Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson walks back to the bench late in the Cougars’ 65-55 loss to Illinois in a South Regional semifinal in NCAA college basketball tournament in Houston, Thursday, March 26, 2026.
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Houston guard Kingston Flemings celebrates as he runs off the court after the Cougars beat Idaho 78-47 during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament in Oklahoma City, Thursday, March 19, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Houston Cougars center Chris Cenac Jr. reaches out to grab a rebound during practice leading up to the South Regional semifinals in NCAA college basketball tournament in Houston, Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson looks on as forward Joseph Tugler (11) catches a pass during practice leading up to the South Regional semifinals in NCAA college basketball tournament in Houston, Wednesday, March 25, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Houston guard Mercy Miller (25) reacts during the second half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament in Oklahoma City, Saturday, March 21, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Houston guard Isiah Harwell (1) lets to defend a pass by Kansas State guard PJ Haggerty (4) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at Fertitta Center in Houston, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Kalifa Sakho went around the locker room inside Toyota Center late Thursday night, sharing one final moment with teammates.
The University of Houston forward exchanged hugs and words of encouragement, a towel draped over his head to hide the tears of a season having reached a cruel and abrupt end.Â
After bowing out in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 with a 65-55 loss to Illinois, denying the Cougars a shot at a return trip to the Final Four, UH’s roster will look noticeably different for the 2026-27 season.
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An offseason of change is set to begin as most of the key contributors from a 30-win season will move on. Seniors are leaving, freshmen are expected to depart for the NBA draft, and the Cougars will use the transfer portal more than ever.
UH could have four or more scholarships available this spring following the departures of Emanuel Sharp (second-winningest player in program history; career leader with 309 3-pointers); two-year starter Milos Uzan; and reserve players Ramon Walker Jr. and Sakho. Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr. are likely one-and-done as projected first-round draft picks. Roughly 73% of the Cougars’ offensive production from this season won’t be back. Joseph Tugler, a rising senior who has been named a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row, is the only starter expected to return.
Coach Kelvin Sampson said he’ll hold individual meetings “in the next day or two” with the eight players who have eligibility to discuss their future.
“(To) find out what their plans are, who is coming back, who is not,” Sampson said. “That’s what you have to do now. Then you have to start building a roster. Then you’re consumed with portal, NIL. That will mandate just about everything that you’re doing.
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“I always get a kick out of people that say, well, now you can take some time off. I will eventually. Not right now. But right now, helping Emanuel, Milos, Ramon, Kalifa, Kingston, making sure those guys are settled. Making sure they’re organized on what their next step is. Helping them, helping the other kids. I mean, I’ve said this a lot over my career, I don’t have to be their life, but they are my life.”
Roster turnover is nothing new for the Cougars, who have sometimes had to replace three or four starters from year-to-year. Next year, however, will be the first without a veteran core that was part of much of the success of the past nine years. That run of success, often referred to as the golden age of UH basketball, has included the most wins of any Division I program in the nation (273), seven consecutive Sweet 16 appearances, two Final Four trips and two Big 12 regular-season titles.
Flemings, a consensus second-team All-American point guard, is a projected lottery pick that could be selected in the top five. Cenac, a 6-foot-11 forward, has been listed anywhere between the No. 18 to 23 spots in most mock drafts.
Of the returning players on the roster, guard Mercy Miller and forward Chase McCarty played valuable minutes late in the season and are the most likely to see expanded roles. Miller saw an uptick to nearly 20 minutes per game over the final month of the season; McCarty had a 20-point performance to end the regular season against Oklahoma State and nine points — on three 3-pointers — in the second half of Thursday’s loss to Illinois.
Where does Isiah Harwell fit? A five-star guard, Harwell joined Flemings and Cenac as part of UH’s No. 2-rated signing class in 2025. He was slowed early in his recovery from a knee injury and then saw a decreased role in the rotation in the last month, playing only seven minutes in three tournament games. Bryce Jackson, a freshman guard from Shadow Creek, used a redshirt season. Two other players were limited due to injuries — guard Kordell Jefferson and big man Jacob McFarland. Cedric Lath, a reserve big man, has one year of eligibility remaining.Â
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UH will welcome two incoming freshmen: Ikenna Alozie, a top 10 national point guard “made in the mold of (former All-American) Jamal Shead, according to Sampson, and 7-1, 290-pound Arafan Diané, the No. 1 center in the nation.
“If you look at the players we have coming through here, I’m excited to maintain this for years to come,” Sampson said during his Feb. 5 radio show.
To fill the other roster spots, Sampson said the Cougars will rely more on the portal to “maintain the level we are at.”
“This will probably be one of the years where we’ll have to go in the portal more than we have in the past,” Sampson said. “Some schools depend on the portal. We’ve been really kind of nitpicking around the edges of it.”
UH has added only one player through the transfer portal in each of the past three seasons — L.J. Cryer (2023), Uzan (2024) and Sakho (2025). Sampson said this year’s portal could be similar to the 2021-22 season when the Cougars added Kyler Edwards, Taze Moore and Josh Carlton, three key contributors to a team that reached the Elite Eight.Â
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Among the expected target areas this offseason could include a veteran point guard and a consistent scoring option in the frontcourt.Â
Sources said two names to keep an eye are Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford, a 6-1 point guard who has averaged 15.3 points as a sophomore this season; and Colorado’s 6-1 guard Isaiah Johnson, an All-Big 12 honorable mention who averaged 16.9 points as a freshman.Â
Moving forward the Cougars must also account for revenue-share and NIL. Sampson praised the program’s donors who have “allowed us to remain on equal footing with a lot of these programs.”
And how much longer does Sampson plan to coach? He will be 71 years old at the start of next season. Throughout this season, Sampson acknowledged the end of his 37-year coaching career is getting closer, although he’s shared no details on his future plans. He has three years left on a contract he signed last May.Â
When Sampson does decide to retire, his son and top assistant, Kellen, has been designated as the Cougars’ next coach.
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Meanwhile, Sampson will learn whether he has gained induction in his first year as a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
“I still like it, but we all have our time,” Sampson said Thursday when asked what keeps him going when other coaches have retired in recent years. “But I think coaches have to understand when their time is. We all know this is a young man’s game. I still like it, but we’re all going to step away eventually. I haven’t really thought about that to the point where I can share anything. But I’m not going to get in anybody’s way though. If I’m in somebody’s way, or if I’m overstaying my welcome, I’ll be the first one to leave.”