2013–14 Houston Cougars men's basketball team

The 2013–14 Houston Cougars men's basketball team represented the University of Houston during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The season marked the first for the Cougars as members of the American Athletic Conference. The team, coached by James Dickey in his fourth year, played their home games at Hofheinz Pavilion. They finished the season 17–16, 8–10 in conference play to finish in sixth place. They advanced to the semifinals of the American Conference Tournament where they lost to Louisville.

2013–14 Houston Cougars men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
2013–14 record17–16 (8–10 The American)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaHofheinz Pavilion
2013–14 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 15 Cincinnati15–3 .833  27–7  .794
No. 18 UConn12–6 .667  32–8  .800
SMU12–6 .667  27–10  .730
Memphis12–6 .667  24–10  .706
Houston8–10 .444  17–16  .515
Rutgers5–13 .278  12–21  .364
UCF4–14 .222  13–18  .419
Temple4–14 .222  9–22  .290
South Florida3–15 .167  12–20  .375
No. 5 Louisville* †0–3 .000  0–5  .000
† The American Tournament winner
As of March 15th, 2014
*Louisville: 29 reg. season games, 3 postseason games vacated due to sanctions against the program; Disputed Record-(31-6)(15-3); Rankings from AP Poll

After the season, Dickey stepped down for personal reasons.[1] He was 64–62 in four seasons, and was replaced by Kelvin Sampson.

Pre-season

The Cougars' off-season had been defined primarily by the number of departures from the program. On May 14, the school announced that it had granted permission to sophomore point guard J. J. Thompson to transfer to another school. No reason was given.[2] Ten days later, the school announced that four-star 2012 class recruit Valentine Izundu was also granted release from the program. Like Thompson, no reason why given for Izundu's departure, but it was noted that he had seen very limited playing time in his previous season as a freshman.[3] However, one month after announcing his leave, Izundu decided to return. In his statement, he apologized to Coach Dickey and teammates and mentioned that he made a mistake in leaving the team.[4] On June 1, the program announced that Michael Young, former Cougar player and Phi Slama Jama member during the 1980–84 seasons, would not be retained as Director of Basketball Operations. Young was offered a reassignment in the program, but refused it and decided to leave the school. As a result, his son Joseph Young, the Cougars' leading scorer during the 2012–13 season also decided to leave the program[5] and transfer to Oregon.[6]

Despite the departures, the Cougars were still able to build by signing Ohio Player of the Year and three-star recruit Jaaron Simmons. The point guard out of Archbishop Alter High School signed a national letter of intent on April 18, choosing the Cougars over Butler and Dayton, among others.[7] Simmons mentioned that the opportunity to play with standout players Danuel House, Joseph Young, and TaShawn Thomas helped in his decision to sign with Houston.[8] In June, former Baylor guard L. J. Rose announced his transfer to Houston to be closer to his mother who had been diagnosed with lupus. Rose was ranked 63rd in the ESPN100 Class of 2012 and 9th at guard. The Cougars applied for a waiver to the NCAA to allow Rose to play for the team immediately, and the waiver was granted on August 20.[9] The third offseason addition to the Cougars was 6'9" Egyptian-born post player Ahmed Hamdy, who had international experience at the 2010 FIBA Under-17 World Championship with the Egyptian national team.[10]

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Joseph Young0G6'3"185 SophomoreHouston, TexasLeft program when father Michael was not retained as Director of Basketball Operations;
transferred to Oregon
J. J. Thompson3G6'0"185 SophomoreIrving, TexasGranted release to transfer to another school
Leon Gibson15F6'9"245 SeniorLos Angeles, CaliforniaGraduated

Incoming transfers
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
L. J. RoseG6'4"190 SophomoreHouston, TexasTransferred from Baylor

Class of 2013 signees
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jaaron Simmons
PG		 Kettering, Ohio Archbishop Alter HS 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Mar 31, 2013 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Ahmed Hamdy
C		 Alexandria, Egypt Trent Internationale (Sugar Land, Texas) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Jun 20, 2013 
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 2 June 2013.
  • "2013 Houston Basketball Commitment List". Scout.com. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  • "2013 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2 June 2013.

    Roster
    2013–14 Houston Cougars men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
    F 0 Danrad Knowles 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)190 lb (86 kg) RS So Houston, Texas
    F 1 Mikhail McLean 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)205 lb (93 kg) RS Jr Houston, Texas
    G 2 Brandon Morris 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)185 lb (84 kg) Sr Alexandria, Louisiana
    G 3 Jaaron Simmons 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)175 lb (79 kg) Fr Dayton, Ohio
    G 4 LeRon Barnes 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)195 lb (88 kg) RS So Stonewall, Louisiana
    G 5 L.J. Rose 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190 lb (86 kg) So Houston, Texas
    G 12 Jimmy Jones 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)160 lb (73 kg) RS Sr Plano, Texas
    G 14 Tione Womack 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)170 lb (77 kg) Sr Baltimore, Maryland
    F 20 Adam Drexler 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) So Houston, Texas
    G 21 Jherrod Stiggers 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)210 lb (95 kg) RS So Terrell, Texas
    G 23 Danuel House 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)195 lb (88 kg) So Sugar Land, Texas
    G 24 Lawrence Paye 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)185 lb (84 kg) Sr Houston, Texas
    C 25 Ahmed Hamdy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)255 lb (116 kg) Fr Alexandria, Egypt
    F 35 TaShawn Thomas 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)215 lb (98 kg) Jr Killeen, Texas
    C 45 Valentine Izundu 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)215 lb (98 kg) So Houston, Texas
    F 55 J.J. Richardson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)245 lb (111 kg) RS Sr Missouri City, Texas
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster
    Last update: 2013-11-17

    Schedule and results

    On May 21, the Cougars participation as one of the four hosts in the 2013 Legends Classic alongside Pittsburgh, Stanford, and Texas Tech was announced. Houston hosted a pair of regional round games between November 17–21, and then traveled to Brooklyn to participate in the championship round with the other four hosts on November 25–26 at the Barclays Center.[11]

    The Cougars' 2013-14 schedule was announced on August 21, featuring 17 home games. The schedule's highlights included round-robin play against the other nine American Athletic Conference members, the four previously-announced Legends Classic games, a road game against former Southwest Conference rival Texas A&M, and a neutral site matchup against crosstown rival Rice at the Toyota Center. All of Houston's 18 conference games and the two final games of the Legends Classic tournament were televised on the ESPN family of networks or CBS Sports Network.[12]

    Date
    time, TV    		 Opponent Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    Nov 5*
    7:00 pm    		 St. Thomas W 81–63 
    		Hofheinz Pavilion (2,435)
    Houston
    Non-conference regular season
    Nov 8*
    8:00 pm, ESPN3    		 Texas State W 76–70  1–0
    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (3,123)
    Houston
    Nov 11*
    7:00 pm    		 at Texas–Pan American W 77–65  2–0
    		 UTPA Fieldhouse (1,432)
    Edinburg, Texas
    Nov 14*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 UTSA W 80–62  3–0
    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (2,800)
    Houston
    Nov 17*
    1:00 pm, ESPN3    		 Lehigh
    Legends Classic – Houston Regional Game 1    		 W 80–66  4–0
    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (2,635)
    Houston
    Nov 21*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 Howard
    Legends Classic – Houston Regional Game 2    		 W 75–62  5–0
    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (2,815)
    Houston
    Nov 25*
    8:30 pm, ESPN2    		 vs. Stanford
    Legends Classic – Semifinals    		 L 76–86  5–1
    		 Barclays Center (4,142)
    Brooklyn, New York
    Nov 26*
    6:00 pm, ESPN3    		 vs. Texas Tech
    Legends Classic – Consolation Game    		 L 64–76  5–2
    		 Barclays Center (3,514)
    Brooklyn, New York
    Nov 30*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3    		 Texas A&M–Corpus Christi W 78–67  6–2
    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (3,015)
    Houston
    Dec 4*
    7:00 pm, ESPN3/FSN    		 at Texas A&M L 57–74  6–3
    		 Reed Arena (4,850)
    College Station, Texas
    Dec 7*
    5:00 pm, ESPN3    		 San Jose State L 68–72  6–4
    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (3,105)
    Houston
    Dec 9*
    6:30 pm, ESPN3    		 Alcorn State W 89–58  7–4
    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (2,833)
    Houston
    Dec 14*
    7:05 pm    		 at Louisiana–Lafayette L 76–79 OT 7–5
    		 Cajundome (3,069)
    Lafayette, Louisiana
    Dec 21*
    3:30 pm, CSS/CSNH    		 vs. Rice
    Lone Star Showcase    		 W 54–52  8–5
    		 Toyota Center (5,907)
    Houston
    American Athletic Conference regular season
    Dec 31
    8:00 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 17 UConn W 75–71  9–5 (1–0)
    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (4,035)
    Houston
    Jan 4
    3:00 pm, CBSSN    		 at South Florida W 67–58   10–5 (2–0)
    		 USF Sun Dome (3,921)
    Tampa, Florida
    Jan 7
    8:00 pm, CBSSN    		 Cincinnati L 60–61  10–6 (2–1)
    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (3,804)
    Houston
    Jan 16
    6:00 pm, CBSSN    		 at No. 18 Louisville L 52–91  10–7 (2–2)
    		 KFC Yum! Center (21,132)
    Louisville, Kentucky
    Jan 19
    12:00 pm, CBSSN    		 Rutgers W 77–55  11–7 (3–2)
    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (3,115)
    Houston
    Jan 23
    7:00 pm, ESPNews    		 at No. 23 Memphis L 59–82  11–8 (3–3)
    		 FedEx Forum (15,702)
    Memphis, Tennessee
    Jan 26
    2:00 pm, ESPNews    		 SMU L 68–75  11–9 (3–4)
    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (4,567)
    Houston
    Jan 30
    8:00 pm, CBSSN    		 at Connecticut L 43–80  11–10 (3–5)
    		 Gampel Pavilion (9,312)
    Storrs, Connecticut
    Feb 1
    3:30 pm, ESPNews    		 at Rutgers L 70–93  11–11 (3–6)
    		 The RAC (5,616)
    Piscataway, New Jersey
    Feb 5
    8:00 pm, ESPNU    		 No. 14 Louisville L 62–77  11–12 (3–7)
    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (7,247)
    Houston
    Feb 9
    1:00 pm, ESPNews    		 Temple W 88–74  12–12 (4–7)
    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (3,535)
    Houston
    Feb 15
    2:00 pm, ESPNU    		 at No. 10 Cincinnati L 62–73  12–13 (4–8)
    		 Fifth Third Arena (13,176)
    Cincinnati
    Feb 19
    7:00 pm, ESPNews    		 at SMU L 64–68  12–14 (4–9)
    		 Moody Coliseum (6,991)
    Dallas
    Feb 22
    1:00 pm, ESPNews    		 UCF W 88–84  13–14 (5–9)
    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (7,028)
    Houston
    Feb 27
    8:00 pm, CBSSN    		 No. 21 Memphis W 77–68  14–14 (6–9)
    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (3,628)
    Houston
    Mar 1
    8:00 pm, ESPNU    		 at Temple W 89–79  15–14 (7–9)
    		 Liacouras Center (3,978)
    Philadelphia
    Mar 4
    7:30 pm, ESPNews    		 South Florida W 79–68  16–14 (8–9)
    		 Hofheinz Pavilion (3,235)
    Houston
    Mar 7
    6:00 pm, CBSSN    		 at UCF L 83–104  16–15 (8–10)
    		 CFE Arena (5,471)
    Orlando, Florida
    American Athletic Conference Tournament
    Mar 13
    12:00 pm, ESPNU    		 vs. No. 25 SMU
    Quarterfinals    		 W 68–64  17–15
    		 FedEx Forum (13,011)
    Memphis, Tennessee
    Mar 14
    6:00 pm, ESPN2    		 vs. No. 5 Louisville
    Semifinals    		 L 65–94  17–16
    		 FedEx Forum (11,888)
    Memphis, Tennessee
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Central Time.

    References
    1. http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24466354/hirings-and-firings-2014-college-basketball-coaching-changes
    2. J.J. Thompson leaving UH basketball program, Houston Chronicle, retrieved 2 June 2013
    3. Lamar Consolidated center to transfer from UH, Houston Chronicle, retrieved 2 June 2013.
    4. Izundu decides to return to UH, Houston Chronicle, retrieved 25 August 2013.
    5. Houston leading scorer Joseph Young, and father Michael, leaving the program, NBC Sports, retrieved 2 June 2013
    6. Oregon lands guard Joseph Young, ESPN.com, retrieved 25 August 2013
    7. Ohio Player of the Year Jaaron Simmons Becomes First Men's Hoops Signee, UHCougars.com, retrieved 2 June 2013.
    8. Simmons’ goal to ‘Keep Dayton on the rise’, Dayton Daily News, retrieved 2 June 2013.
    9. Houston's L.J. Rose granted waiver, ESPN.com, retrieved 25 August 2013.
    10. Ahmed Hamdy Joins Men's Basketball, UHCougars.com, retrieved 25 August 2013
    11. Pittsburgh to play in Legends Classic, ESPN.com, retrieved 2 June 2013
    12. Men's Basketball Announces 2013-14 Schedule, UHCougars.com, retrieved 25 August 2013
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