The Cougars have started to shape out plans for next year's recruiting class.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson and his son, assistant Kellen Sampson, watch during a practice for the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, March 18, 2026.
| BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The recruiting efforts are always ongoing for any major college basketball program across the country. For the Houston Cougars, the process is much more specific and catered to only certainThe evaluation that Houston has for its potential recruits has always been for players who can handle the culture. It seems like more andin what Houston has to offer.
The Cougars have started gathering visits and are in the early stages of building the 2027 recruiting class. A Potential Star Guard in Houston's Future Montverde Academy Eagles guard Oneal Delancy goes for a lay up during the first quarter of a City of Palms Classic Signature Series game against the Gillion Academy Lions at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla. , on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
| Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Delancy is from Montverde Academy in Florida and just made his first official visit to Houston. The 6-foot-2, 165-pound combo guard is rated as one of the top guards in the 2027 class. Delancy is ranked the eighth best player in Florida and the eighth best combo guard in the countryHe was also rated 56th in the country overall.
Delancy is from Montverde as well, but looks to have a genuine interest in. Delancy has already received offers from 24 different schools, but just three of them seem to have his true attention. Houston is one of those three, alongside Maryland and Miami, as those schools are listed as "warm" for his interest according to 247Sports. Houston is also one of three schools that have or will receive a visit from Delancy, along with Florida and South Florida.
It's predictable that he'll have the Sunshine State schools after him, and the offer for Delancy to stay local could end up being a factor. Delancy is going to visit the Gators on June 10 and could be one of the main competitors besides Miami and Houston. Montverde isn't too far from Gainesville. Delancy averaged 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in almost 25 minutes per game in a highly competitive atmosphere.
Houston's consistent winning, along with development and great facilities, has allowed the recruiting to take off under Sampson. The family atmosphere has a strong appeal to certain players, and Delancy could be one of them based on his conversationsDelancy was looking forward to spending time with Sampson in the film room, according to Coogs 365, and understanding what Houston's plans would be for him.
He could end up pairing with Ikenna Alozie, the current freshman combo guard at Houston who was also a four-star recruit. That could be a future backcourt in Houston. Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish.
Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.
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