(From left) Junior center and forwards Yasmeen Thompson, Te’onna Campbell and Marissa Ashton have contributed to the Cougars’ improvement this season. The team has 10 more wins than it did last season. | Andrew Valderas/The Daily Cougar
Head coach Todd Buchanan started the season surrounded by unfamiliar faces.
Before the season, 10 of the 12 players on his roster — a total of six freshman, three transfers and one walk-on — were waiting for their debuts in Cougar red.
A season-ending injury to redshirt senior point guard Porsche Landry meant junior center Mae Woods was the only Cougar on the current roster who played more than three games last season.
“The difficult part has just been to build a camaraderie and chemistry within the group, and for me to have as much patience as I possibly can,” Buchanan said. “I love this group. I think our foundation is really strong and have been proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish.”
Growing up in Ontario, Calif., junior forward Te’onna Campbell spent her first two collegiate years at New Mexico Junior College, where she averaged 13 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game while shooting 44 percent from the field. She was able to garner NJCCA Second Team All-American honors and was named the Western Junior College Player of the Year for the 2011-2012 season.
Campbell said the challenge to play against the best of the best was her main motive that led to her transfer to UH.
“I wanted to go big. When I heard they were moving to the Big East Conference, I just kept thinking big. My junior college was in a small town and I was just thinking I have to get myself out there,” Campbell said.
Campbell has made her presence felt on this team, as she leads the team in steals with 2.7 per game, while also averaging eight points and eight rebounds. She put up career highs with 17 points and five assists to top off her game-winning layup with four seconds remaining on Feb. 17 at Tulane.
“She’s so athletic. Her athleticism is one of the intangibles that you just can’t coach,” Buchanan said.
Before junior center Yasmeen Thompson chose to transfer to UH, she wanted to make it feel as close to home as possible.
“I was looking for a place that was going to be family oriented,” Thompson said. “When I heard about all the recruits coming in, I just wanted to feel a part of what was going on.”
Thompson attended Paris Junior College. She earned NJCAA All-Conference Honorable Mention honors in the 2011-2012 season after averaging eight points and nine rebounds per game, while shooting 44 percent from the field.
“She’s a true 6 foot 2 inches, extremely athletic, and somebody that really holds down the post and the paint for us,” Buchanan said.
For the Cougars, Thompson averages eight points and nine rebounds, while leading Conference USA in blocks with 1.6 per game.
When junior forward Marissa Ashton decided to transfer to UH from Texas Tech, she said the program wasn’t right for her there and she wanted to feel closer to family.
“Every program isn’t right for every player. I was unhappy and made me want to come close to home,” Ashton said.
Buchanan sees Ashton as a player that presents more than just a great skill set.
“With as many freshmen we signed this season, I think her experience coming from a division one school has helped our team growth a lot,” Buchanan said. “She’s gaining a lot of confidence after each game and practice. We’ve grown a really strong bond in a coach-player relationship.”
