University of Houston Athletics
Cougars Well Represented at Houston Sports Awards
12/13/2022 1:16:00 PM | Football, General, Men's Basketball, Volleyball
Five Houston representatives among nominees for 2023 event, set for Jan. 25
HOUSTON – The University of Houston will once again be well represented at the Houston Sports Awards Presented by Insperity with four student-athletes nominated for the College Athlete of the Year Award and Houston Men's Basketball Head Coach Kelvin Sampson earning the nomination for the Coach of the Year Award.
Houston's College Athlete of the Year nominees include Football wide receiver Nathaniel "Tank" Dell, Volleyball libero Kate Georgiades, Men's Basketball guard Marcus Sasser and Men's Basketball forward Fabian White Jr.
Sampson returns to the nomination list after being named the 2022 Houston Sports Awards Coach of the Year. Houston Men's Basketball took home the hardware a year ago with Quentin Grimes earning College Athlete of the Year and Houston's advancement to the Final Four earning "Moment of the Year" honors.
The sixth annual Houston Sports Awards will be on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, at the Wortham Center. Two-time Houston Sports Award winner Alex Bregman will be the Master of Ceremonies. The star-studded awards show gathers Houston's top athletes, both past and present, to commemorate, celebrate and recognize Houston's top sports achievements, sports icons, performers, and moments. For more on the event, click here.
ABOUT THE NOMINEES
Nathaniel "Tank" Dell • Football • Wide Receiver
Dell has been named Second-Team All-America by a host of publications following another record-setting season. The junior leads the nation in receiving touchdowns (15) as well as receiving scores since the start of the 2020 season (30). The Daytona Beach, Fla., native is second nationally in receiving yards (1,354) and receptions per game (8.6) this season.
Kate Georgiades • Volleyball • Libero
Georgiades was named The American's Libero of the Year for the second consecutive season and was named to the Southeast All-Region Team after helping the Cougars to the program's second appearance in the Sweet 16 and first since 1994. Houston captured its first conference title since 1999 behind a 19-1 league record. The junior set a program record for digs in a three-set match with 34 against Tulsa on Nov. 11. Georgiades ranks sixth in the country in total digs (687) and her average of 5.41 per set is 11th nationally. Georgiades was also named Academic All-District by the College Sports Communicators.
Kelvin Sampson • Men's Basketball • Head Coach
Sampson led the Cougars throughout an unforgettable 2021-22 season, which featured numerous twists and turns. Picked to win the American Athletic Conference for the third straight season in the Coaches' Preseason poll, Sampson and the team were dealt a pair of heavy blows with the losses of guards Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark to season-ending injuries in late December 2021. Despite those losses, Sampson and the Cougars responded and overcame those challenges, posting a 32-6 overall record, sweeping the league's regular-season and tournament championships and advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight. It was only the fourth sweep of the conference championships in school history and the first since 1991-92.
Marcus Sasser • Men's Basketball • Guard
Sasser averaged 17.7 points through the first 12 games of 2021-22 before being sidelined for the remainder of the season. The Dallas native returned in style during 2022-23, ranking seventh in the league in points (161) and points per game (16.1). The senior guard has registered double-digit points in eight of 10 games. With 12 points in Houston's win over North Florida on Dec. 6, the preseason All-American reached the 1,000-point milestone for his Cougar career. With a pair of 3-pointers in the win, Sasser became only the seventh Cougar in school history to sink 200+ 3-pointers during his career.
Fabian White Jr. • Men's Basketball • Forward
White capped his sensational career by becoming Houston's winningest player in program history with an extraordinary 2021-22 campaign. The Atascocita, Texas, native was named The American Athletic Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player after averaging 12.7 points and 3.7 rebounds. The First-Team All-Conference honoree finished second among the available Cougars and 16th in the American Athletic Conference with 12.5 points per game while ranking third on the team and 14th in The American with 5.7 rebounds per contest.
Houston's College Athlete of the Year nominees include Football wide receiver Nathaniel "Tank" Dell, Volleyball libero Kate Georgiades, Men's Basketball guard Marcus Sasser and Men's Basketball forward Fabian White Jr.
Sampson returns to the nomination list after being named the 2022 Houston Sports Awards Coach of the Year. Houston Men's Basketball took home the hardware a year ago with Quentin Grimes earning College Athlete of the Year and Houston's advancement to the Final Four earning "Moment of the Year" honors.
The sixth annual Houston Sports Awards will be on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, at the Wortham Center. Two-time Houston Sports Award winner Alex Bregman will be the Master of Ceremonies. The star-studded awards show gathers Houston's top athletes, both past and present, to commemorate, celebrate and recognize Houston's top sports achievements, sports icons, performers, and moments. For more on the event, click here.
ABOUT THE NOMINEES
Nathaniel "Tank" Dell • Football • Wide Receiver
Dell has been named Second-Team All-America by a host of publications following another record-setting season. The junior leads the nation in receiving touchdowns (15) as well as receiving scores since the start of the 2020 season (30). The Daytona Beach, Fla., native is second nationally in receiving yards (1,354) and receptions per game (8.6) this season.
Kate Georgiades • Volleyball • Libero
Georgiades was named The American's Libero of the Year for the second consecutive season and was named to the Southeast All-Region Team after helping the Cougars to the program's second appearance in the Sweet 16 and first since 1994. Houston captured its first conference title since 1999 behind a 19-1 league record. The junior set a program record for digs in a three-set match with 34 against Tulsa on Nov. 11. Georgiades ranks sixth in the country in total digs (687) and her average of 5.41 per set is 11th nationally. Georgiades was also named Academic All-District by the College Sports Communicators.
Kelvin Sampson • Men's Basketball • Head Coach
Sampson led the Cougars throughout an unforgettable 2021-22 season, which featured numerous twists and turns. Picked to win the American Athletic Conference for the third straight season in the Coaches' Preseason poll, Sampson and the team were dealt a pair of heavy blows with the losses of guards Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark to season-ending injuries in late December 2021. Despite those losses, Sampson and the Cougars responded and overcame those challenges, posting a 32-6 overall record, sweeping the league's regular-season and tournament championships and advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight. It was only the fourth sweep of the conference championships in school history and the first since 1991-92.
Marcus Sasser • Men's Basketball • Guard
Sasser averaged 17.7 points through the first 12 games of 2021-22 before being sidelined for the remainder of the season. The Dallas native returned in style during 2022-23, ranking seventh in the league in points (161) and points per game (16.1). The senior guard has registered double-digit points in eight of 10 games. With 12 points in Houston's win over North Florida on Dec. 6, the preseason All-American reached the 1,000-point milestone for his Cougar career. With a pair of 3-pointers in the win, Sasser became only the seventh Cougar in school history to sink 200+ 3-pointers during his career.
Fabian White Jr. • Men's Basketball • Forward
White capped his sensational career by becoming Houston's winningest player in program history with an extraordinary 2021-22 campaign. The Atascocita, Texas, native was named The American Athletic Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player after averaging 12.7 points and 3.7 rebounds. The First-Team All-Conference honoree finished second among the available Cougars and 16th in the American Athletic Conference with 12.5 points per game while ranking third on the team and 14th in The American with 5.7 rebounds per contest.
Players Mentioned
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