UH Cougars work to achieve National Championship goal

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- If you can make it through conditioning month under Kelvin Sampson at UH, you can make it through anything.

Cougars guard L.J. Cryer told ABC13's Greg Bailey he gets up at 5 a.m. so he can be early for work at 6:30 a.m.

"Early is on time," Cryer said.

Players run grueling drills both inside and outdoors on the field. Most importantly, they help one another reach the finish line every day.

"One person doesn't make the time, the rep doesn't count for everybody," Cryer said. "Sometimes you have guys pushing guys across the line... carrying people."

The team that leaves Sampson's offseason program shares a bond that's hard to describe.

"You can look back on those times and lean on your brothers to get through it," Cryer added.

It doesn't matter what the players encounter on the court; they know they can push through. Emanuel Sharp adds that everyone who plays for Sampson recognizes, "It's his job to push us places we can't get ourselves."

This year, the Cougars welcome back four starters from a team that won 32 games and won the Big 12 Conference title. They're ranked fourth in the AP preseason poll and are hungry to win the national title.

"We know what to expect," Sharp said. "I feel like that's different from teams before. Every year, we lose a few starters, but that's not the case this year."

New additions like point guard Milos Uzan and top 50 national recruit Mercy Miller add to a stacked lineup. The Cougars will also welcome back Terrance Arceneaux after his season-ending Achilles injury. On Tuesday, Arceneaux said he's not quite 100%, but he's close and feeling better day by day.

"It was a very long process," Arceneaux said. "It felt so good at times I don't even feel like I got hurt."

No. 4 UH opens a new season with an exhibition against No. 13 Texas A&M on Oct. 27. The first regular season game is at home against Jackson State on Nov. 4.

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