As UH basketball tips off, Kelvin Sampson's roster plan born out of pain takes shape for Cougars

Kelvin Sampson saw a glaring weakness in losing the national championship game two seasons ago. UH has addressed it as the Cougars open the season with a revamped roster around Joseph Tugler, their lone returning starter. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle) Kelvin Sampson watched the 2025 national championship game unfold and saw what he needed to upgrade on the University of Houston basketball roster.

>With big men Joseph Tugler and Ja'Vier Francis battling foul trouble, Florida used its size and frontcourt depth to rally for a stunning 65-63 victory.

>The loss exposed a weakness Sampson vowed not to repeat.

>"The team we have now, that idea was born that night in San Antonio," Sampson said. "I said we can't do that again."

>Two seasons later, Sampson has put that plan in motion.

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>The Cougars spent the offseason constructing their frontcourt, building around returning starter Tugler and adding Delrecco Gillespie, Braden East and Arafan Diané. The result is a four-man rotation that could be among the most productive - and deepest - in college basketball.

>The frontcourt is the most significant change, though not the only one, as the No. 10 Cougars open the season at 8 p.m. Monday against La Salle at Fertitta Center.

>Coming off a 30-win season and Sweet 16 appearance, the Cougars will look considerably different with nine newcomers. That's nothing new for Sampson, who has regularly replaced multiple starters while keeping the program among the winningest and most consistent in the country.

>Gone are four starters, among them Milos Uzan and NBA draft picks Kingston Flemings, Chris Cenac Jr. and Emanuel Sharp. This time, however, Sampson won't have to rely heavily on freshmen. Last season, Flemings (eighth overall pick) and Cenac (No. 25) - two of the highest-rated signees in program history - were inserted into the starting lineup from Day 1.

>"We're not counting on true freshmen as much, not that you can't win," Sampson said. "We had a great year last year. I think there's probably about 400 teams that would love to go 30-7 and be a win away from a third straight Big 12 championship. That's pretty good at a lot of schools."

>NEW-LOOK LINEUP

>A look at UH's projected starting lineup:

>G Dedan Thomas Jr., sr.

>Vitals: 6-4, 15.3 ppg, 6.5 apg Comment: Is LSU transfer is in line to become latest UH standout point guard?

>G Mercy Miller, jr.

>Vitals: 6-4, 5.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg Comment: A prolific scorer in high school, Miller has patiently waited his turn and is now part of a new-look backcourt.

>F Chase McCarty, soph.

>Vitals: 6-5, 4.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg Comment: Regarded as the team's top shooter, McCarty will be asked to pick up some of the offensive load as a first-time starter.

>F Joseph Tugler, sr.

>Vitals: 6-8, 8.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg Comment: Can Tugler be a consistent scorer (and stay out of foul trouble) to add to reputation as one of nation's top defenders?

>F Delrecco Gillespie, sr.

>Vitals: 6-8, 17.7 ppg, 11.3 rpg Comment: A double-double machine at Kent State, Gillespie should help take some of the load off Tugler inside.

>The bar has been raised during a decade of dominance for the Cougars, who have regularly been national title contenders and again are Big 12 favorites after a pair of titles and runner-up finishes in their first three seasons in the league.

>"We have high expectations regardless of who's here, regardless of who's not," Sampson said.

>The most significant changes are in the frontcourt:

Tugler went through a healthy offseason after being slowed by foot injuries the past two seasons. His 7-foot-6 wingspan and athleticism make him one of the top rim protectors and a big reason he's a two-time finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. The frontcourt additions will allow Sampson to move Tugler from center, where he played his first three seasons, to his more natural power forward spot. • >Gillespie, a 6-8 senior, has an "elite, elite motor," according to his former Kent State coach Rob Senderoff, a former Sampson assistant at Indiana. He averaged 17.7 points and 11.3 rebounds per game last season and led the nation with 22 double-doubles. He ranked in the top 10 in defensive rebounding rate, giving the Cougars a formidable 1-2 punch with Tugler in the starting lineup. • >Sampson tapped into more of his coaching ties to land East, a 6-foot-9 junior who played two seasons under former UH assistant Alvin Brooks at Lamar. East averaged 12.8 points and a Southland Conference-leading 9.1 rebounds. • >The No. 1 center in the 2026 recruiting class, Diané was regarded as the most physically dominant high school big man. He has been called the "African Jokic" for his combination of post play and perimeter skills that have drawn comparison to NBA star Nikola Jokic. Since arriving in June, the 7-footer has lost more than 30 pounds and will begin the season around 295.Sampson also signed Djafar Silimana, a 6-10 developmental prospect who will redshirt this season. Silimana offers a big body that can challenge Diané every day in practice, Sampson said.

>"It just gives other teams something else to look at every time someone is on the floor," East said of the Cougars' frontcourt versatility.

>Sampson, entering his 13th season at UH, said the Cougars were "really intentional" about building frontcourt depth this offseason. He saw the impact of injuries a year ago as Tugler and Kalifa Sakho, two of the biggest frontcourt pieces, were slowed by injuries that limited them until late October.

>Just a few months earlier, UH couldn't hold a 12-point lead in a championship game that wasn't decided until the final seconds. While the Cougars struggled to keep players out of foul trouble, Florida used a rotation of bigs that included Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu and Micah Handlogten.

>"They did a great job of making sure they always had two bigs on the floor," Sampson said.

>By the time the season ended in early April, Sampson said the 2025 recruiting class - rated No. 2 nationally with Flemings, Cenac, Isaiah Harwell and Bryce Jackson - was complete and there wasn't room to pursue additional frontcourt help.

>"Last year we were too far down the road with what we were doing, and I didn't want to bring in a guy knowing that he wasn't going to have an opportunity," Sampson said.

>Without J'Wan Roberts, the Cougars lacked a consistent inside presence last season. UH missed Roberts' interior scoring and suffered a notable decline in offensive rebounding, going from top 11 in KenPom the previous six seasons to 33rd.

>"We're playing different this year with our post guys," Sampson said. "Last year we couldn't play through the post and that made us strictly a jump-shot shooting team, but that team did great.

>"I'm excited about the post guys. Let's see if we can't shore up our depth and keep some big bodies in the games and not have to go small so much."

>While the frontcourt will draw plenty of attention, the Cougars must replace the backcourt production of Flemings, Sharp and Uzan that accounted for 55.5% of the team's scoring output and 210 3-pointers.

>UH added LSU transfer Dedan Thomas Jr. at point guard and will rely on expanded roles for first-time starters Mercy Miller and Chase McCarty on the perimeter. Miller's 5.0 points per game is UH's second-most among returning players behind Tugler (8.4), while McCarty averaged 4.1 points.

>Together, Miller and McCarty accounted for 52 3s. The Cougars will also rely on guards Jackson, Kordel Jefferson, Corey Hadnot II (Purdue Fort Wayne) and Chendall Weaver (Texas).

SubscribeThere’s more to Houston with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at As UH basketball tips off, Kelvin Sampson's roster plan born out of pain takes shape for Cougars.