Houston is playing with a little extra motivation for the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Viewers of the Cougars may have noticed a particular detail about their uniforms. On the right shoulder is a pair of digits, but not the numbers on the back of the jersey. It's No. 32.
The patch and its meaning have helped Houston since the start of the season, guiding the program to the No. 1 seed in the South Region at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Cougars certainly needed it in the second round, as Houston was pushed to the brink by No. 9 seed Texas A&M, holding on for a 100-95 win in overtime.
"This patch right here, man," Houston guard Jamal Shead said about the win over the Aggies. "Coach, during halftime, was talking about, 'It's going to be a war, and it's going to hurt, and what would [No.] 32 do?'
"Reggie Chaney would have fought his a— off in a game like this. We were built for this, and I just miss my dog."
It was a tale of two different games for Kelvin Sampson's crew during the first weekend of March Madness. The Cougars handled No. 16 seed Longwood with ease on Friday, beating the Lancers by 40 points. Sunday's contest against the Aggies provided far more nerves, as Houston had to outperform the ferocious offensive attack from Texas A&M.
It sets up a date with a blue blood in the Sweet 16, as Sampson and Co. head to Dallas to face No. 4 seed Duke. Houston is aiming to get back to the Elite Eight for the third consecutive tournament.
With the Cougars looking to make a deep run during this year's March Madness, the jersey patch is becoming more prevalent. But what is the story behind it?
Here is why Houston has No. 32 patches on its jerseys.
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Why Houston wears No. 32 patch on jersey
On the right shoulder of the Cougars' tops is stitching with the No. 32 in it. The patch is for former Houston player Reggie Chaney, who died in August of 2023.
Chaney played three seasons at Houston during his five-year NCAA career. A transfer from Arkansas, the forward was on the Cougars team that made a run to the Final Four in 2021. He played in 104 games for Sampson.
Sampson used Chaney as motivation for his team during the tight affair against Texas A&M. The Houston coach typically tries to avoid bringing up the subject too much for the sake of his players' emotions, but he did challenge his team by asking, "What would Reggie do in this second half? Tell me?"
The message hit home.
"We took that to heart," Houston guard Ramon Walker said. "And every single player on this roster took that to heart. We didn’t quit. Even with four starters out, we didn’t quit.
"And Reggie was with us that game ... Very emotional. Reggie was with us that game."
What happened to Reggie Chaney?
Chaney died on August 21, 2023 of fentanyl toxicity, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office. He was 23 years old.
Paramedics pronounced Chaney dead at the scene after he was found unresponsive in a bedroom at a home in Arlington. An autopsy report showed the fentanyl toxicity and ruled the death accidental.
"Reggie's always going to be in our hearts," Sampson said in November. "That's why we have memories. While someone near and dear to our hearts left us, we have his memories, and we're also going to put No. 32 on our jerseys this year so he'll be close to us."
