7"195 SophomoreSugar Land, TexasRequested release after resignation of former head coach James Dickey; transferred to Texas A&M[3]
Lawrence Paye24G6'0"185 SeniorHouston, TexasGraduated
TaShawn Thomas35F6'8"215 JuniorKilleen, TexasRequested release after resignation of former head coach James Dickey; transferred to Oklahoma[4]
Valentine Izundu45C6'10"215 SophomoreHouston, TexasRequested release after resignation of former head coach James Dickey; transferred to Washington St.[5]
J.J. Richardson55F6'8"245 SeniorMissouri City, TexasGraduated

Returnees

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Danrad Knowles0F6'10"195 SophomoreNassau, BahamasCompeted in 31 games as a freshman with 10 starts. Two-time American Rookie of the Week. Third on the team in rebounding. Averaged 7.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game on 47% shooting.
Mikhail McLean1F6'8"205 SeniorNassau, BahamasCompeted in 28 games as a junior with 16 starts. Averaged 2.6 points and 1.8 rebounds per game on 49% shooting.
LeRon Barnes4G6'6"190 JuniorStonewall, LouisianaCompeted in 30 games as a sophomore with 15 starts. Averaged 3.2 points and 2.5 rebounds on 39% shooting.
L.J. Rose5G6'4"190 JuniorHouston, TexasCompeted in 28 games as a sophomore with 25 starts. Led the American Conference in assists at 5.5 per game. Finished 11th in the conference at 77.8% from the free throw line. Scored 8.5 points with 2.5 rebounds per game on 40% shooting.
Adam Drexler20F6'5"205 JuniorHouston, TexasRedshirted last season after transferring from Loyola Marymount.
Jherrod Stiggers21G6'5"210 JuniorTerrell, TexasCompeted in 33 games as a sophomore with 9 starts. Finished as the third leading scorer with 11.2 points per game. Ranked 3rd in the American Conference with 2.4 three-pointers per game. Also averaged 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game on 39% shooting.

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Ronnie JohnsonG5'10"160 SophomoreIndianapolis, IndianaTransferred from Purdue; will sit out the 2014–15 season[6]

Class of 2014 signees

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Cavon Baker
PG
Queens, NY Lee College 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Apr 30, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Egi Gjikondi
PF
Boston, MA San Jacinto College 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) May 14, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Torian Graham
SG
Marianna, FL Chipola Junior College 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Apr 20, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Bertrand Nkali
PF
Baytown, TX Lee College 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) May 16, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Devonta Pollard
SF
De Kalb, MS East Mississippi CC 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) May 21, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
J.C. Washington
PF
Houston, TX Yates HS 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Nov 22, 2013 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 73
Eric Weary
SG
New Orleans, LA Howard College 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Apr 21, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: NR   Rivals: NR  ESPN: NR
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Houston Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  • "2014 Houston Basketball Commitment List". Scout.com. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  • "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 29 May 2014.

    Injuries

    In July, both LJ Rose and Mikhail McLean had foot surgery. Each is expected to need three or four months to recover.[7]

    Schedule and results

    On May 28, the American Athletic Conference announced the format and opponents for the 2014–15 conference schedule. Due to an odd number of conference members and maintaining an 18-game schedule, each team played 8 opponents twice (home and away) and two opponents once (1 home, 1 away). UConn (home) and Temple (away) were the two teams the Cougars played just once this season.[8] On July 18, the team announced participation in the championship pairings of the 2014 Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic, alongside Boise State, Texas Tech, and Loyola–Chicago at the Orleans Arena. Two on-campus games preceded the Las Vegas-hosted games,[9] with one at South Carolina State.[10] In August, ESPN reported that Houston's visit to Harvard for a game on November 25.[11] The remainder of the Cougars' schedule was announced by the American Athletic Conference on August 28.[12]

    Date
    time, TV
    Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    Nov 8*
    12:00 pm
    North Alabama W 108–83 
    Hofheinz Pavilion 
    Houston, TX
    Regular Season
    Nov 14*
    7:00 pm
    at Murray State W 77–74  1–0
    CFSB Center (5,056)
    Murray, KY
    Nov 22*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Morgan State W 72–57  2–0
    Hofheinz Pavilion (3,058)
    Houston, TX
    Nov 25*
    6:00 pm
    at Harvard L 63–84  2–1
    Lavietes Pavilion (1,423)
    Cambridge, MA
    Dec 4*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Texas–Pan American W 72–58  3–1
    Hofheinz Pavilion (1,858)
    Houston, TX
    Dec 6*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Abilene Christian W 71–59  4–1
    Hofheinz Pavilion (2,007)
    Houston, TX
    Dec 16*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Houston Baptist W 83–76  5–1
    Hofheinz Pavilion (2,016)
    Houston, TX
    Dec 17*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Arkansas–Pine Bluff
    Las Vegas Classic regional round
    L 56–61  5–2
    Hofheinz Pavilion (2,082)
    Houston, TX
    Dec 20*
    1:00 pm, ESPN3
    South Carolina State
    Las Vegas Classic regional round
    L 63–71  5–3
    Hofheinz Pavilion (1,996)
    Houston, TX
    Dec 22*
    9:30pm
    vs. Boise State
    Las Vegas Classic semifinals
    L 73–75 OT 5–4
    Orleans Arena (N/A)
    Paradise, NV
    Dec 23*
    8:00 pm, FS1
    vs. Texas Tech
    Las Vegas Classic 3rd place game
    W 82–69  6–4
    Orleans Arena (N/A)
    Paradise, NV
    Dec 28*
    4:00 pm, ESPN3
    Mississippi Valley State W 80–53  7–4
    Hofheinz Pavilion (2,147)
    Houston, TX
    Dec 31
    1:00 pm, ESPNU
    at Memphis L 54–73  7–5 (0–1)
    FedEx Forum (13,415)
    Memphis, TN
    Jan 4
    1:00 pm, ESPNews
    at Tulsa L 54–72  7–6 (0–2)
    Reynolds Center (4,171)
    Tulsa, OK
    Jan 6
    6:00 pm, ESPNews
    UCF L 78–79 OT 7–7 (0–3)
    Hofheinz Pavilion (2,003)
    Houston, TX
    Jan 11
    3:00 pm, CBSSN
    Memphis L 44–62  7–8 (0–4)
    Hofheinz Pavilion (2,697)
    Houston, TX
    Jan 14
    6:00 pm, ESPNU
    at East Carolina L 61–66  7–9 (0–5)
    Minges Coliseum (4,368)
    Greenville, NC
    Jan 17
    11:00 am, ESPNews
    Tulane L 65–68  7–10 (0–6)
    Hofheinz Pavilion (2,547)
    Houston, TX
    Jan 21
    6:00 pm, ESPNews
    at Cincinnati L 54–67  7–11 (0–7)
    Fifth Third Arena (9,815)
    Cincinnati, OH
    Jan 24
    5:00 pm, CBSSN
    at SMU L 59–80  7–12 (0–8)
    Moody Coliseum (7,094)
    Dallas, TX
    Jan 28*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3
    Rice W 59–48  8–12
    Hofheinz Pavilion (3,465)
    Houston, TX
    Feb 1
    2:00 pm, CBSSN
    UConn W 60–58  9–12 (1–8)
    Hofheinz Pavilion (3,498)
    Houston, TX
    Feb 5
    6:00 pm, ESPNews
    Tulsa W 57–44  9–13 (1–9)
    Hofheinz Pavilion (2,847)
    Houston, TX
    Feb 12
    8:00 pm, ESPNU
    No. 25 SMU L 69–75  9–14 (1–10)
    Hofheinz Pavilion (3,315)
    Houston, TX
    Feb 15
    1:00 pm, ESPN3
    at UCF L 54–56  9–15 (1–11)
    CFE Arena (4,269)
    Orlando, FL
    Feb 17
    6:00 pm, ESPNews
    at South Florida L 67–69  9–16 (1–12)
    USF Sun Dome (3,128)
    Tampa, FL
    Feb 21
    8:30 pm, ESPNU
    Cincinnati L 53–63  9–17 (1–13)
    Hofheinz Pavilion (3,562)
    Houston, TX
    Feb 26
    6:00 pm, CBSSN
    at Temple L 54–66  9–18 (1–14)
    Liacouras Center (7,023)
    Philadelphia, PA
    Mar 1
    2:00 pm, ESPN3
    South Florida W 72–55  10–18 (2–14)
    Hofheinz Pavilion (2,816)
    Houston, TX
    Mar 4
    7:00 pm, ESPNews
    at Tulane W 68-63 OT 11–18 (3–14)
    Devlin Fieldhouse (2,041)
    New Orleans, LA
    Mar 8
    1:00 pm, ESPNews
    East Carolina W 72-54  12–18 (4–14)
    Hofheinz Pavilion (2,879)
    Houston, TX
    American Athletic Conference Tournament
    Mar 12
    5:00 pm, ESPNews
    vs. Tulane
    First Round
    W 66–60  13–18
    XL Center 
    Hartford, CT
    Mar 13
    7:00 pm, ESPNU
    vs. Tulsa
    Quarterfinal
    L 51–59  13–19
    XL Center 
    Hartford, CT
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Central Time.

    References

    1. Cougars hire Kelvin Sampson, ESPN.com, retrieved 29 May 2014
    2. Houston Freshman PG Jaaron Simmons Transfers To Ohio, SB Nation, retrieved 29 May 2014
    3. Former UH guard Danuel House transfers to A&M, Houston Chronicle, retrieved 1 June 2014
    4. Former UH basketball player Thomas heading to Oklahoma, Houston Chronicle, retrieved 29 May 2014
    5. Valentine Izundu granted release from UH basketball team, Houston Chronicle, retrieved 29 May 2014
    6. Purdue transfer Ronnie Johnson lands at Houston, CBS Sports, retrieved 29 May 2014
    7. Surgeries Not Expected to Make McLean, Rose Miss Any Games, Chron.com, retrieved 16 August 2014
    8. 2014-15 Men's Basketball Schedule Format Announced, TheAmerican.org, retrieved 29 May 2014
    9. Men's Basketball to Compete at Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic, UHCougars.com, retrieved 23 June 2014
    10. SC State Men's Basketball Releases 2014-15 Schedule, retrieved 16 August 2014
    11. Harvard Hoops Schedule in Focus, retrieved 16 August 2014
    12. American Athletic Conference Announces 2014-15 Men's Basketball Schedule, TheAmerican.org, retrieved 30 August 2014
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