On Friday night, the Houston Cougars men’s basketball team hosted the Montana Tech Diggers at Hofhienz Pavilion. Though it was an exhibition, the atmosphere was that of an actual game. Head Coach Kelvin Sampson used the game to see different groups on the court. Though the big men played good ball down the stretch, the story of the night was the battle at the guard spots.
Coach Sampson utilized a rotation of Rob Gray Jr., Galen Robinson Jr. and Ronnie Johnson at the point guard position. Most of the game, two of the three were on the court at the guard positions. Though Damyean Dotson is a guard, he played many of his first half minutes at the small forward position. In the 2nd half, he spent more time at the two guard.
“All of [the guards] are important,” Sampson said. “I think one of the strengths of our teams is our depth. We’re not going to be a six or seven man rotation. We’re going to be probably a nine man rotation.”
So far, Sampson’s kept quiet on the starting point guard. From the way it sounds, it’ll be awhile before we see anyone take that starting position.
“All our point guards are about the same,” Sampson said. “I didn’t start Ronnie or Gaylin tonight mainly because I want them to practice harder.”
Ronnie Johnson had 8 points and 3 assist but could have obtained a few more had his teammates made their open shots. He only had one turnover, but had some trouble in coverage as he got caught in pick ‘n roll situations at times on defense. Though Ronnie probably has the edge at the point guard position, Coach Sampson wants to see more from him.
“Ronnie is a tough kid, but he has to make more winning plays,” Sampson said. “Basketball is not a game of great plays, it’s a game of eliminating mistakes.”
Galen Robinson made 12 points and finished with five assists. Rob Gray led the trio with 15 points but only two assists.
Damyean Dotson had the most complete game as he finished with nine points, five assists and 15 total rebounds. His hustle was unmatched as he fought for his 15 rebounds as well as hustled to get back on plays where he was beat. His defense left more to be desired but that will definitely improve by the time conference play begins.
“I cannot tell you how pleased I was with Damyean Dotson’s effort,” Sampson said. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a guard get 15 rebounds his first time out.”
Rob Gray seemed more comfortable at shooting guard where he utilized off-ball screens to get open shots. He finished more shots at the point guard position but that probably won’t be a common occurrence as Coach Sampson has stated a few times that he wants his point guards to facilitate the ball more.
“Rob is not a point-point guard,” Sampson said. “You saw that he was a scorer. But when you put Rob and [Dotson] on the wings, and if I get one of those point guards to get some separation from each other…we need one of them to win that job, and when they do, I’ll let them know.”
Sophomore guard Wes Vanbeck continued his role as the hustle player off the bench, contributing for 9 points, 1 assist and 2 offensive rebounds. He also added one block and a steal to his stat sheet. As usual for a role player, his stats don’t reflect his effort on the court. He added a burst of fresh legs when called upon and provided strong pressure on defense. He helped force a few turnovers with his high-pressure defense.
There was not a big standout at the guard position but each player showed some flashes. Fans can expect to see this rotation until one of them grabs control of the reigns. I expect the point guard battle to be between Ronnie Johnson and Galen Robinson early on. Rob Gray will definitely get his time at the point, but he is a scoring two guard and Coach Sampson will likely use him as such. We can also expect Dotson to continue to rotate between the shooting guard position and small forward position, especially when Sampson wants to play small ball. Over the next month or so, this web of guards should start to untangle themselves into a clearer picture.
