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Houston\u2019s new women\u2019s basketball coach Matthew Mitchell receives a jersey from President Renu Khator and athletic director Eddie Nu\u00f1ez, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Houston | Raphael Fernandez\/The Cougar<\/p>\n
Coach Kelvin Sampson led Houston men\u2019s basketball to two Final Fours, a national title game and the most wins in men\u2019s college basketball since 2020, leaving President Renu Khator wondering: <\/p>\n
\n\u201c<\/b>Why shouldn\u2019t we have our women\u2019s basketball program exactly where our men\u2019s basketball program is?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Khator brought the issue to light after the women\u2019s program compiled a .418 winning percentage over the 11-season tenure of coach Ronald Hughey, consisting of a .167 winning percentage in Big 12 play two seasons into its conference tenure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The signal for change came after a 2024-25 campaign that saw just one conference win, which came in the form of a ranked upset.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Enter coach Matthew Mitchell, who, upon being hired, acknowledged Houston\u2019s rich basketball culture and signaled a new era for the program. He stressed the importance of using the game as a vehicle for self-excellence and success beyond the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe number one priority for us is the city,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cThe city of Houston is an epicenter of top-notch basketball talent, and I want every player to know that Houston is a place where they can come and play at the very highest level, chase championships, chase being their very best, get an incredible education and build a life that prepares them for their future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell wasted no time in beginning roster construction for the 2025-26 season after Houston was left with just three returners from last year\u2019s team. Houston utilized the transfer portal to welcome senior guard TK Pitts from SMU, graduate forward Amirah Abdur-Rahim from Texas A&M and senior guard Briana Peguero from Troy, a homegrown talent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mitchell\u2019s aggressive approach to roster-building was also central to his turnaround at Kentucky, where he compiled a 303-133 record over 13 seasons and became the winningest coach in program history. He led the Wildcats to 10 20-win seasons, seven 25-win seasons and one 30-win campaign.<\/p>\n
A two-time SEC Coach of the Year, Mitchell\u2019s teams collected nine NCAA Tournament appearances in a 10-season stretch consisting of five trips to the Sweet 16 and three to the Elite Eight. He coached five SEC Player of the Year selections and six eventual WNBA draft picks, including guard Rhyne Howard, who was selected by the Atlanta Dream first overall in 2022.<\/p>\n
After a five-year retirement from coaching, Mitchell stepped back into the leadership circle with Houston still close to his heart. A connection that dates back to watching Astros games on TV via satellite in rural Mississippi and taking family trips to the Astrodome. <\/p>\n
Now, the mission to elevate Houston women\u2019s basketball to the same level of success as the men\u2019s program both inside and outside Fertitta Center rests in Mitchell\u2019s hands. In the age of NIL, the women\u2019s team still lags far behind in funding and visibility, even though both programs share the same facilities. It might take something just as bold as Sampson\u2019s 2016 megaphone tour, when he walked campus urging students to attend games, unaware that a legendary rebuild was already underway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know everybody\u2019s talking about our men\u2019s program as one of the greatest rebuilds,\u201d athletic director Eddie Nu\u00f1ez said. \u201cBut I\u2019d love to sit here a couple of years from now or even whenever that time comes to say that we were part of the two greatest rebuilds in college basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n