Houston is pursuing two Houston-area players out of the transfer portal: Corey Hadnot II (Purdue Fort Wayne) and Braden East (Lamar).
Corey Hadnot II – Guard, Purdue Fort Wayne
A local product out of Cypress Creek High School, Hadnot spent his first three collegiate seasons at Purdue Fort Wayne. He played double-digit minutes in each of the 100 games at Purdue Fort Wayne, starting 34 of them. Becoming a full-time starter as a junior, the 6-foot-3 guard more than doubled his production across the board, averaging 20.4 points, four rebounds, and three assists. He was named to the All-Horizon League First Team as a result.
Hadnot uses his lightning-quickness and craftiness with the ball in his hands to get to the rim early and often. Of his nearly 500 shot attempts a season ago, 46 percent of them came at the rim. Another 35 percent of his field goal attempts came from beyond the arc. Hadnot shot 67.8 percent and 35.8 percent from those areas, respectively.
Hadnot is scheduled to visit UH in the coming days.
Braden East – Forward, Lamar
East is coming off a breakout sophomore season in which he nearly averaged a double-double, scoring 12.8 points and grabbing 9.1 rebounds per game. While most of his shots came at the rim, East can make threes, shooting 31.3 percent from beyond the arc, albeit on a small sample of just 16 attempts.
The 6-foot-9 forward out of Stafford High School played under Alvin Brooks, a former UH head coach and later an assistant on James Dickey’s and Kelvin Sampson’s staff.
While no official visit is scheduled at the moment, do not be surprised if East makes the short trip to the UH campus in the next week, as momentum heats up.
High School Players
Currently, UH’s 2026 high school recruiting class sits at two players — Arafan Diane (C, Iowa United) and Ikenna Alozie (G, Dream City Christian). Diane, the top center of the class of 2026, is expected to be a day-one contributor. Alozie, who the Cougars have raved about being an ideal fit for their system, may have a chance to crack the rotation depending on how the summer and fall go.
With seven players currently on the roster, the Cougars plan to reach at least 13, if not 14, when all is said and done. While UH will use the portal to fill most of these open spots, it has not ruled out signing a high school recruit, possibly a developmental big man who could redshirt.
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Transfer Portal Special
The GoCoogs portal transfer special featured our basketball guys – Brad Towns, Jayme Hollingsworth, Steve Cheng, and Galen Robinson – discussing possibilities for the Coogs.
