Jamal Shead Named Finalist for Naismith Player of the Year
Houston guard Jamal Shead has already been named a First-Team All-American, the Big 12 Player of the Year, and a First-Team All-Big 12, and he was a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award in 2023-24. Now, his list of accolades looks to be even longer.
Shead was listed as a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year Award alongside North Carolina’s RJ Davis, Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, and Purdue’s Zach Edey.
In his first year as a member of the Big 12 Conference, Shead led the Cougars to a first-place finish this season with an overall record of 32-4 and a conference record of 15-3. The senior guard is currently averaging 13.2 points, 6.4 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Shead was massive in the Cougars’ 100-95 overtime win over Texas A&M, putting up an impressive stat line of 21 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds. In addition to his heroic numbers, Shead played the entire duration of the game and the majority of the overtime period, willing his team to win despite being one of four starters to foul out.
The Texas native has been one of the most impressive players in the nation this season and will have a chance to continue his run toward National Player of the Year on Friday against the 4-seed Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet 16—the matchup between Houston and Duke tips off at 8:39 p.m. CT on CBS.
