UH PRESS RELEASE:
Former Baylor guard L.J. Rose has decided to transfer to the University of Houston and will be eligible to compete for the 2014-15 season, head coach James Dickey announced Friday.
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Rose and Houston Athletics officials will work together on a waiver from the NCAA asking for his immediate eligibility.
Rose, who was one of the nation's top prep players out of Westbury Christian, competed at Baylor during the 2012-13 season. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard played in 33 games for a team that won the NIT championship. He posted career highs with 14 points, 12 assists, three rebounds and two steals in a win against Hardin-Simmons in mid-January and dished out five assists in 16 minutes at Big 12 rival Iowa State in early February.
"We are really excited that L.J. is joining our program," said head coach James Dickey, who enters his fourth season with the Cougars in 2013-14. "He is a skilled guard who passes the ball extremely well, can score and is a very unselfish player with great leadership qualities. L.J. has great familiarity with our program and our players, and we look forward to having him as a part of our team."
Rose, who is a Houston native, was ranked among the nation's top-75 players by Scout.com, ESPN, MaxPreps.com and Rivals.com. As a senior in 2011-12, he led the Wildcats to the TAPPS 4A state championship game, scoring 17 points on the way to All-Tournament honors.
Before attending Westbury Christian, Rose competed for his first three high school seasons at Second Baptist School. There, he earned All-District 4 and Class 4A All-State honors as a freshman and again as a sophomore.
He also owns international experience on his resume. Rose was a member of the U16 National Team that won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in Argentina.
The Rose family is no stranger to the Houston program. His father Lynden lettered for the Cougars' Phi Slama Jama teams from 1980 to 1982 and was a sixth-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1982. His father also served on the UH Board of Regents from 2004 to 2009, while his uncle Cecile Rose scored more than 1,200 points in 114 games from 1974 to 1978.