Emanuel Sharp Honored as Finalist for Jerry West Award

HOUSTON – University of Houston senior Emanuel Sharp was named one of five finalists for the Jerry West Award, presented annually to the nation's top shooting guard by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting starting Friday at http://hoophallawards.com/. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.

Later this month, the finalists will be presented to West Award and the Hall of Fame's selection committees. The Selection Committees for the Jerry West Award are composed of top men's college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.

The winners of the 2026 West Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the four other members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), Karl Malone Award (Power Forward) and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center).

Brayden Burries (Arizona), Isaiah Evans (Duke), Keaton Wagler (Illinois) and Solo Ball (UConn) joined Sharp as Jerry West Award finalists.

Sharp is the third Cougar to be named a finalist for the Jerry West Award. Guard Marcus Sasser received the honor in 2023 while guard Quentin Grimes was recognized as a finalist in 2021.

Sharp also became the second Cougar to be named a finalist for a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame individual position award this season. On Monday, freshman Kingston Flemings was named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, presented to the nation's top collegiate point guard.

ABOUT EMANUEL SHARP
In nearly five seasons with the Cougars, Sharp has established himself as one of the nation's top guards.

He is one of three Cougars to start all 31 games to date and stands second on the team with 15.8 points per game. The Tampa, Fla., native leads the Cougars and ranks among the Big 12 Conference Top-10 leaders in 3-point field goals per game (2.7) and 3-point field goal percentage (.376) and leads the league with an 88.1 free throw percentage.

Sharp has scored double-digit points in all but six games this season with a season-high 27 points in a win over Florida State during the Houston Hoops Showdown inside Toyota Center on December 8 and at Big 12 rival Utah on February 10.

With a career-high eight 3-point field goals in the road win at Utah, he became only the eighth Cougar in school history to drain 8+ 3-pointers in a game, joining Cameron Tyson (twice), Robert McKiver (three times), Quentin Grimes, Marcus Sasser, Corey Davis Jr., Jherrod Stiggers and Andre Owens.

His trey total against the Utes also made him the Cougars' career 3-point field goal leader. Sharp moved past guard Marcus Sasser for the top spot and now has 295 treys in his career.

Sharp is tied for second with forward Fabian White Jr. with 121 career wins and ranks 11^th in school history with 1,619 points. He also is tied for second with point guard Jamal Shead with 72 victories inside Fertitta Center in Houston history.

He is scheduled to graduate this spring with his bachelor's degree in integrated studies.

JERRY WEST AWARD FINALISTS

Player	School	Class	Position	Height
Emanuel Sharp	Houston	Senior	Guard	6-3
Brayden Burries	Arizona	Freshman	Guard	6-4
Isaiah Evans	Duke	Sophomore	Guard	6-6
Keaton Wagler	Illinois	Freshman	Guard	6-6
Solo Ball	UConn	Sophomore	Guard	6-4

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UP NEXT
• Sharp and Houston take their first steps in the postseason at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament inside T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
• The Cougars will open play as the (2) seed at 6 p.m., Thursday. Houston will face the winner from (7) West Virginia/(10) BYU-(15) Kansas State. That game will air on ESPN or ESPN2.
• All Houston Men's Basketball games can be heard on 950 AM KPRC, the Varsity Network app and Sirius XM Radio.

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Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Men's Basketball by providing NIL opportunities 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
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– UHCougars.com –

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