Although the University of Houston already had a women's basketball program, the Houston Cougars men's basketball program did not begin until the 1945–46 season. Alden Pasche was the team's first head coach.
The University of Houston initially had a women's basketball squad, but it wasn't until the 1945-46 academic year that the university launched its men's basketball program, with Alden Pasche serving as the inaugural head coach.