5-Star PF Jarace Walker Commits to Houston over Alabama, Auburn
Nov 5, 2021
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 19: Jarace Walker #25 of IMG Academy in action against Fort Myers High School during the City of Palms Classic Day 2 at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on December 19, 2019 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Houston landed one of the top frontcourt talents in the 2022 recruiting class when Jarace Walker committed to the Cougars on Thursday.
ESPN's Jeff Borzello detailed the player's recruitment ahead of the decision:
Five-star Jarace Walker has committed to Houston, giving the Cougars a program record 3 ESPN 100 commits & first 5-star recruit since Danuel House in 2012. Houston was involved early for Walker, had him on campus in June, and has been the leader since the summer. Impressive job.
Walker is the No. 13 player overall and No. 1 power forward in the country, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He's also the fourth-best player in the state of Florida.
Brandon Jenkins of 247Sports evaluated the IMG Academy star in March and compared him to former Iowa State star Royce White:
Walker is a strong physical specimen with a cut-up frame and broad shoulders at the hybrid four man spot. He is a nice vertical athlete who can finish emphatically when given the chance and always looks to assert himself on the glass. When Walker steps on the floor, you can expect to get a contribution from him in a lot of ways. He is one of those guys who gets rebounds, assists, and scores. He will need to improve as a shot maker, but he is a versatile four in the making who has both the physical tools and emerging face-up skills that should only continue to blossom at the next level.
Originally from New Freedom, Pennsylvania, Walker transferred to IMG Academy ahead of his freshman season. He averaged 7.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 2018-19 while playing a somewhat limited role for the Ascenders.
If you find anywhere doing futures bets on NBA Slam Dunk Contest champions, jump on Walker at the earliest opportunity. The 6'8", 220-pound forward can already throw down like an elite dunker.
Walker had the opportunity to reclassify, thus joining the 2021 class and hitting college—and by extension the NBA—one year early. The tactic has become more popular for those with the opportunity to take advantage.
Speaking with 247Sports' Travis Branham in October 2020, Walker was unsure whether he'd be a member of the 2021 or 2022 class.
"I'm not really thinking that far in the future yet, just focused on this season and leading my team to a national championship and then I'll see what happens from there," he said.
As much as Walker is bound to generate buzz with his incredible athleticism, his game goes beyond his ability to get inside and live above the rim. He should be an effective spot-up jumper, which will make him useful in the pick-and-roll and as a floor-spacer to open up the paint for his guards. He can also find an open teammate when opposing teams shut off his path to the basket.
Whenever he does arrive in Houston, Walker should make an immediate impact for his school.
Under Kelvin Sampson, the program has become nationally relevant once again. First came the 2019 trip to the Sweet 16 and then in 2021 Houston enjoyed its first Final Four since the days of Phi Slama Jama.
"It will be great to pick his brain each day about the game," Walker said of Sampson. "His NBA experience is impressive. He is a legend in the college game. He is such a good defensive coach and he showed me how they get their shooters open for shots."
Getting Walker's commitment is a sign that Sampson can attract the kind of talent who will help the Cougars be a genuine national title contender. Walker joins a pair of 4-star commits in 2022 (small forward Terrance Arceneaux and shooting guard Emanuel Sharp).
Mercy Miller, Master P's Son, Commits to Houston Basketball
Aug 30, 2021
Mercy Miller, son of rapper and producer Master P, announced on Instagram on Monday that he has committed to play basketball at the University of Houston.
Miller is heading into his sophomore season at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis. Though 247Sports doesn't yet have composite rankings for the class of 2024, Miller had already earned scholarship offers from Houston, Minnesota and Hampton.
Master P also discussed the commitment on Instagram:
My son [Mercy] has already won a High School State Championship as a Freshman. For the future, he's focused on winning a College Championship where all the great legends came from like Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. And that's why he decided to make an early commitment to the University of Houston.
The 6'4" combo guard took an unofficial visit to Houston last week, according to Brandon Jenkins of 247Sports.
Miller's father has high expectations for the emerging talent.
"In the state championship game at only 15 years old he had 15 points in that game, and he’s the No. 1 player in Minnesota so he’s just getting better and better," he told 247Sports.
Last season, Miller played alongside Chet Holmgren, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2021 class. Jalen Suggs, the No. 5 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, also went to Minnehaha before starring at Gonzaga.
Master P, who was born Percy Miller, played some NBA Summer League and has appeared in the All-Star Celebrity Game. Mercy's older brother Romeo spent two years at USC but left and started his own music career.
Houston's Kelvin Sampson Discusses Father, Racist Experiences Growing Up in NC
Apr 2, 2021
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 02: Head coach Kelvin Sampson of the Houston Cougars looks on during practice ahead of the Final Four Semfinal at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 02, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Houston men's basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson spoke with reporters Friday about his father, John "Ned" Sampson, as well as his experiences with prejudice and racism growing up in 1960s North Carolina.
Sampson's father primarily worked as a basketball coach and athletic director, and he had a 34-year career with Pembroke High School that ended in 1983.
But he's also known for his role in running the Ku Klux Klan out of Maxton, North Carolina in 1958. During what is known as "Battle of Hayes Pond," he was one of several hundred members of the Lumbee Tribe who prevented a KKK rally from occurring in the area.
"I'm very proud of Lumbee Nation. I'm very proud of my father," Sampson told reporters, per Scott Gleeson of the USA Today. "[Ned Sampson]'s a pretty good person to be a role model of growing up."
He also added:
“Even to this day if you go back to Pembroke, North Carolina, he was a rock and a foundation piece for that community. We’re a non-federally recognized native American tribe that’s felt prejudice and racism our entire lives. When I was raised in Pembroke, that was a big source of pride—that we stayed with each other. We kind of care of each other. The KKK was huge in that area. That’s a vivid, clear image with me."
Sampson spoke with Nick Martin of Deadspin in March 2018 about his recollection regarding the Battle of Hayes Pond, which happened when the Houston coach was just three years old.
“The thing I remember about Hayes Pond was my father, Mr. Deldon—these were all his friends—they just jumped in a truck and went down to Hayes Pond. And they were bound and determined to break up that KKK rally. [A KKK member] had put a lightbulb out there in the shed, they were having that rally, pumping their KKK rhetoric. [A member of the Lumbee tribe] shot the light out, shots were being fired. And the first thing [the Klan] did, because they didn’t have guns, was they jumped under a truck. Just jumped under it. ... The next thing you know was the rally was broken up and it was gone, and that was considered a victory. They ran the KKK out of town.”
Sampson's father also endured racism while working part-time in a tobacco factory, and the Houston coach noted that water fountains and bathrooms were segregated. His father also taught at segregated coaching clinics.
"You didn't think anything of it at the time," Sampson said. "It's the way it was in the 1960s. It was very divided. Very racist. But we survived. We achieved."
The elder Sampson did his best to break down down those barriers, and Ronnie Davis, a former athletic director of the Public Schools of Robeson County, spoke about the coach.
“It didn’t matter what nationality or race a kid was,″ Chavis told Earl Vaughan Jr. of the Fayetteville Observer in Feb. 2014 following Sampson's death. “He was a kid that needed to be coached.″
Sampson's son will now be looking to win the first national championship of his illustrious coaching career.
His Houston Cougars will be playing the Baylor Bears in the Final Four on Saturday at 5:14 p.m. ET. The winner plays Gonzaga or UCLA on Monday in the national championship.
Houston Will Finally Face Challenges After Historically 'Easy' Final Four Path
Mar 30, 2021
Houston guard Marcus Sasser (0) reacts to a basket against Oregon State during the second half of an Elite 8 game in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium, Monday, March 29, 2021, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
The Houston Cougars are headed to the Final Four for the first time since 1984 following their 67-61 Monday night victory over the Oregon State Beavers.
After leading 34-17 at halftime, Houston allowed Oregon State to claw all the way back to tie the game at 55-55, but the Cougars' prowess both on defense and on the offensive glass was just too much in the end.
Houston also made too many threes against an Oregon State team that had excelled on the defensive perimeter for the past few weeks. Marcus Sasser led all scorers with 20 points and five made triples. Quentin Grimes was close behind, scoring 18 with four made threes. DeJon Jarreau also made a pair in his second straight game with at least nine points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
With the victory, Houston became the first team in NCAA tournament history to reach the national semifinals by going through four consecutive double-digit seeds.
The combined seed total of opponents Houston has faced (No. 15 Cleveland State, No. 10 Rutgers, No. 11 Syracuse and No. 12 Oregon State) is 48, and that is just the sixth time a team has faced a seed total of 45 or greater in its first four tournament games.
1990 UNLV faced a 16-8-12-11 path (47 total)
1991 North Carolina faced a 16-9-12-10 path (47 total)
2001 Michigan State faced a 16-9-12-11 path (48 total)
2008 Kansas faced a 16-8-12-10 path (46 total)
2011 Kansas faced a 16-9-12-11 path (48 total), but it lost to No. 11 seed VCU
(Let the record show that Gonzaga's four previous trips to the Elite Eight each featured a combined seed total below 40, and this year's is 35. When I tweeted about Houston's seed path Saturday night, there were a whole bunch of "Well, that's just an average year for Gonzaga" responses and, come on, just stop already.)
That cupcake path is going to be a narrative for the next few days, but don't let it detract from how good this Houston team is.
After beating Texas Tech 64-53 on a neutral court in late November, the Cougars entered December ranked in the top 15 on KenPom and never once abandoned that post. All season long, they have had one of the most efficient defenses and one of the most relentless frontcourts of offensive rebounders, and that has continued through the first four rounds of this tournament.
Despite upsetting three very impressive teams in Tennessee, Oklahoma State and Loyola-Chicago, Oregon State looked hopelessly overmatched most of Monday night. The Beavers switched up their defensive alignments frequently, trying anything and everything to push Houston out of its comfort zone. However, open looks were all but impossible for Oregon State to come by, and it simply could not buy a defensive rebound when it needed one most.
And yet, the Beavers scored more points (61) against Houston than any other team has thus far in this dance. That's a testament to how suffocating this defense typically is.
Houston's DeJon Jarreau
Houston now ranks in the top 15 in the nation in all of the following on defense: steal percentage, block percentage, three-point percentage, two-point percentage, effective field-goal percentage and even free-throw percentage.
That last one might seem more random than defensive, but the Cougars make teams work so hard for every inch of space that even the free-throw strokes look fatigued after a while.
Case in point: Oregon State's Ethan Thompson was 25-of-26 from the charity stripe in his first three games of the tournament, but he shot just 5-of-8 against Houston. Maurice Calloo had not missed a free throw since early February and was 27-of-30 on the season. He missed two of his five tries against the Cougars. They just wear you out.
Perhaps most impressive and unexpected has been Houston's ability to swarm without fouling. Putting opponents at the free-throw line was a common problem during the regular season—frankly, the only significant complaint one could make about this defense—but the Cougars have committed just 14.8 fouls per game during the tournament.
Oh, and the offensive rebounds, otherwise known as the defense played on offense.
Houston had a completely unexpected off night in that department in the Sweet 16 against a Syracuse team that almost always struggles on the defensive glass. The Cougars only got back 29.7 percent of their misses in that one. But they corralled 43.2 percent against Rutgers, 48.5 percent against Cleveland State and 46.3 percent against Oregon State.
All told, Houston has grabbed 62 offensive rebounds while only allowing 86 defensive rebounds. And those second/third/fourth chances usually make a colossal difference for a team that is now 28-3.
It's all remarkable stuff.
But as has been the refrain all season long with the Cougars: Who have they faced?
Every other team that earned a No. 1 or No. 2 seed had at least eight Quadrant 1 wins. All the No. 3 seeds had at least six such victories.
Houston, though?
Just two wins in three tries, and one of those two wins was a road game against NET No. 65 SMU—a team that never felt like a serious threat for an at-large bid. The Cougars had that November win over Texas Tech and no other bragging rights. (TTU's primary power forward, Kevin McCullar, wasn't playing at that point in the season, either, because of a high-ankle sprain.)
Suffice it to say, overall strength of schedule was a huge question mark for the Cougars long before the NCAA tournament began, and this little Waltz of the Creampuffs through the Big Dance has done nothing to change that.
Maybe it would be different if Houston had plowed through its four games the way USC destroyed Drake, Kansas and Oregon en route to the Elite Eight. Instead, the Cougars needed a borderline miraculous comeback against Rutgers and narrowly avoided a complete meltdown against Oregon State.
But if you've been patiently waiting for months to see if Houston can hold its own against some of the best teams in the country, you're in luck.
After four consecutive wins on the game's easy setting, it's time for the Cougars to crank the difficulty level up to expert. To win it all, they'll need to beat Baylor in the Final Four and probably Gonzaga in the national championship—merely the two teams we've been hyping up as national championship co-favorites since before the season began.
If that happens, would anyone seriously still care about how weak this year's AAC was or how favorably that Midwest Region broke for the Cougars?
Of course not. We would spend at least the next decade trying to figure out how Houston—the program that was on the receiving end of one of the wildest national championship upsets of all time in 1983—became the lone hurdle this Gonzaga juggernaut couldn't clear.
These Cougars have the defense to beat anyone. And if they win two more games, the strength of opponents they faced in the previous 31 will be an irrelevant footnote on a historic season.
Kerry Miller covers men's college basketball and college football for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter,@kerrancejames.
Mattress Mack Bets $1M on Houston to Win 2021 Men's NCAA Tournament at 9-1 Odds
Mar 27, 2021
FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2019, file photo, Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson talks to his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Connecticut, in Hartford, Conn. The entire team piles into Sampson's house before each home game to prepare for the next opponent, eat his wife Karen's delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies and bond like a family. The routine is something Sampson and his players agree has created an environment of closeness and trust that is an integral ingredient in the ninth-ranked Cougars' success this season.(AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)
DraftKings announced Saturday that a Houston furniture store mogul placed a $1 million bet on the University of Houston to win the 2021 NCAA men's college basketball tournament.
DraftKings noted that the bet will pay out a total of $10 million ($9 million in profit) if the Cougars win it all at 9-1 odds:
The bet was placed by Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, who owns Gallery Furniture stores in the Houston area and is well known for placing huge sports bets.
In February, McIngvale bet $3.46 million on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win Super Bowl LV. The Bucs beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9, netting him $2.75 million in profit.
Per Darren Rovell of The Action Network, Mattress Mack said he flew on his plane from Houston to Denver on Friday night in order to place the $1 million bet on the Cougars on the DraftKings mobile betting app, and then flew back home.
Mattress Mack had to fly out of Texas since mobile sports betting is not legal in the state.
When asked why he decided to place the bet through DraftKings, Mattress Mack said:"DraftKingshad the best number at 9-1 and they were willing to take the full amount."
Mattress Mack is known for tying the fate of Houston-area sports teams into promotions at his furniture stores, and he plans to do the same with the Houston men's basketball team.
McIngvale said the bet is a hedge against a Final Four promotion he plans to run if the Cougs make it that far. Should that happen, he plans to give patrons 50 percent off purchases if Houston wins in the Final Four and 100 percent off if the team wins the national championship.
Houston is a No. 2 seed by virtue of its 26-3 record this season, and it has already beaten Cleveland State and Rutgers en route to the Sweet 16.
The Cougars will face the 11th-seeded Syracuse Orange on Saturday for a spot in the Elite Eight, where they would take on either No. 8 Loyola Chicago or No. 12 Oregon State for a spot in the Final Four.
Houston has never won a national title, although it has lost in the Final Four five times and the National Championship Game twice, but not since 1984.
For all the latest betting information and reaction, check out B/R Betting.
No. 5 Houston Upset by Unranked East Carolina; 8-Game Winning Streak Snapped
Feb 3, 2021
East Carolina's Jayden Gardner (1) reacts following a basket and being fouled during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Houston in Greenville, N.C., Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)
East Carolina handed No. 5 Houston only its second men's basketball loss of the season with a 82-73 upset Wednesday.
Jayden Gardner led the way for the Pirates (8-6) with 21 points, 14 rebounds and four assists, his seventh double-double of the season. The team also shot 11-of-24 from three-point range at home in Williams Arena, keying the first win over a Top 10 opponentin program history, per the ESPN broadcast.
What ECU just accomplished is nothing short of miraculous.
Before tonight:
0-5 in 2021 5 straight losses 9 straight losses to Houston 5-17 all-time vs. Houston
But the Pirates played a near perfect game against No. 5 Houston.
ECU trailed by three at halftime but the defense picked up in the second half, allowing the hosts to build a double-digit lead with just over five minutes left. The Cougars couldn't keep up and never led over the final 19 minutes of the game.
Houston (15-2) entered the day with eight straight wins, the last six by double digits, but stumbled on the road against a team that had five straight losses to fall into last place in the American Athletic Conference.
Many criticized Houston after the shocking loss:
Houston just lost to East Carolina, and more surprisingly the Cougars allowed 82 points.
Houston was first in the country coming into the game, allowing 56 points per game.
East Carolina had struggled in all phases over the past few weeks but especially shooting, making just 13 three-pointers in the last three games. Its 31.9 percent three-point shooting this season ranked 245th in the country.
You wouldn't know it was the case Wednesday as the Pirates seemingly couldn't miss from deep. They shot 7-of-14 from three in the first half and kept it going throughout the night.
Tremont Robinson-White was especially impressive while making five of his six threes, while Bitumba Baruti and J.J. Miles were also valuable from the perimeter.
Things weren't as smooth for Quentin Grimes,Houston's leading scorer who shot just 2-of-10 from the field on his way to seven points.
DeJon Jarreau helped pick up the slack offensively with 25 points, his best scoring output since transferring to Houston three years ago. Marcus Sasser also had a strong showing (17 points) while Justin Gorham posted a double-double, but it wasn't enough to help the Top Five team get into the win column.
This loss could have lasting effects for a team with high expectations this year:
So, about Houston as a No. 1 seed ... not happening.
Houston is currently No. 4 in theNET rankingsbut has just three Quadrant 1 victories and now two losses outside of the first tier. The squad should get a chance to recover with a tuneup game against Our Lady of the Lake, an NAIA school in San Antonio, on Saturday.
For East Carolina, this win could potentially turn things around after some early struggles in the conference. The team will try to keep the momentum when it faces Memphis on Saturday.
No. 5 Houston Upset by Tulsa After Brandon Rachal's FTs with 0.1 Seconds Left
Dec 29, 2020
Tulsa's Elijah Joiner is guarded by Houston's Marcus Sasser during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Tulsa, Okla., Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Dave Crenshaw)
Unranked Tulsa (5-3, 2-1 AAC) toppled the Cougars 65-64 thanks to free throws from Brandon Rachal with 0.1 seconds left in regulation. Houston (7-1, 2-1 AAC) held a 64-63 lead with 10 seconds remaining after Caleb Mills sank a jumper, but Rachal drew the foul just before the clock expired, giving him a chance to at least tie the game.
Instead, he sank both free throws to win it.
The Cougars were coming off a 63-54 victory at UCF that was a bit too close for comfort until the end as the Knights trailed by just six with under 2:30 to play. Yet the top-ranked program was able to escape with a late run and some clutch foul shooting.
That wasn't the case Tuesday.
After racing out to an early 11-point lead, Houston struggled to create any separation from Tulsa for the rest of the night.
Rachal, a senior from Louisiana, kept the Golden Hurricane alive with 22 points and eight rebounds. Only one other player for Tulsa scored more than seven points as Curtis Haywood II added nine off the bench.
Quentin Grimes led Houston with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the loss.
The Cougars' road trip continues Sunday as they travel to SMU (5-0, 1-0) before returning home to face Wichita State (4-2, 2-0). Meanwhile, Tulsa heads to Cincinnati (2-5, 0-2) on Saturday to try taking advantage of a Bearcats team that's struggled to find many wins this year.
Houston's DeJon Jarreau Ejected for Allegedly Biting Cincinnati's Keith Williams
Feb 1, 2020
HONOLULU, HI - DECEMBER 22: DeJon Jarreau #3 of the Houston Cougars reacts after stepping out of bounds during the first half against the Portland Pilots at the Stan Sheriff Center on December 22, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
Houston Cougars guard DeJon Jarreau was issued a flagrant-2 technical foul and ejected in the second half of his team's 64-62 loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday.
He was ejected for biting Cincinnati's Keith Williams on the calf as they went for a loose ball (h/tJoseph Duarteof theHouston Chronicle):
According to Justin Williams of The Athletic, Williams and teammate Mamoudou Diarra said Jarreau bit them during the game. Jarreau finished with five points, six assists and four rebounds.
After the game, however, Houston coach Kelvin Sampson denied Jarreau bit Williams, per ESPN's Jeff Borzello:
"There was no bite. There was an alleged bite. Somebody says somebody bit, and they go to the line. I just watched the film. I watched it three times to make sure I was right, too. If you watch it once, you might be wrong. I watched it twice. I watched it three times. I had my staff look at it. There was no bite. There should have been a jump ball. It's our ball. Our possession. And we should have had the ball on the side."
It was particularly ill-timed for Houston, seeing how the team was nursing a two-point lead with less than seven minutes remaining and was undermanned in the backcourt for the stretch run on the road.
Houston was in control for much of the contest and took a 10-point lead into intermission. However, the Bearcats gradually climbed back into it and took their first lead of the second half with less than three minutes remaining on a Williams layup. The Cougars still had a chance to force overtime when Cedrick Alley Jr. grabbed an offensive rebound in the waning seconds, but Caleb Mills missed a jumper at the buzzer.
Jarron Cumberland led the way for the victors with 17 points, seven assists, three rebounds and two blocks.
While the biting incident overshadowed portions of the game, it was a key win for the Bearcats as they look to get off the bubble and into the NCAA men's tournament. They improved to 14-7 overall and 7-2 in the American Athletic Conference with the win over the 21st-ranked Cougars.
Bleacher Report'sKerry Millerdid not include Cincinnati in his latest projected bracket, although that was before it earned an impressive win Saturday.
Houston's Quentin Grimes Ruled Eligible for 2019-20 Season After Kansas Transfer
Oct 22, 2019
Kansas guard Quentin Grimes (5) shoots against Northeastern during a first round men's college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament Thursday, March 21, 2019, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Jeff Swinger)
Houston Cougars guard Quentin Grimes has been ruled eligible to play by the NCAA for the 2019-20 season after transferring from the Kansas Jayhawks in the offseason, according to multiple reports.
Houston announces that guard Quentin Grimes has received a waiver to play immediately this season. Transferred from Kansas after last season. Former five-star recruit.
This makes Houston a clear-cut preseason top 25 team and legitimate AAC title contender.
Quentin Grimes won immediately eligibility on the fact that there wasn’t a scholarship open for him at Kansas when he decided to withdraw from the NBA Draft, source told @Stadium. Told that KU supported him being eligible right away.
"I'm really happy for Quentin and his family," head coach Kelvin Sampson said following the news, per Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle. "I thank the NCAA for approving his waiver. We've got a lot of work to do, a long way to go, and we look forward to getting after it."
Grimes, 19, averaged 8.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game with the Jayhawks last season, shooting 38.4 percent from the field and 34 percent from three. He started 36 games for Kansas, though his season ended in disappointment when Kansas was knocked out in the second round of the NCAA tournament by Auburn (granted, the Tigers did reach the championship game).
Grimes initially declared for the NBA draft and attended the NBA Scouting Combine, but later pulled his name from consideration, choosing to return to college basketball. In June, however, heannouncedhe was transferring from Kansas to Houston.
.@UHCougarMBK guard Quentin Grimes (@qdotgrimes) will play for the Cougars this season after getting a waiver from the NCAA. His mother Tonja Stelly: "Good things come to those who do the right thing. We have a lot of emotions for many different reasons and we're very happy."
It's a big get for the Cougars, especially now that his eligibility for the upcoming season is assured. He was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school, the No. 10 player overall in the Class of 2019 and the No. 2 combo guard, per 247Sports' Composite Rankings.
And Houston appears like a team to be reckoned with this upcoming season with Grimes in the backcourt:
The addition of Quentin Grimes means that Houston is now a bonafide Top 15-20 team.
What else does it mean?
The Cougars --- not Memphis --- are now the team to beat in the American Conference.
