Top-15 senior Isiah Harwell announced his commitment to Houston on Thursday, becoming just the second five-star prospect to pick the Cougars since 2012.
Harwell chose Kelvin Sampson's program over a final list that also included Gonzaga, Texas and California. He took visits to Gonzaga — at one point considered the favorite — and California before the summer, then went to Houston and Texas in the final weeks of August. «Coach Sampson is a cool dude,» Harwell told ESPN. «He knows what it takes for players to reach the next level, we talked about that.
I need to shoot 38-40% from 3, average six or seven rebounds and play defense on the opponent's best perimeter player. He said if you don't play defense you won't play at Houston.» Harwell, an Idaho native, suffered a knee injury midway through his junior campaign at Wasatch Academy (Utah) that forced him to miss the summer grassroots season.
But Houston maintained steady contact with the 6-foot-6 guard and was patient with his process. The Cougars' staff even mentioned the possibility of Harwell reclassifying up a year and enrolling at Houston to rehab his knee and redshirt the 2024-25 season.