Fertitta Center – The 2025 Houston Men’s Basketball Media Day kicked off a brand new season for the Cougars who are looking to get back to the NCAA National Championship game.
With the addition of some top-talent in this past year’s recruiting class, Head Coach Kelvin Sampson, his coaching staff, and the older Cougars players are molding the new guys into their program.
“When a kid comes in hard-headed it’s like the battle between the river and the rock, the river always win, so I’ll let you figure out who the river is,” said Coach Sampson.
What do the players think of being the rock in the Houston program’s river?
“I think it’s really accurate, when I came in as a freshman I had no idea what I was getting into and you know coach gets on you about things it’s just, it’s gonna start clicking in your brain that ok, this is what he wants me to do, this is how we have to do this, this is how he wants me to play every day, I feel like what he says is very accurate,” said senior guard Ramon Walker Jr.
“Coach Sampson has no bad days so if you come in and you’re having a bad day, he’s gonna run, just like you said, run right through you so I think just trying to come in everyday just end up being the player he wants you to be because it’s gonna happen eventually or you’re not gonna play so I think just kinda come here and listen to what he has to say, do what he tells me to do, and just the best I can every single day to get to where I want to be,” said freshman guard Kingston Flemings.
The Cougars will open the season at home against Lehigh University on November 3rd.