Houston Cougars Men's Basketball to Host The Basketball Tournament (TBT) Regional in July

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POSTED: February 21, 2024 -- 10:00 a.m. CT

The Basketball Tournament (TBT), the 64-team, $1 million winner-take-all event, announced today that the University of Houston and the Fertitta Center will host a TBT regional for the first time in 2024. The regional will be headlined by Houston alumni team Forever Coogs, whose roster will feature former Cougars legends Rob Gray, DeJon Jarreau, and Damyean Dotson.

Houston Regional games will be played at the Fertitta Center from July 19-24. Forever Coogs will be joined in the regional by seven other teams hoping to emerge one step closer to TBT's $1M grand prize.

"This event is big time, and our fans will love it," said Houston men's basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson. "I cannot wait for our fans when they hear about Rob Gray and DeJon Jarreau and Damyean Dotson on our TBT team. We are going to have a great TBT team, and they are all Cougars. We have a huge home court advantage at Fertitta Center right now. Let's make sure these guys have home court advantage. I can tell you this... I'm going to be at the games. I can't wait to see it."

"We are excited to partner with the University of Houston to bring a TBT regional to the Fertitta Center," said TBT founder and CEO Jon Mugar.

Gray, who starred at Houston from 2015-18, earned First-Team All-AAC honors in 2017 and 2018. As a senior, Gray led the Cougars to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in eight years. At the time of his graduation, his 1,710 points scored was an American Athletic Conference record. A six-year overseas veteran, Gray currently plays in Spain.

Jarreau earned several accolades during his time at Houston from 2018-21, including AAC Sixth Man of the Year, AAC Defensive Player of the Year, and Second-team All-AAC. Jarreau helped lead the Cougars to a Final Four in 2021, which was their first appearance since 1984. After a stint with the Indiana Pacers in 2021, Jarreau has spent the majority of his career in the G League, and is currently playing with the Memphis Hustle.

Dotson spent two years at Houston from 2015-17, earning First-Team All-AAC honors as a senior. After graduating from Houston, Dotson spent parts of five seasons in the NBA, mostly with the New York Knicks. He most recently played in China.

Since TBT began in 2014, it has awarded more than $13M in prize money, and has been viewed in more than 180 countries around the world. Alumni teams have won TBT's championship in four of the past five summers, with teams representing Ohio State, Marquette, Syracuse, and the University of Buffalo taking home the $1M prize between 2019-2022. TBT is also the home of the Elam Ending, the alternate ending to games where teams play to a target score. The Elam Ending was adopted and featured by the NBA for its All-Star Games from 2020-23, and is now being used in G League games as part of their overtime format.

Tickets for the 2024 Houston Regional will go on sale at a later date. To be the first to secure tickets for the event, fans can sign up for TBT's waitlist at thetournament.com/tbt/tickets/.

For more information on this year's TBT or Forever Coogs, visit TheTournament.com.

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