'Cool dude' Sampson lands 5-star guard Harwell

Top-15 senior Isiah Harwell announced his commitment to Houston on Thursday, becoming just the second five-star prospect to pick the Cougars since 2012.

Harwell chose Kelvin Sampson's program over a final list that also included Gonzaga, Texas and California. He took visits to Gonzaga -- at one point considered the favorite -- and California before the summer, then went to Houston and Texas in the final weeks of August.

"Coach Sampson is a cool dude," Harwell told ESPN. "He knows what it takes for players to reach the next level, we talked about that. I need to shoot 38-40% from 3, average six or seven rebounds and play defense on the opponent's best perimeter player. He said if you don't play defense you won't play at Houston."

Harwell, an Idaho native, suffered a knee injury midway through his junior campaign at Wasatch Academy (Utah) that forced him to miss the summer grassroots season. But Houston maintained steady contact with the 6-foot-6 guard and was patient with his process.

The Cougars' staff even mentioned the possibility of Harwell reclassifying up a year and enrolling at Houston to rehab his knee and redshirt the 2024-25 season. But Harwell didn't have quite enough credits -- and wants to play during his senior year in high school. He's working out and is expected back on the court sometime this fall.

"Houston was very consistent recruiting me during my injury and rehab," Harwell said. "On my visit it was a family atmosphere. I got to spend a lot of time with the players, and we ended up sitting around and they were talking [about] how they all arrived at Houston. Their culture is real."

Harwell is ranked No. 14 in the 2025 class, slotting in as the No. 3 shooting guard in the country. Prior to injury last season, he averaged 16.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in six games on the EYBL Scholastic circuit and also won a gold medal with the USA Basketball U16 team at the FIBA Americas in 2023.

From a young age, Harwell has played with poise and pace, showcasing a smooth shooting stroke that features elevation on his jumper, deep range and midrange touch. He is a complete guard, but it's his proficiency as a scoring guard with playmaking ability that stands out. His size, lower-body strength and length -- he possesses a 6-foot-10 wingspan -- gives him the ideal frame.

Harwell is Houston's first commitment in the 2025 class, but he's just the second five-star prospect to commit to Houston since 2012. When Jarace Walker, the No. 1 power forward in the 2022 class, picked the Cougars, he became the first five-star Houston signee since Danuel House in the 2012 class. Harwell also marks the fourth straight class in which Houston has landed an ESPN 100 prospect; the Cougars signed just one ESPN 100 recruit total in the nine classes from 2013 to 2021.

Sampson is working to build arguably his best class since arriving at Houston, however. The Cougars are among the schools in pursuit of Koa Peat (No. 6) and Chris Cenac Jr. (No. 7) and are squarely in the mix for Kingston Flemings (No. 21) and John Clark (No. 40).