Houston Basketball: Transfer Quentin Grimes gives Cougars new weapon

Roster Breakdown

*Currently Grimes will have to sit out a year. He is expected to apply for a waiver. Many close to the situation expect the waiver for immediate eligibility to be granted. For the purpose of this piece it should be assumed that Grimes will receive the waiver to play right away.

Dejon Jarreau

Jarreau enters his redshirt junior season ready to take the reigns of the offense. The Cougars are hoping the guard steps up and helps fill the void left by stars Corey Davis Jr and Armoni Brooks. The guard enters his second season with head coach Kelvin Sampson as he was a transfer from UMass. The former UMass guard is great at getting into the paint for the easy lay-in and has shown a penchant for getting fouled. He did make 36% of his attempts from long-range a season ago, but the attempts were minimal. The reigning American Sixth Man of the Year will be an all-conference player with an increased workload. He is one part of the great backcourt that should keep Houston near the top of the conference.

Nate Hinton

The sophomore guard has all the makings of a breakout player, and with a breakout year Hinton can become the type of player Houston can ride all the way to the top of the American. The guard makes up the other half of a great backcourt. A lot like last season the guards are going to be what Houston hangs their hat on and are going to look to Hinton to help pick up the scoring load. Hinton is a better shooter than Jarreau and can help fill the void left by the departures of the two guards who were both great shooters. The Cougars will yet again have two players on the floor who can both handle and distribute as well as score. That is a great weapon to have especially if they are looking at another great run.

Brison Gresham

Gresham and Jarreau were a package deal and both committed to Houston. Gresham looks to lock down the paint area of the floor both on offense and on defense. The redshirt junior is extremely efficient making over 70% of his shots last year. Look for that to continue as Gresham doesn’t take shots outside of the painted area on the floor. The center has a chance to turn into an elite rim protector and if he can learn to play without fouling will be a major asset to Houston on the defensive end of the floor.

Fabian White

The junior forward experienced a sophomore swoon. His overall points per game average increased but the rest of his stats decreased. It very well could have been because he was not needed to do nearly as much a season ago as he did his freshman year. The talent and the athleticism make White one of the more intriguing players in the American Conference. He has the potential to be an all-conference and all defensive type of player. The frontcourt minutes are prime for the taking as the main piece in the frontcourt from a year ago has left due to graduation. With the lions share of the minutes Houston is hoping White can take his game to the next step.

Many of the remaining players on the roster very well could start, the four players above are the ones that have the most upside and should start. Coach Sampson has built a deep roster usually built by transfers. If Grimes does not get a waiver, he will be a key piece for the 2020 team but is going to be practicing against the guards and making them much better, while also improving his own game.

Justin Gorham is a junior forward who transferred up from Towson and is eligible to play this season after utilizing his transfer year. He averaged around 10 points per game to go along with 7 rebounds. He is a good offensive rebounder and will get some minutes. How he fits into his role will determine how many minutes he ultimately receives. Cedrick Alley Jr. started half of the games last year and took a lot of three-pointers. While he didn’t make many, less than 30% he has the confidence to shoot them. The Cougars will need his shooting to offset the shooting lost a season ago. Big Man Chris Harris Jr. is going to be a good minute’s eater but does not offer much on the offensive end.

Redshirt freshman Caleb Mills will force his way into the starting lineup by the time conference play opens. Mills is a former top 150 recruit and a 4-star by 247Sports. The point guard will likely start the season as the starter at point guard. Coach Sampson has always favored long and athletic lineups and with Mills, Jarreau and Hinton in the back court it provides a great amount of flexibility with three guards who can handle the ball and all score in several different ways.  Houston looks ready to make a deeper run into March than a season ago.