Houston Cougars Defense Kelvin Sampson: Breaking the Mold

The Houston Cougars defense under Kelvin Sampson is, statistically speaking, among the best defensive teams we have seen this century. They play the game the total opposite way of other highly rated defenses. The Houston Cougars' Defense, with Kelvin Sampson at the helm, is turning college basketball on its head.

Many wonder if they could really be *that* good. You might even assume their competition might not be up to par. People thought that about other well-performing defenses that turned out to be powerhouses.

• Breaking Down the Houston Cougars' Defensive Strategy
  • Houston's Aggressive Ball Screen Approach
  • The 'Line of Scrimmage' Concept
  • How Houston Avoids Giving Up Easy Baskets
  • The Challenges for Opposing Ball Handlers
  • Recovering and Rotating on Defense
  • The Role of the Guards in Houston's Defense
• Teamwork and Communication on Defense with the Houston Cougars
  • The Importance of Anticipation and the 'Early Tag'
  • Handling Early and Late Tags on Defense
  • Challenging Opposing Big Men with the Houston Cougars
  • Addressing the Pick and Pop Threat
  • Forcing Off-Target Passes
  • Alternatives to Ball Screens Against Houston
  • Successful Strategies Against the Blitz
  • Adapting to Opposing Offenses
  • Switching Defensive Coverages
• Key Players in Houston's Defensive System
  • Jojo Tugler: A Freshman Standout
  • Jamal Shedd: Defensive Leader
• FAQs about Houston Cougars Defense Kelvin Sampson
  • Do Houston Cougars have a good defense?
  • Who hired Kelvin Sampson at IU?
  • Who is Houston's basketball coach?
  • Is Houston good at basketball?
• Conclusion

Most college teams use drop coverage. This strategy keeps the player guarding the screener back towards the paint. This strategy baits the ball handler to take a low-percentage shot.

Statistically, this makes sense. But the Houston Cougars are flipping this on its head.

Instead of drop coverage, Houston aggressively attacks ball handlers, forcing the ball out of their hands. They prevent those inefficient shots. It works.

They lead the country in defensive efficiency by doing this. Head Coach Kelvin Sampson calls their approach the 'line of scrimmage.'

The 'line of scrimmage' is an imaginary line created by the offensive player setting the screen. Houston's defenders get to this line to stop the ball, a way of thinking that many consider unconventional. Often times the Houston bigs go beyond the line for additional pressure.

Some might define this tactic as a 'trap'. Coach Kelvin Sampson insists that isn't the right term, and so instead we will refer to this a 'blitz'. The Houston Cougars blitz the ball screen.

Committing two players to the ball might seem risky. Many ask, how do the Cougars do it? This might appear to open up rolls to the basket or three-pointers.

The key is pushing the handler far out. This distance makes passes difficult and the ball pressure too overwhelming, allowing Houston's defense time to recover.

Many guards struggle to scan the defense during a blitz. Many simply try to just protect the ball. It is a struggle to make an effective pass.

Houston sometimes attacks the handler before the screen is even set. They focus on pressuring the ball first and worry about other issues afterward. This tactic is very similar to what might be seen in a press defense at other levels of the sport.

Houston's big men are skilled at recovering back at the right angle. This protects any perceived drives that appear open after a pass. Their ability to rotate is elite.

One player, Jawan Roberts, recovers in time to stop drives and even alters shots. All 5 of the Houston's players work in a defensive symphony with many moving parts.

The guards defending the ball have key responsibilities. They are good at jumping and deflecting passes.

Emmanuel Sharp is great at this skill. It limits passing windows and prevents the ball from getting to where the offense wants to put it. A coach on the bench shows they clearly teach this on purpose.

Guarding a ball screen takes all five players. The entire team needs to move and react with anticipation. Teamwork is a very real key in the overall effort of their defensive success.

One player, Damien Dunn, serves as a 'tagger.' He helps slow down the recovery time for other players. This tagger effort provides the extra time for team rotation.

Dunn anticipates his tag well. He sees when his effort is most useful to their defense, attacking at the most opportune time. Although his man appears open, the ball handler just focuses on survival and can not think strategically.

Sometimes, there's an early and late tag during a play. One of Houston's key players, Jamal Shedd, tags early.

As play advances, another takes that tagger's responsibility when he can't. Ramon Walker takes over in these situations.

When a pass finds an opponent's big man in the paint, Houston makes it difficult. The defense gives up no time or space to do much of anything with the ball. Houston often gets the stop.

Big men have trouble processing the game quickly. It is hard for even the best passers to overcome that adversity. Houston causes lots of deflections this way.

The pick and pop might theoretically trouble Houston. The Cougars focus their effort on the offensive passing.

Although teams may get more shots, the ball rotation makes those shots statistically low percentage. It might feel good for the offense to get the shots off, but the defense knows they likely won't go in.

According to Synergy Sports data, opponents rarely make pick and pop 3s. Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars have found an unbelievable method of handling the jump shot attempts, and opponents rarely connect against Houston.

Houston forces difficult passes. Even when the pass gets over them, it's often not on target.

That throws off the shot and their overall rotation. It appears this impacts shooting percentage.

Houston uses multiple methods that statistically cause more missed shots on paper than in reality. Houston *appears* to give up open shots.

One way to score against the blitz is to avoid setting ball screens. Isolations or post-ups will result instead.

But Houston's guards handle one-on-one situations well. The strategy changes very little for them, playing right into their advantage.

When posting, Houston would prefer that. Kelvin Sampson uses a special 'monster defense' method there. You will see some of the best zone defense concepts in these situations.

TCU had some success against Houston's blitz. But making the perfect passes against them is extremely difficult.

Opponents use various tricks and movements to try and gain an advantage on the Cougars' quick rotations. Big men often try to slip the screen.

Houston sees it, though, and still has time to stop that potential small advantage. They have shown excellent player development with this.

Houston sometimes make defensive game-time adjustments. As an example, there was one particular UCF game that illustrated their defensive game planning adjustments. UCF often used what's called a 'veer screen.'

Instead of blitzing, a key defender anticipated the play. Adjustments, game to game, showcase Houston's and the Houston Cougars' Defense's ability to strategize unique counters under Kelvin Sampson.

Houston sometimes switches all screens against teams that shoot a lot. BYU's 3-point-centered game led to Houston choosing an unorthodox switch.

That switch confused and limited BYU. This showed some concepts that could also work in a packline defense as well.

Certain players stood out when studying their defensive capabilities. These individuals demonstrate a higher gear in some ways and further show how to beat them.

Jojo Tugler has amazing reach with his massive wingspan. Even when out of position, his 7-foot, 6-inch wingspan changes any potential offense in real-time. Opposing teams appear to think that he should not be able to move at that size with that length.

His size alone disrupts shots that feel as if they should be an easy two points. Opponents see the effort and struggle at that effort alone.

Jamal Shedd stands out on defense for this amazing team. His steals alone cause immediate offense to convert with ease, even when getting back quickly.

That creates lots of stops. The basketball clinic circuit could benefit from learning his techniques.

Yes, the Houston Cougars are known for having one of the best defenses in college basketball. Their efficiency and unique style cause frustration, second guesses, and forced shots.

Their defense ranks number one, not just on stats, but in results. They have some of the best team development you will see.

Rick Greenspan, the Indiana University athletic director at the time, hired him. He wanted the success that we are witnessing now in Houston.

However, many challenges came out, although he still had amazing success during those years. Coach Sampson has now led multiple programs to the NCAA Tournament.

Kelvin Sampson, an esteemed coach, has taken Houston's basketball to great places. His strategies get national acclaim for results.

Sampson was even named the National Coach of the Year for the 2023-2024 season.

Yes, the Houston Cougars are amazing, largely due to their defensive strengths. This ranks them at the top in multiple ways.

The program is a model for others in the American Athletic Conference.

The Houston Cougars' defense under Kelvin Sampson challenges convention. It changes strategies that, statistically speaking, seem mathematically sound to go against.

By disrupting offenses and forcing difficult passes, the Houston Cougars' defense causes amazing changes. These changes affect the final outcomes of offensive efficiency and scoring.

These differences challenge their opponents. Many opponents are often struggling with the results in real-time when scouting is set aside during game action, and they force changes and *on paper* appear to counter these defensive efforts, but are consistently defeated during live events.