Thank you, Coogs, for putting UH basketball back on the map this year.
You scrapped and clawed and gave everything you could for us. You beat top 10 teams and didn’t lose a game on a home floor that wasn’t even yours. This is the most fun I’ve had watching college basketball in years and it was all because of this team.
I believe that the future is bright for this program and that in the next 2-3 years we may go on to bigger and better things. However, I won’t forget this team.
Thank you, Rob, Nura, Wes, and Devin for buying in and help build the blocks. Thank you for the long days and nights battling for this program and, the sometimes handful, of fans in the stands. I know there were times you didn’t know if it was worth it, but, I hope, by the end, you saw that it was.
Thank you Coach Sampson and your staff. You truly have put to bed any questions about whether you’re the right person for the job. Without you, we wouldn’t be feeling this heartache right now or any of the joy leading up to it. For many of us, we no longer wonder if next year will be the year, and now know that we will be in the conversation from the get go. It’s nice being relevant again, and it’s all because of you.
Thank you Coogs, thank you fans, thank you players, thank you alumni, thank you. It’s been a fun season and I can’t wait for next year to begin.
Well said Pray…we could sit here all night talking about questionable fouls, missed free throws and miracle shots, but it would not accomplish anything at this point.
Michigan was lucky and they know it…the Coogs proved that our program is back and hopefully will be around for a few years.
While I would have much rather have won the game, our young players learned a lot in this past post season, and I think guys like Brooks, White and Davis jr. learned a bunch and hopefully got rid of the playoff nervousness.
The main thing here is that UH basketball is back and is relevant once again. With an outstanding bunch coming back and a great recruiting class coming in, how can any red blooded Cougar fan not be excited about our future?
Thank you Rob, Devin Davis and Vanbeck for the wild ride this year when no one expected it…
I truly believe this is the start of something special. I wasn’t even upset when Michigan hit that shot. Very disappointing, but the first feeling I had after the initial shock was pride. They weren’t even supposed to be there! These players and the culture are special, never seen a basketball team work so hard before. If Sampson can do the same with the players coming in, we will be back next year making noise again.
I truly believe if we can just get some better production on the inside next year, then we can make an even deeper run. In the end I think the height limitations caught up with the team. With the way the game is officiated, and because we have to be so aggressive on rebounding, it caused issues with fouls. We still need get a little bigger.
Question heading into next season is who is going to pick up from Rob . He leaves a massive whole and if we have to get back in the tourney next year, then someone must pick up his production…
Nate Hinton could be a Rob type player down the line. He looks pretty impressive in his highlight videos and he was really playing well against the top players on the camp circuit this past summer.
I think Fabian could give us more inside next year. He has a chance to be really good and another off season in the weight room is really going to help him next season.
Brooks needs to work on his off the dribble game because as good as he is from long distance if he adds the drive game to his offense he could be scary.
Corey Davis had a good year this year and I expect him to be even better next season.
The 2 UMass transfers are thought to be really good and they will just add to our depth.
Antoine Davis is supposed to be a really good shooter, but are their minutes for him as a freshman.
I really think we are going to be good again next year. Its going to help that we will have some longer wings next year. We had trouble scoring against teams with big wing players at times this year.
Hinton will be a freshman and going through the learning process like the rest of our young kids…Brooks has shown over the year that he is mobile enough to create shots and drive to the hoop. He will get many more touches next year and I expect him to be really good, just like White.
Losing Zanna, our 6-6 undersized center, is actually going to hurt us. He was an enforcer and battled with everything he had. Brady, OTOH, pretty well faded away out of sight after his injury. Maybe he gets better in the off season…let’s hope.
Fabian is going to have to quit committing so many foolish fouls, and I think he will after another season in the weight room and playing the summer against good competition.
The heart and soul of this team was Rob Gray, and frankly in the final three games he took over while everyone else acted like a deer in the headlights.
We are going to be loaded next year and one can only hope the fans come out and support the team. Remember, this team won this year without much of a fan base…we did not have a sellout the entire year…
Congrats to coaches, players and administration! Agree with all of the above comments – we are nationally relevant again and hope we are fixtures at the Big Dance. What a great effort by all.
Butch, you’ve pretty well nailed it. Kelvin has repeatedly said we will be better next season. He said the same thing last year and he was more than right on that. That said, we weren’t better this season because Dot graduated nor will we be better next year because Rob has moved on.