On the cusp of reaching the next level of professional sports, collegiate athletes and the programs they play for are a great means by which brands like Jordan and Nike can showcase and market the latest in performance technology. With this, NCAA teams are often sporting specially made colorways that come with design details paying homage to said college. Just recently we’ve seen new Jordan Brand signee Howard University get their own Air Jordan 6 colorway but the PEs aren’t stopping there. First signing with Jordan Brand back in 2018, the University of Houston Cougars should be taking the court soon in one of three PEs made for the school, encompassing the Jordan Luka 1, Jordan Zion 1, and Jordan Why Not .5?.
All three sneakers in this PE collection come with the school's white and red color scheme (san the Jordan Luka 1 which features purple hits) while replacing select branding details with the “UH” logo. Starting with Zion Williamson’s silhouette, the leather, mesh, and nubuck upper come with the front half draped entirely in a deep red while the tongue, collar, and heel feature stark white shades. Typical Zion branding appears on the tongue and sole unit while the Cougar's “UH” logo replaces the Jumpman on the heel. Underfoot, the sole unit comes in a mixture of both red and white, encasing a full-length Zoom Air unit.
Luka Donic’s Jordan Luka 1 strays from the red-and-white color scheme with a mainly purple and white mesh and fused TPU overlays. Along the edge of the sole and upper as well as the collar and eyestays sits a purple TPU with a variety of squiggly graphics strewn about the overlay. Just below this is a woven mesh that primarily comes in white with more purple accents that come diagonal. White laces and a purple tongue both contrast the white and red tongue tag as well as the sockliner. Underfoot, the foam midsole comes in the same shades as found on the upper.
Finally, Russell Westbrook’s Jordan Why Not .5? goes back to the red and white color scheme found on the Luka 1, utilizing its typical semi-translucent TPU, leather, ripstop nylon, and neoprene upper. White shades take over the leather mudguard, laces, and nylon strap near the uppermost eyestay while red shades make their mark on the tongue, collar, and heel overlay. The University of Houston’s logo replaces the Westbrook logo atop the tongue while the usual Air Zoom branding near the toe of the midsole remains in place.
The University of Houston’s Jordan Brand PE collection is set to remain exclusive to the Cougars women’s basketball team, so expect to catch some games with players rocking some of these pairs on the court this season. Keep it locked to our Twitter and the Sole Retriever mobile app to stay updated on the latest releases, raffles, news, and more in the sneaker and streetwear world.
Images via uhcougarwbb
