Houston Basketball: Preview of Cougars 2019-20 season

HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 07: (L-R) Fabian White Jr. #35, Dejon Jarreau #13, Nate Hinton #11 and Armoni Brooks #3 of the Houston Cougars look on in the closing moments of the game at Fertitta Center on March 07, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

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TULSA, OKLAHOMA – MARCH 22: Fabian White Jr. #35, Galen Robinson Jr. #25 and Breaon Brady #24 of the Houston Cougars celebrate from the bench against the Georgia State Panthers during the second half in the first round game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at BOK Center on March 22, 2019 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Key Reserves

Caleb Mills

Mills joined Houston last season in January but sat out for a redshirt year. Mills got an opportunity to practice and is ahead of the game compared to other Houston freshman, He’ll be an immediate contributor and there’s a good chance he ends up starting a lot of games for Houston this season. After adding on some muscle since arriving on campus and putting in work with the team Kelvin Sampson has a young star in the making in Mills. Houston has a thin backcourt with Grimes not being eligible leaving Mills with a lot of minutes to fill.

Chris Harris

Harris may find himself starting in a few games this year due to his size, he’ll be used to help clog up the paint. Harris doesn’t bring a lot to the table on the offensive side of the ball and struggles with his free throws. He’ll mainly be used for his defense and shot-blocking ability as well as his ability to pull down rebounds.

Justin Gorham

Justin Gorham is a transfer from Towson who averaged just under 10 points and 7 rebounds mainly coming off the bench. Expect him to be a guy who comes off the bench again, Gorham can’t really stretch the floor as well as Alley but is a good finisher around the rim. He’ll likely be utilized when someone like Fabian White or Alley find themselves in foul trouble but I wouldn’t put it past Sampson to give him his fair share of minutes either way,

Expect the Houston rotation to be eight guys but you can never rule out the impacts that the freshman have. Marcus Sasser Jr and J’Wan Roberts are both guys that could find themselves playing some big minutes in games depending on the situations and how quickly they adjust to the college game. Especially Sasser in that thin backcourt.