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University of Houston Athletics
#3/3 Men’s Basketball Receives Big 12 Conference Awards
3/9/2025 7:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Kelvin Sampson named Coach of the Year; LJ Cryer recognized as Scholar-Athlete of the Year; Joseph Tugler honored as Defensive Player of the Year
HOUSTON – University of Houston Men's Basketball Head Coach Kelvin Sampson, graduate guard LJ Cryer and sophomore forward Joseph Tugler received individual honors, and all five Cougar starters collected All-Conference recognition with the release of the Big 12 Conference postseason awards on Monday.
For the second straight season, Sampson was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year while Cryer was honored as the league's Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Tugler collected his first individual postseason award when he was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
All five Houston starters were honored as Cryer and Graduate forward J'Wan Roberts were named to the All-Big 12 First Team while junior point guard Milos Uzan earned a place on the Second Team. Tugler received Third-Team recognition with junior guard Emanuel Sharp receiving Honorable Mention.
Roberts and Tugler also were named to the league's All-Defensive Team.
ABOUT KELVIN SAMPSON
Now in 11th season with the Cougars, Sampson is the only coach in school history to lead Houston to five, six, seven, eight, nine and 10 consecutive 20-win seasons as well as three consecutive 30-win campaigns.
In 2024-25, Sampson's Cougars captured the Big 12 regular-season season championship for the second straight year, becoming the first team in more than a century to join a major conference and accomplish that feat.
With a 19-1 Big 12 record, the Cougars set Big 12 and school single-season records with their victory total. Houston reached that milestone with a perfect 10-0 road in Big 12 road games, becoming the first school in a major conference to do that in a season.
Houston has reeled off 14 consecutive road wins – all in Big 12 play – to record the nation's longest active streak and set a Big 12 record. The Cougars have not lost a road game since Feb. 3, 2024.
The 2024-25 Cougars lead the nation allowing only 58.1 points per game and rank among the nation's Top-10 NCAA leaders in scoring margin (+16.1, 4th), field goal percentage defense (38.2, 5th), turnover margin (+4.6, 7th) and turnovers per game (9.3, 9th) and stand second in KenPom.com with an 89.3 defensive efficiency rating.
During his career, Sampson has received 11 Conference Coach of the Year honors from five leagues. This marked the seventh consecutive season in which Sampson led Houston to at least one conference title (regular season or tournament).
ABOUT LJ CRYER
Cryer has been one of the Cougars' most consistent leaders throughout the 2024-25 season. He is one of only two student-athletes to start all 31 games to date and leads Houston with 15.3 points and 3.0 3-point field goals per game.
He received his bachelor's degree in integrated studies from Houston in May 2024 and is doing post-baccalaureate work in health with a cumulative grade point higher than 3.50.
The Katy, Texas, native joined the Cougars' 1,000-Point Club earlier this season and is poised to become only the third Cougar to record multiple seasons with 100+ 3-point field goals, joining guards Robert McKiver and Corey Davis Jr.
Cryer leads the Cougars with nine 20-point games this season, including each of the last three and four of the last five, and tied his career high with 30 points against Alabama during the first day of the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas on Nov. 26, 2024.
He leads Houston and the Big 12 with a 43.1 3-point field goal percentage and falls just short of the league's and the nation's qualifying minimums with his 91.5 free throw percentage.
ABOUT JOSEPH TUGLER
Tugler broke into the Cougars' starting lineup early in the season and has been a fixture since. The Monroe, La., native leads Houston, ranks third in the Big 12 and 23rd nationally with 2.0 blocked shots per game and stands among the league's Top-20 leaders with 5.6 rebounds per contest.
Tugler has blocked at least one shot in all but three games with multiple blocks games in 18 games. He swatted eight shots against Alabama at the Players Era Festival, becoming the first Cougar to accomplish that feat since the 2005-06 season.
He also became only the sixth Cougar in school history to block 8+ shots in a single game, joining center Emmanuel Adeife, center Anwar Ferguson, forward Dwight Jones, center Hakeem Olajuwon and forward Bo Outlaw.
This was the second straight season in which a Cougar was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Point guard Jamal Shead took home the award in 2023-24, becoming the first player in league history to receive the Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same season.
Tugler was named to the Big 12's All-Freshman Team a year ago.
ABOUT J'WAN ROBERTS
Roberts has been the Cougars' frontcourt leader this season and throughout his career. He owns the school career record for wins (143), conference wins (79) and wins inside Fertitta Center (77) and became the 52nd member of the Cougars' 1,000-point club earlier this year.
With his fifth rebound late in the first half at Baylor, Roberts snared the 1,000th rebound of his career. He became only the fourth player in school history to score 1,000+ points AND grab 1,000+ rebounds as a Cougar, joining legendary centers Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes and Greg Anderson.
Roberts tops the Cougars with 6.4 rebounds per game and stands third on the team with 11.1 points per game.
The St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands native leads Houston with three double-doubles this season after scoring 11 points and grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds in Saturday's win at Baylor.
He was named to the All-Big 12 Conference Third Team a year ago.
ABOUT MILOS UZAN
Competing in his first season at Houston after transferring from Oklahoma, Uzan has emerged as an offensive leader for the Cougars.
He ranks fourth on the team with 10.9 points per game and leads the Cougars and ranks eighth in the Big 12 with 44 assists per game.
With a 3.19 assist-turnover ratio, the Las Vegas native leads the Cougars and the league and ranks eighth nationally with that total.
Uzan scored eight points and dished out a season-high 10 assists in his Houston debut during the series opener against Jackson State on Nov. 4, 2024, and posted 19 games with one or fewer turnovers this season.
He flirted with a triple-double with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in Houston's thrilling come-from-behind win in double overtime at Kansas. He tipped a KU inbounds pass into the hands of graduate guard Mylik Wilson, who drained the game-tying 3-pointer to force the second extra period.
For that performance, Uzan was named the Big 12's Player of the Week and was recognized as a USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week.
He has scored double-digit points in 12 of the last 14 games with a career-high 22 points in Houston's road win at Texas Tech on Feb. 24.
Uzan collected the second conference postseason honor of his career after being named to the league's All-Freshman team with Oklahoma in 2023-24.
ABOUT EMANUEL SHARP
Sharp stands second among the Cougars with 11.8 points per game and ranks among the Big 12's top 3-point and free throw shooters.
The Tampa, Fla., native leads the Big 12 and ranks sixth nationally with his 90.6 free throw percentage and is second among the Cougars with 2.2 3-pointers per game and a 41.3 3-point field goal percentage.
He has recorded 18 games with multiple 3-pointers and scored double-digits points in 14 of the team's first 16 games.
Sharp scored a season-high 23 points against San Diego State on the final day of the Players Era Festival and drained five 3-pointers in the Cougars' win over rv/– Hofstra inside Fertitta Center on Nov. 26, 2024.
This marked the second straight season in which Sharp was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.
2024-25 BIG 12 CONFERENCE POSTSEASON AWARDS
Player of the Year: JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Defensive Player of the Year: Joseph Tugler, Houston
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: LJ Cryer, Houston
Freshman of the Year: VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
Newcomer of the Year: JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Sixth Man Award: Curtis Jones, Iowa State
Most Improved: Richie Saunders, BYU
Coach of the Year: Kelvin Sampson, Houston
All-Big 12 First Team
LJ Cryer, Houston
J'Wan Roberts, Houston
Caleb Love, Arizona
Norchad Omier, Baylor
Richie Saunders, BYU
Curtis Jones, Iowa State
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
JT Toppin, Texas Tech*
Darrion Williams, Texas Tech
Javon Small, West Virginia
All-Big 12 Second Team
Milos Uzan, Houston
VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
Keyshawn Hall, UCF
Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
Chance McMillian, Texas Tech
All-Big 12 Third Team
Joseph Tugler, Houston
Zeke Mayo, Kansas
Coleman Hawkins, Kansas State
Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Honorable Mention: Emanuel Sharp, Houston; Tobe Awaka, Arizona; Henri Veesaar, Arizona; Robert Wright, Baylor; Egor Demin, BYU; Darius Johnson, UCF; Jizzle James, Cincinnati; Julian Hammond III, Colorado; Kansas: Dajuan Harris Jr, Kansas.; David N'Guessan, Kansas State; Bryce Thompson, Oklahoma State; Noah Reynolds, TCU; Ernest Udeh Jr., TCU; Gabe Madsen, Utah
All-Defensive Team
J'Wan Roberts, Houston
Joseph Tugler, Houston
Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Sencire Harris, West Virginia
All-Freshman Team
Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State
VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
Robert Wright, Baylor
Egor Demin, BYU
Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
All-Newcomer Team
Norchad Omier, Baylor
Keyshawn Hall, UCF
Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
Zeke Mayo, Kansas
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
UP NEXT
• Houston takes its first steps in the postseason when it competes in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Quarterfinals inside T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.,
• The Cougars will begin postseason play at 2 p.m., Thursday, March 13, against the winner from (8) West Virginia/(9) TCU/(16) Colorado.
• With a win Thursday, the Cougars advance to the Semifinals to face an opponent to be determined at 6 p.m., Friday, March 14.
TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Thursday's game on ESPN with Jon Sciambi (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst) and Kris Budden (reporter) calling.
• Fans can hear Thursday's game on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) and Elvin Hayes (analyst) calling. The pregame show begins at 1:45 p.m., Thursday.
• Fans can follow live stats from Thursday's game by clicking here.
BUY 2024-25 TICKETS
Non-season ticket holders interested in purchasing season tickets are invited to place their names on the Season Ticket Wait List by clicking here.
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.
For the second straight season, Sampson was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year while Cryer was honored as the league's Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Tugler collected his first individual postseason award when he was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
All five Houston starters were honored as Cryer and Graduate forward J'Wan Roberts were named to the All-Big 12 First Team while junior point guard Milos Uzan earned a place on the Second Team. Tugler received Third-Team recognition with junior guard Emanuel Sharp receiving Honorable Mention.
Roberts and Tugler also were named to the league's All-Defensive Team.
ABOUT KELVIN SAMPSONNow in 11th season with the Cougars, Sampson is the only coach in school history to lead Houston to five, six, seven, eight, nine and 10 consecutive 20-win seasons as well as three consecutive 30-win campaigns.
In 2024-25, Sampson's Cougars captured the Big 12 regular-season season championship for the second straight year, becoming the first team in more than a century to join a major conference and accomplish that feat.
With a 19-1 Big 12 record, the Cougars set Big 12 and school single-season records with their victory total. Houston reached that milestone with a perfect 10-0 road in Big 12 road games, becoming the first school in a major conference to do that in a season.
Houston has reeled off 14 consecutive road wins – all in Big 12 play – to record the nation's longest active streak and set a Big 12 record. The Cougars have not lost a road game since Feb. 3, 2024.
The 2024-25 Cougars lead the nation allowing only 58.1 points per game and rank among the nation's Top-10 NCAA leaders in scoring margin (+16.1, 4th), field goal percentage defense (38.2, 5th), turnover margin (+4.6, 7th) and turnovers per game (9.3, 9th) and stand second in KenPom.com with an 89.3 defensive efficiency rating.
During his career, Sampson has received 11 Conference Coach of the Year honors from five leagues. This marked the seventh consecutive season in which Sampson led Houston to at least one conference title (regular season or tournament).
ABOUT LJ CRYERCryer has been one of the Cougars' most consistent leaders throughout the 2024-25 season. He is one of only two student-athletes to start all 31 games to date and leads Houston with 15.3 points and 3.0 3-point field goals per game.
He received his bachelor's degree in integrated studies from Houston in May 2024 and is doing post-baccalaureate work in health with a cumulative grade point higher than 3.50.
The Katy, Texas, native joined the Cougars' 1,000-Point Club earlier this season and is poised to become only the third Cougar to record multiple seasons with 100+ 3-point field goals, joining guards Robert McKiver and Corey Davis Jr.
Cryer leads the Cougars with nine 20-point games this season, including each of the last three and four of the last five, and tied his career high with 30 points against Alabama during the first day of the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas on Nov. 26, 2024.
He leads Houston and the Big 12 with a 43.1 3-point field goal percentage and falls just short of the league's and the nation's qualifying minimums with his 91.5 free throw percentage.
ABOUT JOSEPH TUGLERTugler broke into the Cougars' starting lineup early in the season and has been a fixture since. The Monroe, La., native leads Houston, ranks third in the Big 12 and 23rd nationally with 2.0 blocked shots per game and stands among the league's Top-20 leaders with 5.6 rebounds per contest.
Tugler has blocked at least one shot in all but three games with multiple blocks games in 18 games. He swatted eight shots against Alabama at the Players Era Festival, becoming the first Cougar to accomplish that feat since the 2005-06 season.
He also became only the sixth Cougar in school history to block 8+ shots in a single game, joining center Emmanuel Adeife, center Anwar Ferguson, forward Dwight Jones, center Hakeem Olajuwon and forward Bo Outlaw.
This was the second straight season in which a Cougar was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Point guard Jamal Shead took home the award in 2023-24, becoming the first player in league history to receive the Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same season.
Tugler was named to the Big 12's All-Freshman Team a year ago.
ABOUT J'WAN ROBERTSRoberts has been the Cougars' frontcourt leader this season and throughout his career. He owns the school career record for wins (143), conference wins (79) and wins inside Fertitta Center (77) and became the 52nd member of the Cougars' 1,000-point club earlier this year.
With his fifth rebound late in the first half at Baylor, Roberts snared the 1,000th rebound of his career. He became only the fourth player in school history to score 1,000+ points AND grab 1,000+ rebounds as a Cougar, joining legendary centers Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes and Greg Anderson.
Roberts tops the Cougars with 6.4 rebounds per game and stands third on the team with 11.1 points per game.
The St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands native leads Houston with three double-doubles this season after scoring 11 points and grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds in Saturday's win at Baylor.
He was named to the All-Big 12 Conference Third Team a year ago.
ABOUT MILOS UZANCompeting in his first season at Houston after transferring from Oklahoma, Uzan has emerged as an offensive leader for the Cougars.
He ranks fourth on the team with 10.9 points per game and leads the Cougars and ranks eighth in the Big 12 with 44 assists per game.
With a 3.19 assist-turnover ratio, the Las Vegas native leads the Cougars and the league and ranks eighth nationally with that total.
Uzan scored eight points and dished out a season-high 10 assists in his Houston debut during the series opener against Jackson State on Nov. 4, 2024, and posted 19 games with one or fewer turnovers this season.
He flirted with a triple-double with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in Houston's thrilling come-from-behind win in double overtime at Kansas. He tipped a KU inbounds pass into the hands of graduate guard Mylik Wilson, who drained the game-tying 3-pointer to force the second extra period.
For that performance, Uzan was named the Big 12's Player of the Week and was recognized as a USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week.
He has scored double-digit points in 12 of the last 14 games with a career-high 22 points in Houston's road win at Texas Tech on Feb. 24.
Uzan collected the second conference postseason honor of his career after being named to the league's All-Freshman team with Oklahoma in 2023-24.
ABOUT EMANUEL SHARPSharp stands second among the Cougars with 11.8 points per game and ranks among the Big 12's top 3-point and free throw shooters.
The Tampa, Fla., native leads the Big 12 and ranks sixth nationally with his 90.6 free throw percentage and is second among the Cougars with 2.2 3-pointers per game and a 41.3 3-point field goal percentage.
He has recorded 18 games with multiple 3-pointers and scored double-digits points in 14 of the team's first 16 games.
Sharp scored a season-high 23 points against San Diego State on the final day of the Players Era Festival and drained five 3-pointers in the Cougars' win over rv/– Hofstra inside Fertitta Center on Nov. 26, 2024.
This marked the second straight season in which Sharp was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.
2024-25 BIG 12 CONFERENCE POSTSEASON AWARDS
Player of the Year: JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Defensive Player of the Year: Joseph Tugler, Houston
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: LJ Cryer, Houston
Freshman of the Year: VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
Newcomer of the Year: JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Sixth Man Award: Curtis Jones, Iowa State
Most Improved: Richie Saunders, BYU
Coach of the Year: Kelvin Sampson, Houston
All-Big 12 First Team
LJ Cryer, Houston
J'Wan Roberts, Houston
Caleb Love, Arizona
Norchad Omier, Baylor
Richie Saunders, BYU
Curtis Jones, Iowa State
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
JT Toppin, Texas Tech*
Darrion Williams, Texas Tech
Javon Small, West Virginia
All-Big 12 Second Team
Milos Uzan, Houston
VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
Keyshawn Hall, UCF
Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
Chance McMillian, Texas Tech
All-Big 12 Third Team
Joseph Tugler, Houston
Zeke Mayo, Kansas
Coleman Hawkins, Kansas State
Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Honorable Mention: Emanuel Sharp, Houston; Tobe Awaka, Arizona; Henri Veesaar, Arizona; Robert Wright, Baylor; Egor Demin, BYU; Darius Johnson, UCF; Jizzle James, Cincinnati; Julian Hammond III, Colorado; Kansas: Dajuan Harris Jr, Kansas.; David N'Guessan, Kansas State; Bryce Thompson, Oklahoma State; Noah Reynolds, TCU; Ernest Udeh Jr., TCU; Gabe Madsen, Utah
All-Defensive Team
J'Wan Roberts, Houston
Joseph Tugler, Houston
Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Sencire Harris, West Virginia
All-Freshman Team
Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State
VJ Edgecombe, Baylor
Robert Wright, Baylor
Egor Demin, BYU
Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
All-Newcomer Team
Norchad Omier, Baylor
Keyshawn Hall, UCF
Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
Zeke Mayo, Kansas
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
UP NEXT
• Houston takes its first steps in the postseason when it competes in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Quarterfinals inside T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.,
• The Cougars will begin postseason play at 2 p.m., Thursday, March 13, against the winner from (8) West Virginia/(9) TCU/(16) Colorado.
• With a win Thursday, the Cougars advance to the Semifinals to face an opponent to be determined at 6 p.m., Friday, March 14.
TUNE IN
• Fans can watch Thursday's game on ESPN with Jon Sciambi (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst) and Kris Budden (reporter) calling.
• Fans can hear Thursday's game on 950 AM KPRC and the Varsity Network app with Jeremy Branham (play-by-play) and Elvin Hayes (analyst) calling. The pregame show begins at 1:45 p.m., Thursday.
• Fans can follow live stats from Thursday's game by clicking here.
BUY 2024-25 TICKETS
Non-season ticket holders interested in purchasing season tickets are invited to place their names on the Season Ticket Wait List by clicking here.
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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