After taking the team to four straight Sweet Sixteens, including two Elite Eights and one Final Four, Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars men’s basketball team are starting to reap the rewards on the recruiting trail.
Last Thursday became the most recent recruiting victory for the 2023-24 Big 12 champions, as 2025 five-star guard Isiah Harwell pledged his commitment to the school. According to ESPN, Harwell became Houston’s second five-star commit since 2012.
“Coach Sampson is a cool dude. He knows what it takes for players to reach the next level, we talked about that. I need to shoot 38-40% from 3, average six or seven rebounds and play defense on the opponent’s best perimeter player. He said if you don’t play defense you won’t play at Houston.” Harwell told ESPN last week.
Harwell, who is from Idaho, chose the Cougars over the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Texas Longhorns, and California Golden Bears. He suffered a knee injury last season but is expected to be ready for the start of his senior high school basketball season.
“Houston was very consistent recruiting me during my injury and rehab. On my visit it was a family atmosphere. I got to spend a lot of time with the players, and we ended up sitting around and they were talking about how they all arrived at Houston. Their culture is real,” Harwell noted.
[ESPN]
