Before they even stepped on campus, Houston’s four freshman recruits were already connected. As they watched Houston fall to Florida in the National Championship, they decided on a new shared mission.
“All of us were on a call after and talked to each other, like, ‘We need to take it one step further. We need to win it,’” freshman guard Isiah Harwell said. “So I mean, we’re just all on the same page. We need to lock in and get back to that spot.”
A deep NCAA Tournament run does not begin in March. It starts in the early mornings of June. That is when Harwell, center Chris Cenac Jr., and guards Kingston Flemings and Bryce Jackson began getting a crash course in toughness, unselfishness and accountability.
For freshmen, that means adjusting quickly to the unforgiving expectations that come with wearing a Cougars jersey and being part of one of the nation’s top recruiting classes.
But talk about rankings ended the moment they arrived in Houston.
“I mean, we’re all talented kids, but the number you were ranked in high school doesn’t matter at all anymore. We’re not even a recruiting class anymore. We’re a part of the team,” Flemings said. “That number has kind of gone out the window as we continue trying to get better and be as good as we can be on the team.”
Under coach Kelvin Sampson, there are no shortcuts.
No Cougar is exempt from the grind, whether it’s full-body VersaClimber sessions, sprints on the baseball field or early morning workouts during Houston’s two grueling four-week summer sessions.
The weekly schedule includes individual position workouts on Mondays and Tuesdays, a shooting day on Wednesday and “No Turnover Thursday,” when players who commit three turnovers in practice are sent running.
Fridays are known as “plug in the gaps” or “connect the dots” days. That is when Sampson steps in more directly. Until then, most of the instruction is led by assistant coaches and trainers. But that does not mean Sampson is not watching.
“The first open gym, it’s like he came in like the Boogeyman,” Flemings said. “We were hooping, he wasn’t in the gym . Out of nowhere, he comes in and starts running somebody.”
It’s no secret to Sampson that the expectations make everyone work an extra bit harder.
“One thing we don’t have to worry about this time of year is attitude and effort,” Sampson said. “Freshmen are scared. They don’t want to screw up. They don’t want to get fussed and cussed out.”
The demands are steep, but shared experience has forged a strong connection among the freshmen.
“It’s a great thing to know that there’s people behind me going through the same thing I’m going through and that I have somebody to push me,” Jackson said. “I got three guys back here that’s always pushing me. I’m pushing them. It’s a great thing to have.”
Houston’s culture is written in sweat, bruises and floor burns, marks that show who’s willing to dive for a loose ball.
The highest-ranked freshman class in Cougar history is not skipping out on orientation. They are using it to prove they belong.
sports@thedailycougar.com
—
“Houston’s top-ranked recruiting class dives headfirst into summer workouts” was originally posted on The Cougar