The Houston Cougars women’s basketball program is under new leadership for the first time in a decade.
Matthew Mitchell, who led Kentucky for 13 seasons, won 281 games and left coaching after a medical issue, takes over for Robert Hughey, who was fired after winning just five games last season. Hughey never got the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament, though he led them to the WNIT three times.
Mitchell is rebuilding. He only has two holdovers from a year ago. But he’s optimistic the program can bounce back and sees the men’s program as inspiration. Here is a preview of the Houston Cougars entering the 2025-26 season.
Houston Cougars
2024-25: 5-25, 1-17 in Big 12, 16th place. Lost in first round of Big 12 Tournament. Head coach Ronald Hughey was relieved of his duties after the season.
Head coach: Matthew Mitchell is entering his first season at Houston. The former Kentucky coach won 281 games with the Wildcats over 13 seasons, which included nine NCAA Tournament appearances. He stepped away from the game in 2020 due to a health issue.
Big 12 history: Houston is entering its third season in the Big 12. It was a member of the Southwest Conference until the league broke up. The Cougars were not among the program invited to join the Big 12 at the time.
Houston 2025-26 Roster Review
Gone: G Leilani Augmon (5.0 ppg), G Gia Cooke (12.4 ppg), F Maliyah Johnson, G Laila Blair (13.7 ppg), F Avalon Miller (played one game), G Eylia Love (10.6 ppg), G Ashley Chevalier (3.1 ppg), F Peyton McFarland (6.0 ppg).
Returning: G Kierra Merchant (9.0 ppg), G Summer Bostock (4.1 ppg), G Kateri Poole (did not play – injured).
Incoming transfers: F Amirah Abdur-Rahim (4.1 ppg at Texas A&M), G Shun’teria Anumele (9.1 ppg at St. Louis), F Amani Bartlett (1.0 ppg at LSU), G Kyndall Hunter (5.2 ppg at Texas A&M), G Briana Peguero (10.6 ppg at Troy), G TK Pitts (6.3 ppg at SMU), F Jorynn Ross (1.1 ppg at Arizona).
Incoming freshmen: F Jade Jones, G Kayla King, F Jemma Hunter.
Houston Schedule: Click here for a complete 2025-26 Big 12 schedule.
Projected Starting Lineup
G Kierra Merchant: The one holdover that should be in line to start.
G TK Pitts: She was with Mitchell at Media Days. Should tell one something about her place in the lineup.
G Briana Peguero: She’s the leading scorer among Cougars that played college basketball last year. Houston can’t afford not to start her.
G Shun’teria Anumele: She averaged 9.1 ppg last year at St. Louis. Houston could trade size for scoring and go small to start the season.
F Amirah Abdur-Rahim: Only averaged 4.1 ppg at Texas A&M but should get more runway this year with the Cougars.
Starting Lineup Crashers
G Summer Bostock: The other significant holdover from last year, how much did she improve this offseason?
Lineup Competition
Projecting this lineup is one of the harder tasks in the Big 12. Along with Pitts, Merchant and Abdur-Rahim were at Big 12 media days, which would indicate they’re seen as starters, or at minimum heavy contributors. Houston’s best scorers are on the perimeter. So, as Mitchell constructs this lineup will he go with two forwards or one? With the scoring, at least on paper, wrapped up on the perimeter, he may have to go small to start while his other bigs develop.
Early Prediction
This is a rebuild. In that way the expectations around Mitchell will be muted and will give him time to develop his program. He’s used to winning. He had one losing season at Kentucky. In his first year there in 2007-08 he went 17-16. If Houston did that this season it would probably put them in the WBIT or WNIT, which would be a big leap after last year’s five-win season. A .500 record may be difficult to hit in Year 1.
