Jamal Shead Named to Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List

HOUSTON – As one of the leaders of one of the nation's top defensive teams, University of Houston senior point guard Jamal Shead was named to the Naismith Award Defensive Player of the Year Watch List presented by AXIA Time on Wednesday.

Shead was one of 15 student-athletes from across the nation to be named to the Watch List.

This was the second national watch list to which Shead was named. In late January he was recognized as one of the Top 10 Candidates for the Bob Cousy Award, presented by the Naismith Basketball of Fame. That honor is presented annually to the nation's top point guard.

ABOUT JAMAL SHEAD
Shead has been a leader for the Cougars throughout his career and never more so than during the 2023-24 season.

The Manor, Texas, native has started all 23 games to date and leads a Houston defense which leads the country in scoring defense (54.4 ppg), field goal percentage defense (37.1), scoring margin (+19.5), turnover margin (7.6) and KenPom.com defensive efficiency rating (86.6) and ranks among the Top 10 in steals per game (10.1), , 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.6) and turnovers forced per game (16.5).

The Manor, Texas, native has recorded at least one steal in 38 consecutive games dating back to midway through the 2022-23 season with a season-high five thefts in a home win over Stetson on Nov. 13, 2023.

But Shead is more than a defensive threat. He stands second among the Cougars with 12.5 points per game after scoring a game-high 23 points in Tuesday's win over Big 12-rival Oklahoma State inside Fertitta Center and is poised to become the fourth player in school history with more than 600 assists during his career.

Shead leads Houston and ranks among the Big 12 Top-Five leaders in assists per game (5.8), steals per game (2.2) and assist-turnover ratio (2.98) and is one of only three student-athletes to rank among the nation's Top-31 leaders in all three categories.

He was named the Big 12 Player of the Week for Jan. 22 after leading the Cougars with 19.5 points, 7.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game in wins at #21/19 BYU and against UCF. The health major became the first Cougar to receive a Big 12 regular-season award in program history.

Shead has scored double-digit points in 15 games and dished out 10+ assists in a pair of games this season with a career-high 29-point, 10-assist performance at #21/19 BYU on Jan. 23.

Shead owns a 108-16 record in more than three seasons during his Houston career and needs only two more victories in 2023-24 to become the second-winningest player in school history.

In 2021-22, Shead led Houston to the NCAA Elite Eight and was named to the NCAA Tournament All-Regional Team, becoming only the third sophomore in school history to earn that honor, joining Hakeem Olajuwon (1984) and Elvin Hayes (1968).

2023-24 NAISMITH DEFENSIVE PLAYER of the YEAR WATCH LIST

Name	School	Position	Class
Jamal Shead	Houston	Guard	Senior
Adrian "Ace" Baldwin Jr.	Penn State	Guard	Senior
Reece Beekman	Virginia	Guard	Senior
Adem Bona	Sophomore	Forward/Center	UCLA
Johni Broome	Junior	Forward/Center	Auburn
Devin Carter	Junior	Guard	Providence
Ryan Dunn	Sophomore	Guard	Virginia
Zach Edey	Senior	Center	Purdue
Dajuan Harris Jr.	Junior	Guard	Kansas
Jaelen House	Graduate Student	Guard	New Mexico
Ryan Kalkbrenner	Senior	Center	Creighton
Tamin Lipsey	Sophomore	Guard	Iowa State
Kevin McCullar Jr	Senior	Guard	Kansas
Clifford Omoruyi	Senior	Center	Rutgers
Zakai Zeigler	Junior	Guard	Tennessee

UP NEXT
• Shead and the Cougars hit the road to meet Cincinnati at 3 p.m. (CST), Saturday, Feb. 10, inside Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati. That game will air on ESPN2.
• From there, Houston then meets rv/rv Texas for the second time in 2023-24 when it hosts the Longhorns inside Fertitta Center at Noon, Saturday, Feb. 17. That game will air on CBS.
• The Cougars continue their homestand when they face #12/11 Iowa State for the second time this season inside Fertitta Center in Houston at 6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 19. That game will air on ESPNU.
• All Houston Men's Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Men's Basketball by supporting Linking Coogs – UH's NIL collective, giving to Houston Rise and by joining the 50-50 Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Men's Basketball for needs beyond its operating budget.

Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.

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