Kelvin Sampson's elite signee Isiah Harwell shares 5-word reaction to the Houston Cougars reaching their first national championship game in 40 years

Isiah Harwell, who has signed with the Houston Cougars, shared his reaction to the Cougars reaching the national championship game in 40 years. On Sunday on Instagram, Houston touted its achievement. The cover of the post read "Championship Bound," with pictures of senior guard L.J. Cryer, senior forward J'Wan Robert and freshman center Jacob McFarland, along with coach Kelvin Sampson in the background.

"HOUSTON IS GOING TO ITS FIRST NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SINCE 1984! #FinalFour #ForTheCity," the post's caption read.

Isiah Harwell reshared the post through his Instagram story.

"Yall know what it is," the 6-foot-5 shooting guard captioned the post.

The Houston Cougars pulled off a shocker in their 70-67 win over Duke in the Final Four on Saturday by rallying from a 14-point second-half deficit.

L.J. Cryer led Houston with 26 points and six 3-pointers. Emanuel Sharp and Joseph Tugler contributed in the crucial final moments of the game. The Cougars scored 28 points, while Duke scored only 11 at the end. Duke didn’t make a single shot in the last 10 minutes. J’Wan Roberts made two important free throws with 19 seconds left to put Houston ahead.

Despite Cooper Flagg’s 27-point performance, Duke’s offense did not hold in the fourth quarter. The Blue Devils committed five turnovers and shot 2 of 11 in the closing stretch.

The Cougars will face Florida in the title game on Monday and have a chance to capture the school's first NCAA championship.

Isiah Harwell Rooted for Houston before the Final Four

Isiah Harwell had previously shared his thoughts on the Duke vs. Houston Final Four rematch during a League Ready video shoot. At the time, he was in Indiana to play in the Chipotle Nationals for Wastach Academy.

"It's a rematch game from last year," Harwell said. "You know, Duke eliminated Houston, so it's about time they get back. All they gotta do is play their style."

Houston did just that, advancing to the national championship game.

However, Wastach Academy lost against Cameron Boozer's Columbus 76-62 in the Chipotle Nationals.

As one of the top players in the 2025 class, Isiah Harwell is part of Houston’s Kelvin Sampson recruited group, which also includes Chris Cenac Jr. and Kingston Flemings.

About the author

Nishant is a Delhi-based journalist at Sportskeeda specializing in High School Sports. He graduated in Mathematical Sciences and is pursuing a Masters in Operational Research at Delhi University.

With his educational background and over four years of experience, Nishant likes to be precise with information. He is passionate about cricket, football, basketball, and chess, often writing about events and game analysis.

His favorite team is the Michigan Wolverines, and he thoroughly enjoyed their unbeaten season and championship win, especially when it culminated in Jim Harbaugh fulfilling his promise of getting a tattoo.

When he is not working or watching sports, Nishant likes to play football and write poetry. Wrapping everything in humor with relatable memes and defending his heart out on the football field is why he gets up every day.

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Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein