Former Creighton and Texas Tech guard Pop Isaacs has committed to Houston. Coming off of a National Championship loss to Duke, the Cougars have already shifted their attention to the offseason.
Guard Pop Isaacs is Determined to Put His Injury History Behind Him
Houston was one win away from claiming their first ever National Championship. In a heartbreaking 65-63 loss to Florida, the Cougars are now 0-3 in title games.
BREAKING: Houston has landed a commitment from Creighton transfer Pop Isaacs, he told @thefieldof68.
The 6-2 junior guard averaged 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game this past season before having season-ending hip surgery.
Isaacs played eight games and had 27… pic.twitter.com/mNm9AP707R
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 9, 2025
Additionally, their seven Final Four appearances are the most among teams that have zero title wins. The Cougars can’t seem to catch a break.
Putting their misfortunes behind them, they’re already retooling with the addition of guard Pop Isaacs.
A four-star recruit out of high school, Isaacs began his collegiate career with Texas Tech. In his two seasons, he started in 58 of the 59 games he appeared in. During his sophomore year, he averaged 15.8 points, 3.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds while shooting 34.9% from the field.
He earned Big 12 first-team honors for his prolific sophomore season and had a ton of momentum transferring to Creighton for his junior year. Unfortunately, he suffered a few setbacks.
From legal issues to injuries, Isaacs found himself in a hole. Last season with Creighton, the guard only appeared in eight games before suffering a season-ending hip injury. He was putting up fantastic numbers, averaging 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
His best performance came against the then number one seed Kansas, dropping 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. After Isaacs’ injury, Creighton’s head coach Greg McDermott commented on the player;
“Obviously, he was incredibly disappointed and sad. You’re coming off one of the best games of your career, and then you kind of get the news that long-term, if you don’t take care of this now, it could impact you 10, 15 years down the road, and that’s priority one. So you go through the emotion with the player, and then you turn your attention to your team and how do we convey the message, and then what are we going to do about it.”
With his season cut short, Isaacs has now taken his talents to Houston, a program longing to get over the hump and past misfortunes.
The guard joins returning starters in guard Emanuel Sharp and forward Joseph Tugler. The pair set the standard for their dynamic, defensive-minded team. Sharp averaged 12.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and a team-leading 1.4 steals per game. On the other hand, Tugler, the defensive beast, led the team with 1.9 blocks per game.
Isaacs is expected to fill in for leading scorer L.J. Cryer, who averaged a team-high 15.7 points per game.
Experts have already ranked Houston as the clear-cut number one team in the country for the 2025-26 season. Isaacs adds a dynamic guard presence to the already talented roster. His new team expects to make a deep run in the dance next season, determined to capture its first national title.
The Cougars have set the bar high as head coach Kelvin Sampson reflected on the recent title loss;
“There’s a lot of teams that are not built for six straight wins… This team was, this team was built, this team had the character and the toughness and the leadership. This team was built to win this tournament, and that’s why it’s so disappointing. We got here and had a chance and just didn’t get it done.”
KEEP READING: Florida’s Todd Golden Gets Emotional After NCAA Championship Win Over Houston
With that, we’ll have to wait and see who else takes their talents to Houston, as the program prepares for next season.
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