University of Houston Athletics
Jamal Shead Named Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year
4/7/2024 12:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Senior point guard and consensus First-Team All-American collects fourth National POTY honor in 2023-24
PHOENIX, Ariz. – University of Houston senior point guard Jamal Shead received another national honor when he was named the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year on Sunday afternoon.
Shead received the away during the Naismith Awards Brunch during NCAA Final Four weekend. Head Coach Kelvin Sampson was recognized as one of four finalists for the Naismith National Coach of the Year.
This was the fourth National Defensive Player of the Year award for Shead in 2023-24. He receive similar recognition from the National Association of Basketball Coaches, Field of 68 and Andy Katz and earned the Nolan Richardson Award, presented to the student-athlete who best represents the heart and soul of his team.
Shead was a unanimous Consensus First-Team All-American and was a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year and John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year.
With Shead leading the way, Houston posted a 32-5 overall record and captured the Big 12 regular-season championship by two games in the Cougars' first year in the league. The Cougars also competed as a NCAA Tournament Region No. 1 seed for the second straight season and advanced to the Sweet for the fifth consecutive year.
ABOUT JAMAL SHEAD
Shead has been a leader for the Cougars throughout his career and never more so than during the 2023-24 season. He owns a 120-18 record in four seasons during his Houston career and ranked second in school history with his victory total.
The Cougars held 23 opponents to 60 or fewer points while the Manor, Texas, native recorded 22 games with multiple steals with 12 games with 3+ thefts, including a season-high six steals against rv/– Texas in a home win inside Fertitta Center on Feb. 17.
In the Houston records book, Shead ranked third in Houston history with 226 steals and was sixth in school single-season history with 80 steals.
He was named the Player of the Year by the league's head coaches and the Associated Press and also was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in Big 12 history to accomplish that feat in the same season.
It also was the second straight season in his second different league in which Shead was named Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He joined forward and Houston great Bo Outlaw as the only Cougars to accomplish that feat.
Shead stood second among the Cougars with 12.9 points per game. Shead also led Houston and ranked among the Big 12 Top-Five leaders in assists per game (6.3, 3rd), steals per game (2.2, 3rd) and assist-turnover ratio (3.11, 2nd) and was the only student-athlete to rank among the nation's Top-20 leaders in all three categories.
He was named the Big 12 Player of the Week twice during the regular season and was recognized as the Naismith Trophy Player of the Week for Feb. 26 and the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for Jan. 23.
Shead scored double-digit points in 27 games, including 13 of the last 15 . He also dished out 10+ assists in six games with a career-high 29-point, 10-assist performance at #21/19 BYU on Jan. 23. He was the only Cougar to record points-rebounds AND points-assists double-doubles in 2023-24.
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 – 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.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.
Shead received the away during the Naismith Awards Brunch during NCAA Final Four weekend. Head Coach Kelvin Sampson was recognized as one of four finalists for the Naismith National Coach of the Year.
This was the fourth National Defensive Player of the Year award for Shead in 2023-24. He receive similar recognition from the National Association of Basketball Coaches, Field of 68 and Andy Katz and earned the Nolan Richardson Award, presented to the student-athlete who best represents the heart and soul of his team.
Shead was a unanimous Consensus First-Team All-American and was a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year and John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year.
With Shead leading the way, Houston posted a 32-5 overall record and captured the Big 12 regular-season championship by two games in the Cougars' first year in the league. The Cougars also competed as a NCAA Tournament Region No. 1 seed for the second straight season and advanced to the Sweet for the fifth consecutive year.
ABOUT JAMAL SHEAD
Shead has been a leader for the Cougars throughout his career and never more so than during the 2023-24 season. He owns a 120-18 record in four seasons during his Houston career and ranked second in school history with his victory total.
The Cougars held 23 opponents to 60 or fewer points while the Manor, Texas, native recorded 22 games with multiple steals with 12 games with 3+ thefts, including a season-high six steals against rv/– Texas in a home win inside Fertitta Center on Feb. 17.
In the Houston records book, Shead ranked third in Houston history with 226 steals and was sixth in school single-season history with 80 steals.
He was named the Player of the Year by the league's head coaches and the Associated Press and also was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in Big 12 history to accomplish that feat in the same season.
It also was the second straight season in his second different league in which Shead was named Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He joined forward and Houston great Bo Outlaw as the only Cougars to accomplish that feat.
Shead stood second among the Cougars with 12.9 points per game. Shead also led Houston and ranked among the Big 12 Top-Five leaders in assists per game (6.3, 3rd), steals per game (2.2, 3rd) and assist-turnover ratio (3.11, 2nd) and was the only student-athlete to rank among the nation's Top-20 leaders in all three categories.
He was named the Big 12 Player of the Week twice during the regular season and was recognized as the Naismith Trophy Player of the Week for Feb. 26 and the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week for Jan. 23.
Shead scored double-digit points in 27 games, including 13 of the last 15 . He also dished out 10+ assists in six games with a career-high 29-point, 10-assist performance at #21/19 BYU on Jan. 23. He was the only Cougar to record points-rebounds AND points-assists double-doubles in 2023-24.
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 – 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.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.
– UHCougars.com –
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