Kelvin Sampson Gives Intriguing Comments on Houston's Star-Studded Freshman Cast

One of the talking points from the media day that stuck out was Sampson giving a bit of insight into the new wave of players on his roster, focusing on three of the freshmen from the Coogs' loaded 2025 recruiting class. Sampson spoke on the outlook for the freshmen beginning the season and how that could change throughout the season.

"Now, these three freshmen require a lot of attention because coming in, none of them is as good as they think they are," Sampson said. "All three of them have a long way to go, but the best thing about all three of these kids is that they want to be good, and they come in here with a level of confidence that allows them to absorb setbacks because they're going to have them."

The three freshmen that Sampson is alluding to are forward Chris Cenac Jr., guards Isiah Harwell, and Kingston Flemings, all three of whom were elite prospects coming out of high school, all ranked as five-star prospects. Sampson spoke on his three freshmen, all of whom were high-profile recruits, and how they could've committed to any program in the country but decided to pick Houston.

"They chose to come here; everybody says you recruited them, no, they recruited us too, it's not like we bought them," Sampson said. "Trust me, they could've got a lot more money going somewhere else; these kids all turned down money to come to Houston because this is where they wanted to come; they chose us just like we chose them. So that helps because they know what they're getting into, and everybody across the country knows about Houston basketball."

While it could be challenging for the three freshmen to carve out minutes on a loaded Cougars starting lineup to start the season, the three could find a role on a squad that will be looking to play well into next spring.