A fresh start and another chance is what Devonta Pollard was looking for when Coach Sampson reached out to him about coming to Houston. Prior to becoming a Cougar, Pollard spent his freshman year at the University of Alabama before heading back home to Mississippi and playing his sophomore season at East Mississippi Community College. After being a 5-star prospect, according to Rivals.com, out of high school Pollard struggled in his first two seasons on the court. That all changed when he became a member of the Houston men’s basketball team that was rebuilding under first year head coach Sampson. Houston finished the 2014-15 season with a 13-19 record but Coach Sampson kept preparing the team - Pollard included- and encouraged his players to keep moving forward. "Knowing we only had seven players to play with and playing teams like Memphis was tough. He kept making us believe that we had a chance. We had a coach that wasn’t going to give up on us".
The never-give-up attitude from Sampson laid a foundation that has Houston on an upward swing this season. The Cougars are 13-2 to start the year and are undefeated, 3-0, in conference play. Even with the great start, Pollard - who leads the team in field goal percentage (52.8) and is second in scoring with 14.1 points per game - still has his sights on winning.
"My goal is to do what I have to do to put my team in the best position to win. I just have to stay in shape and stay healthy and play to win.”
The Cougars already have two conference road wins this season and look to move to 4-0 in conference play as they head to Fifth Third Arena to take on the Bearcats tonight.