The lowdown
2000-01 record: 9-20; 6-10 in C-USA (5th in National)
Final Ranking: NR
Postseason: None.
Three Questions for 2001-02
1. Will George Williams become the go-to player again? How will he handle even more attention, possibly double teams whenever he touches the ball?
2. Can Kevin Gaines come in and be an immediate contributor? Will he be a calming influence for the team or will he be too erratic and hard to control?
3. Can the Cougars expect a monster season out of Patrick Okafor and Jeremee McGuire? Will they make up for the loss of Alton Ford?
Three Key Facts
1. The Cougars lost freshman sensation Alton Ford (10.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg), but return three double-digit scorers. Williams, just a junior, needs just 193 points and 40 rebounds to become the 25th player in UH history to score at least 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds in their career.
2. Okafor led C-USA in offensive rebounding (4.446) and ranked third overall in boards. He is one of four starters returning for the Cougars (only Ford's early departure broke up the starting five). Bernard Smith, who started the first 17 games of last season, also returns.
3. Dominic Smith led C-USA in steals (65) and ranked among the nation's top free-throw shooters at 88.8 percent (142-160).
Andy Katz's Scenarios
Best case: The Cougars are a tough team to beat, finish in the top half of the division and end up in the NIT.
Worst case: They still can't win on the road, don't have the consistency from the perimeter and finish out of the postseason.
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Key Players Returning
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Player
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Yr.
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Pos.
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Ht./Wt.
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Comment
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George Williams
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Jr.
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F
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6-8/215
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PTS: 13.5 | REB: 7.3 | AST: 1.5
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Dominic Smith
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Sr.
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G
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5-10/175
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PTS: 12.6 | REB: 2.7 | AST: 3.8
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Patrick Okafor
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Sr.
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F
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6-8/235
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PTS: 10.7 | REB: 8.6 | AST: 0.5
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Key Losses
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Player
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Pos.
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Ht./Wt.
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Comment
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Alton Ford
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F
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6-9/265
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PTS: 10.8 | REB: 5.9 | AST: 0.6
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Chad Hendrick
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G
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6-5/210
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PTS: 9.2 | REB: 4.0 | AST: 1.7
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Houston Signings
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Player
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Pos.
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Ht.
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High School/College
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Bryan Shelton
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G
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6-4
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Friendswood, Texas/Clear Brook
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Jeremee McGuire
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F
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6-9
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San Diego, Calif./Lincoln/Tyler JC
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