I believe in the power of the written word and the philosophers who shared their wisdom with us mere mortals. It was a group of learned men named Nick Howie, AJ, Kevin, and Brian who once said, “Oh my God! We’re back again!”

Yes, it was the Backstreet Boys.

It seems like only yesterday that we were all in the Alamodome for the National Championship. But we are SO BACK now. It’s a new season and a new team. But it’s the same program, the same culture, and the same legendary head coach. And it starts tonight vs. the Lehigh Mountain Hawks, out of the Patriot League. Let’s take a look at what I saw on film.

Lehigh returns several players from last year’s team. Unfortunately, their film did not blow me away. A team usually has a few guys that I really enjoy learning about and breaking down. They don’t have anyone like Lehigh legend CJ McCollum suiting up Monday night, unless one of their freshmen is better than expected.

My “Head of the Snake” for this one was their 6th man from last season, Nasir Whitlock. They have him listed at 6’2″, but I would bet he’s closer to 5’10”. He can get into the paint and make plays against lesser athletes, and he shot 37% from beyond the arc last year.

The length of the Cougar guards and rim protection from their big guys will give Whitlock and his teammates major issues. They have skilled big men, but they will see JoJo when they close their eyes tonight.

I like the national runner-up and back-to-back Big 12 champs in this one. UH will also be unveiling the Final Four banner, and Coach Sampson will celebrate his 800th win! See you there!

Starters Cheatsheet

Lehigh Offense Notes

Offensively, Lehigh likes to play slow and set tons of ball-screens and dribble hand-offs. They are going to get BLITZED to death, and I would expect them to commit 20+ turnovers, leading to highlight dunks at the other end. They return 40ppg from last year’s team, and I could be dead wrong, but I would be surprised if they score more than 40 points on Monday night.

• Lehigh sets tons of ball screens to give guys opportunities to score in the paint. I’d expect the Coogs BLITZ defense to give them major problems. Also, the inside length of Houston will be a nightmare for them.
• Edward Benoit is a pick-and-pop option for them. Hank Alvey and Tommy Conniff are pick-and-roll guys.
• Nasir Whitlock (37%), Joshua Ingram (36%), and Edouard Benoit (42%) are their top returning three-point shooters.
• Both Benoit and Alvey are solid bigs against unathletic teams. UH will be a major problem for them.
• I haven’t seen anything more than highlight clips of their freshmen and JUCO transfer point guard. I’m not expecting a ton from them, but you never know.

Mountain Hawks Defense Notes

Defensively, they are not bad. They will likely start in a half-court, man-to-man defense, then switch to several zone defenses and force the Coogs to make outside shots. It should be a great opportunity to get some of the guys in rhythm.

• They are likely to start the game in half-court, man-to-man defense; “HC M2M”.
• They’ll run a lot of zone, as they just are not athletic enough to guard Houston in a M2M defense. They like to run a 3-2 zone, 2-3 zone, and a 1-3-1 HC Zone.
• They may attempt to run a full-court, 2-2-1 zone press after free throws. If they do, it’s not high pressured, and they tend to fall back into a half-court zone.

Lehigh Personnel

(*Indicates Probable Starter…But who knows?)

*#1 – Nasir Whitlock – 6’2″ – JR – Guard – 11ppg, 3rpg, 2apg.

• Head of the Snake;
• Small guard; No chance he’s 6’2″;
• Looks to bring an offensive spark;
• Loves to get downhill on dribble hand-offs. Good scorer in the paint;
• Solid outside shooter; Kind of slow release…will need to get wide open looks from off-ball screens; 37/101 (36%).

*#4 – Joshua Ingram – 6’4″ – JR – Guard – 7ppg, 4rpg, 2apg.

• Solid mid-range shooter. Nice little step-back jumper;
• Can shoot it from really deep (21/58 – 36%);
• Skilled athlete;
• Plays slow (which isn’t a bad thing). Patient with the ball in his hands.

*#5 – Edward Benoit – 6’8″ – SO – Forward – 6ppg, 2rpg.

• Can step out and shoot the three. Solid pick and pop outside shooter (29/69 – 42%);
• Solid at driving to the basket;
• Can shoot with his right or left hand in the paint. Very comfortable shooting the left-handed hook shot over his right shoulder.

*#35 – Hank Alvey – 6’9″ – SO – Forward/Center – 7ppg, 5rpg.

• Big body post player;
• Not great hands/catching;
• Can score over either shoulder in the paint;
• Not an outside shooting threat.

*#23 – Bube Momah – 6’8″ – SR – Forward – 6ppg, 2rpg.

• Returner…but only played in 6 games last season; Will likely be a key player for them if healthy;
• Averaged 7ppg, 3rpg in 2023-2024 season;
• Big athletic forward; High flyer when healthy.

#31 – Jalen Vazquez – 6’3″ – JR – Guard

• JUCO transfer; Led the nation is assists in JUCO last season (8apg);
• Athletic point guard;
• Makes some really fun passes;
• Was a three-level scorer in JUCO, but will be a major jump in talent Monday night.

#15 – Alfredo Addesa – 6’10” – SO – Forward – 3ppg, 2rpg.

• Returning big man;
• Can step out and shoot the three – (11/33 – 33%).

#44 – Tommy Conniff – 6’11” – SR – Center – 1ppg, 1rpg.

• Really big body post-player; Not very fast/athletic;
• Pick and roller.

#32 – Henri Adiassa – 6’11” – SR – Center – 1ppg, 1rpg (2023-2024).

• Missed last season with an injury. Only played 10 games.

#10 – Caleb Thomas – 5’10” – FR – Guard

• Enjoyed watching him play PG in high school film;
• Flashy ball handler and passer;
• Will be interested to see him, if he gets in. Of the three true freshmen, I could see him playing the most.

#0 – Andrew Urosevic – 6’3″ – FR – Guard

• Purely an outside shooter.

#2 – Caesar Burrows – 6’3″ – FR – Guard

• High-level scoring guard in high school; Probably doesn’t get much time in this one.

Keys to Victory

1. Don’t underestimate Lehigh. The Coogs are bigger, faster, stronger, more athletic, etc, but they still need to come in focused and look to put them away early.
2. Get some of the guys that don’t get to play as much, some playing time in the first half against first-string opponents. It should be a great opportunity to get Mercy, Chase, Kordel, and Ced some playing time.
3. Destroy them on the boards on both ends of the court. They don’t have anyone athletic enough to hurt Houston on the offensive or defensive glass. I would expect double-doubles from JoJo and Cenac.
4. Fly around on defense. The Coogs should be able to force 20+ turnovers, and I expect some highlight dunks.
5. Have fun. This should be a fun night for everyone involved. The crowd should be there early for the unveiling of the Final Four banner. The team should have a great time on the court. Everyone should stay until the final buzzer to celebrate 800 wins for Coach Sampson!
6. EXTRA!!! We are having a pregame meetup at Star Pizza on Harvard (Washington/Heights Blvd) at 4 pm. I’d love to meet everyone and enjoy some fellowship before going to cheer the Coogs to victory!