NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top 2020 classes prior to spring

T30. Houston Cougars (3 commits)

Average Class Ranking: 30.5

Houston put together a strong 2019-20 campaign and likely would have reached the NCAA Tournament with a favorable seed for the third consecutive season. In fact, the Cougars finished the year ranked at No. 14 in KenPom. Head coach Kelvin Sampson has clearly found his rhythm with the program and that is showing both on the court and on the recruiting trail. Houston has emerged as one of the top teams in the AAC as of late and the future looks to be in good hands.

The Cougars already hold three commits in the 2020 recruiting class with all of them ranking in the Top 200. In-state point guard Tramon Mark (No. 73/85), though, is the most notable as he will arrive on campus as the top-rated of the group. He brings excellent size to the position at 6-foot-4 and does pretty much everything well. Mark can score at all three levels, create for others, and defend multiple positions – hard to argue with that playing style.

He is also not the only backcourt commit in the class. Mark will be joined in Houston’s “backcourt of the future” by Jamal Shead, another in-state prospect. Shead comes in ranked at No. 130/116 in the class and is a high-level defender at the guard slot. He also plays with plenty of pace and aggressively attacks the basket.

The class is then rounded out by Kiyron Powell, an unsung member of the Indy Heat squad on the Nike EYBL circuit. He is measured at 6-foot-9 and runs the floor extremely well. Powell finishes above the rim and swats shots defensively at a high rate as well. He is only ranked at No. 163/143 in the class but I am very high on his potential.