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I just read the UH message board and apparently Sampson wanted them both to stay but House said that he had made up his mind to transfer before the season ended. Thomas said that he wants his release to explore other options but may still come back to UH. The school denied their release originally hoping Sampsom could convince them not to transfer. I believe AAC rules are that a player must sit out 2 years if they transfer within the conference so they can't transfer here. UH fans are not happy with the two young men to say the least.

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=215&f=2805&t=12810411

Definitely turmoil in H town.

“A week after the hiring of coach Kelvin Sampson, the University of Houston's top two scorers are seeking to play elsewhere. Junior guard Danuel House and senior forward TaShawn Thomas had their requests to transfer denied and are currently going through the appeal process. House, a highly recruited prospect from Fort Bend Hightower, said he had his "mind made up before the end of the season."
"Honestly, I know I want to leave UH," House said Thursday night.
At issue is the granting of a transfer request to reserve point guard Jaaron Simmons, who left the program last week. "They let transfers come in, they let one of my teammates get his release without any process or denial," said House, who averaged 13.6 points this season and was Conference USA's Freshman of the Year in 2013. "But when I asked for mine they denied my request. I felt that was unfair. Our university always speaks highly of integrity but they didn't show any integrity to me. It's like a hostage situation."
Mack Rhoades, UH's vice president for intercollegiate athletics, and Sampson were not available for comment.
Thomas, who led the Cougars in scoring (15.4) and rebounding (8.1) this season, said he met with Sampson on a few occasions before deciding to transfer. "I feel like they should respect that I'm trying to explore different options," Thomas, a second-team American Athletic Conference selection, told KRIV-TV. "I'm kind of nervous about the whole new situation with the coach."
The transfer requests for House and Thomas were declined on April 4, the day after Sampson was named the Cougars' new basketball coach. Sampson replaced James Dickey, who stepped down at the end of the season for a personal family matter.
Along with Dickey, two other people close to House, including former assistant coach Daniyal Robinson, are no longer with the program. "I really don't have a relationship with anyone on the staff," said House, a 6-7 guard who was the 15th-ranked prep player in the nation by Rivals and ESPN. "I tried to create a bond with Coach Dickey. Me and coach Dickey were the only ones that were really close. When he resigned I didn't have a relationship with anyone here." By asking for his release, House said he wanted to explore options "to see if I wanted to start over again or come back." House said no reason was given why his transfer request was denied. "They basically didn't want to give me that choice," he added. "They tried to talk to me and tell me why I should stay."
The next step for both players is to go through the university's Athletics Transfer Release Appeal Release Process. During the process, a student-athlete must provide a written request explaining why he/she "feels the restriction is inappropriate," according to UH's athletics website. The committee consists of the chair of the Athletics Advisory Committee, the faculty athletics representative and another member of the Athletics Advisory Committed that is determined by the chair. A member of the athletic department staff may not serve on the committee. If granted their releases, House and Thomas would likely have to sit out a season unless they petition to the NCAA to play immediately. UH could also put restrictions on certain school that may not transfer to.
This marks the second straight offseason a prominent player has opted to leave the program. At the end of last season, guard Joseph Young transferred to Oregon following the fallout that led to his father, Michael, being reassigned within the athletic department.”

Some UH folks saying that Sampson retaining Asst. Coach Alvin Brooks might be the reason for the transfers...

wow, that sucks. they would have been a big part of making UH competitive next year.

Wow, that's a big donkey punch to their program. I was hoping UH might be one of the programs to step up next year and strengthen the conference. I guess my hopes now rest on Temple and, to a lesser extent, Tulsa.

A scorer like Danuel House would be unstoppable in LB's system...dude's what, a 6'7" SG with NBA range, athletic, great faux hawk, can drive, etc. LB would have some issues with his shot selection but a great, natural shooter

Alaric wrote:A scorer like Danuel House would be unstoppable in LB's system...dude's what, a 6'7" SG with NBA range, athletic, great faux hawk, can drive, etc. LB would have some issues with his shot selection but a great, natural shooter

Doubt he can transfer to another AAC team

mrydel wrote:Has to be more to it than what is immediately seen. These kids are very good. The coach is very good. These are not the type you run off and I would guess that a good player would want to play for a good coach. Something else is going on, unless Sampson has better replacements lined up which would be scarey.

Exactly what I was thinking. These are their 2 best players (along with LJ Rose).

Maybe they stay and Sampson patches things up (although House seems gone, Thomas maybe not definitely yet . . . Sampson does carry quite a bit of baggage . . . very interesting).

Sounds like one of their recruits for next year wants out as well....

2014 PG JaQuel Richmond of Wesleyan Christian (NC) has asked for his release from The University of Houston.

Pony81: do we know Sampson ran them off? That seems unlikely, considering they are among the best players on the team, and he is known as a pretty level-headed coach. Do we know this was his choice? Sounds like them making this choice on their own.

I agree that Sampson would not run off players of this caliber. My earlier comment was one of incredulity that Sampson would send these guys packing.

Since it's not the coach , then why did these guys leave? Tired of playing in an empty arena?

Maybe they want to showcase their skills in a different setting.

House is a baller no doubt, but they won't take TOO big of a hit if it's just him that goes. But he AND Thomas would be rough. Thomas is their best player IMHO.

They still have that guy that hit 78 three pointers against us in the last game.

Damn. This is a real hit to our conference. They were a top four team next year. Not now.