UH Women's Basketball Takes Watch Us Community Tour to Houston-Area Schools

Before the season tips off, the University of Houston women's basketball program has been putting in work away from the court. The Cougars launched the Watch Us Community Tour, hosting clinics for first through eighth graders at high schools across the Houston area — giving young players hands-on instruction and a close look at what college basketball looks like up close.

For several players on the roster, the tour carries personal weight. Many of them grew up in the Houston area, and returning to local gyms to work with kids mirrors the experiences that shaped their own paths to the sport. Justice Carlton, a University of Texas transfer and All-SEC Tournament selection, is one of them. She and her younger sister Madison — both products of Seven Lakes High School in Katy — are now teammates with the Cougars, reuniting a sibling duo that once played together in high school.

The Carlton sisters have been among the most visible faces of the community effort, and the dynamic between them has not gone unnoticed by their teammates. The tour has also served as an early team-building opportunity, with players and coaches spending time together outside of formal practice settings as the program builds chemistry heading into the new season.

Following each clinic, young participants collected autographs and photos from players and coaches, including head coach Matthew Mitchell — a three-time SEC Coach of the Year — who enters his second season leading the Houston program this fall.