It has been about nine days since the UH basketball season ended, and it feels like it’s been a month. The way the game ended hurt for a few days, but it was surprisingly easy to move past. Why? Because this season was special and the journey was so fulfilling, one unfortunate possession will not define this team, and it does not come close to telling the story of this season.
The achievements almost speak for themselves: Back-to-back Big 12 regular season championships, the Big 12 tournament championship, a one seed in the NCAA Tournament, Midwest Regional champions, and national runner-up. This team cut the nets down three times and won every title you could hope to win, except one.
More important than all the victories and accolades are the people who made it happen. The players, the coaches, the entire support staff—this is what makes this year so special. This team won a school-record 35 games, and that happened because everyone in the rotation came together and contributed.
This season, the coaching staff developed this roster and had them reach their peak come March. The strength and conditioning and medical staff prepared this team physically and mentally to compete at the highest level and maintain fitness and endurance all the way through the end.
Watching this season come together was magical, but it wasn’t that early on. After Thanksgiving week in Vegas, this team was 4-3 and fell out of the national spotlight. The question most often asked was, “Who is going to step up and lead?” That answer took a while to figure out, but then became obvious. All of them.
Most teams have one or two guys who step up, taking turns leading when things get tough, but this team was a little different. Every rotation player stepped up. Collectively, they raised the floor of this team, and when one guy struggled, there were two others to pick him up.
Think about the most significant moments of the season:
– At UCF, J’Wan went to the bucket and hit the final shot. Meanwhile, Ja’Vier had a double-double.
– The Kansas 2OT thriller had everyone stepping up big: Milos hit a jumper to cut it to two after the Kansas shot clock violation. After KU’s five-second violation, J’Wan hit two massive FTs to send it to overtime. In OT, Emanuel Sharp hit a three to make it a one-score game with seven seconds left. Milos gets the steal, and Mylik drains a step-back three to break the Jayhawks again.
– Milos and LJ go off in Tucson to beat Sweet-16 bound Arizona.
– Milos scored 22 on Big Monday to eliminate Tech from the conference race in Lubbock.
– LJ goes back to Waco and pours 23 on the Bears.
– Sharp dominated the Big 12 tournament, winning the Most Outstanding Player belt.
– LJ’s monster 30-point night vs. Gonzaga.
– Milos’ inbounds pass to JoJo and the return dish for the win over Purdue.
– In the comeback against Duke, Sharp had 9 points in 2 minutes and a steal, JoJo had a putback dunk to cut it to one, J’Wan again hit big free throws, and LJ went off for 26 to get the Coogs to the national title game.
It is tough saying goodbye to this group of seniors. J’Wan Roberts has been a part of this program for so long that it will be strange not to see him in uniform. He embodied the Houston culture, and his growth as a player and a person has been fun to watch. He has been huge for this program and a very special contributor for us here at GoCoogs.com.
Ja’Vier Francis has been a blast to watch. He came in as a raw freshman that I labeled “Baby Moose,” oozing with raw talent and as far under the radar as possible. He built himself into a starter on a Big 12 title-winning team and then accepted his role as a sixth man in his final season. There is no better display of character than that. After four seasons, he leaves with six conference titles (four regular season), four Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights, a Final Four, and a 12-4 record in the NCAA Tournament.
Mylik Wilson has been fascinating over the last three seasons. You could see a ton of talent early, but he had so much work to do. He did it, improved his confidence, and thrived in his final season. He was vital to this team’s success, turning into the X-factor we were all looking for.
LJ Cryer probably gets less recognition than he deserves. He is a pro who shows up every day to work. Cryer has been a steadying force in this program, never doing it with flash or drawing attention to himself. He clocked in, poured it all out on the floor, and did anything it took to get a win.
This team and this group of players achieved more than I could have ever dreamed. It is sad knowing that I won’t watch them play together again, but I feel blessed and honored to witness their journey. This program has been elite for years, but the 2024-25 team stands out.