Houston Cougars Pursue Son of Former Houston Rockets Player, No. 6 PG in 2027 Class

The Houston Cougars prepare for their 2025 season, where, to nobody's surprise, the Cougars will be considered one of the top national championship contenders heading into the season. However, with the focus on the start of the season a few months away, Houston has begun laying the foundation for their 2027 recruiting class.

As the Cougars have shown interest in the son of former Houston Rockets guard Rafer Alston, who was a fan-favorite point guard for the Rockets from 2005-09. His son, Reese Alston, is one of the top guard prospects in the class of 2027, with the Cougars already looking to make an early sizeable move in Alston's recruitment.

Alston, a six-foot-two guard from Second Baptist High School in Houston, TX, is touted as a four-star prospect and the No. 6 point guard in the 2027 cycle, while also ranked as the No. 3 player from the state of Texas per Rivals' Industry Rankings. Alston is also towards the top on a national scale, as the No. 30-ranked player in the country.

How's Houston Standing out to the Four-Star Prospect

The four-star has garnered interest from some of the top programs in the country, from a blue blood in the Kentucky Wildcats to a Big Ten powerhouse in the Purdue Boilermakers, and the Cougars, who have been hovering as a national championship contender for a few years in a row.

Alston recently spoke with Rivals' Jamie Shaw, discussing the early outlook on his recruitment and which programs are already standing out to the touted point guard. Houston has stood out as one program that has laid out the plan for Alston once he arrives on campus if he commits to the Cougars.

"[Houston] want me to come in and be the point guard that gets their team running, the guy who gets their team going every night, every time I step on the floor," Alston said. "It’s great over there. They have a great atmosphere, a great culture with the team. I like what Coach Sampson has built over the past years. So, I mean, I like everything there."

Head coach Kelvin Sampson has done exceptional work along the recruiting trail recently, with their 2025 recruiting class being ranked No. 3 in the country per 247Sports. The Cougars' recruits were highly touted, with three five-star prospects per 247Sports Composite rankings, with forward Chris Cenac Jr. ranked as the No. 7 in the country and guards Isiah Harwell and Kingston Flemings, who both ranked as Top-20 prospects in the country.

While still early in Alston's recruitment, the Cougars will be a team to watch as the four-star's recruitment battle picks up steam in the future.