Houston Basketball: Transfer Quentin Grimes gives Cougars new weapon
By Bryan Mauro
Coach Kelvin Sampson is turning Houston Basketball into the premier program in the American. Earlier last week they landed a key transfer in Quentin Grimes that will keep Houston at the top of the league standings.
A big signing occurred for Houston Basketball with the addition of former Kansas Jayhawks guard Quentin Grimes, who transferred after withdrawing from the NBA Draft on deadline day. The Cougars now hope that he can make an impact in a league that has gotten better.
The American Athletic Conference has been at the forefront of college basketball news for a good part of the offseason. Early on Memphis was all the rage, as everyone tries to wrap their head around the potential of the young Tigers and their outstanding recruiting class. Wichita State also made the headlines as they dismissed talented guard Teddy Allen following a domestic disturbance. Allen was the type of player to help the Shockers climb back to the top of the league.
The Cincinnati Bearcats, the flagship program in the American conference saw their coach leave to UCLA, but the new head man running the Bearcats won’t skip a beat and the team will be back on top soon. Most recently, the UConn Huskies announced their intention to leave the American behind and head back to the Big East. UConn belongs in the Big East and their departure, even though UConn never lived up to the lofty expectations placed on it in the American, has left many fans of American Conference hoops with a sour taste in their mouth.
The one constant in all of this is the Houston Cougars and coach Kelvin Sampson. Coach Sampson is fresh off the schools first Sweet 16 appearance in 34 years, and the momentum is not slowing down at all. In the last two offseasons, Sampson has had to replace his best player. The first was star senior Rob Gray who graduated, leaving a void. Sampson was able to have a better result the next year with a team devoid of a true “take over the game” star, although Corey Davis was the closest thing to it.
This year’s roster has a lot of talent and big expectations and the Cougars are looking for an encore performance of their Sweet 16 run. Coach Sampson looked ready to make yet another run with a solid group of players and no star, until Kansas transfer Quentin Grimes committed to Houston late last week. His addition provides roster flexibility and a team that should be near the top of the conference for the next handful of years.