The Basketball Tournament 2024: Forever Coogs Team Profile

Forever Coogs looking to make a deep run in its first appearance in The Basketball Tournament.

With all the success that Houston basketball has had under head coach Kelvin Sampson over the last half-decade with five straight Sweet 16 appearances and a 2021 Final Four, it is about time that H-Town is represented with their own TBT team. 

“It shows the school’s talent and what we built,” said former UH power forward Tashawn Thomas.

For the first time in The Basketball Tournament, University of Houston alumni came together to form the Forever Coogs with some big names from successful teams in the past. 

“The person that I am today is because of this program so I couldn’t turn down this opportunity to come back and play in front of Houston fans,” said Justin Gorham, former starting forward for the 2021 Final Four team. 

University of Houston basketball is also recognized across the world. European players overseas talk to Gorham about his team being #1. 

“It’s not just in the states, we get recognized worldwide so it’s an awesome feeling,” said Gorham.

While some players have participated in The Basketball Tournament before, it offers an interesting new opportunity for others. 

“I think it should be fun, having an aggregate score, turning off the clock, the competitive open style gym is something I’m looking forward to seeing,” said Ves Van Beck, former shooting guard for Houston. 

For more TBT team profiles, click here.

Roster:

• DeJon Jarreau (Houston)
• Devin Davis (Houston)
• Devonta Pollard (Houston)
• Eric Weary Jr. (Houston)
• Fabian White Jr. (Houston)
• Jahshire Hardnett (UMKC & BYU)
• Justin Gorham (Houston)
• Melvin Frazier Jr. (Tulane)
• Rob Gray (Houston)
• Shawndre Jones (Richmond)
• TaShawn Thomas (Houston & Oklahoma)
• Wes VanBeck (Houston)

Coaching Staff:

• Larry McAfee (GM)
• Lawrence Paye (Head Coach)
• LeRon Barnes (Assistant Coach)

Region: Houston

All-time Record: 0-0

First Matchup: vs. Austin’s Own (July 19 at 9 p.m. on TBT Live)

Team MVP: Fabian White Jr.

White Jr is the winningest player in Houston basketball history at 121-28 record, with 5 years in the program. The forward played a key role as one of the leaders of the 2021 Final Four team. With his defensive ability, and tools on the offensive end, particularly in the paint will be crucial as big men have had success in this tournament.  

Make or Break Player: Rob Gray

Sampson said the driving force for the Forever Coogs was Rob Gray. TBT was encouraging a Cougars alumni team and Gray worked with them to make it happen. 

“It’s a family environment and Coach always welcomes back former players, so I try to take advantage of that,” said Van Beck.

A key leader for this team, Gray is eighth all-time in scoring for Houston. The two-time First-Team All-AAC got the game-winning layup vs San Diego State in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Gray averaged about 19 points per game during his senior year. 

The consistent scoring and three-point shots have to go down for the Forever Coogs to keep their journey alive. 

A lot of the alumni never had the opportunity to play in the Fertitta Center which opened in October 2018. Gray is excited about this. 

“Whatever type of atmosphere it might be, I’m just looking to play for the Forever Coogs and play in Fertitta Center, so it will be exciting whether it’s empty or full,” said Gray.

Kelvin Sampson has been a vocal supporter of the Forever Coogs team. 

“I think they got a very good representative team and it’s exciting because some of the guys didn’t get to play at the Fertitta Center, hung in there with us for the early years, now get to play there,” said Sampson. 

Team Outlook:

Forever Coogs has the potential to go all the way with a strong team. With standout UH alumni such as White Jr, Dejon Jarreau, and Gorham who competed in the 2021 Final Four team, they have tournament experience to get it done. The Houston culture will be on display in full force as most of this team was coached by Sampson. 

“We know what it takes to win, we know what UH culture is and we want to go out and show the fans we still have it, like Coach Sampson said attitude and effort,” said Gorham. 

Expect to see a strong defensive team giving it their all. 

“You’ll see a Kelvin Sampson format, playing hard on both ends of the floor, rebounding and doing whatever it takes for the team, “ said former UH forward Devin Davis. 

They have an edge over all the potential teams they will face in the tournament such as The Enchantment, Once a Bronco, Bleed Green, or the Aftershocks, and with consistent offense they will have a chance to win it all.