Jamal Shead led the nation’s best defense this season for UH. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar
UH senior point guard Jamal Shead won the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Sunday, adding to a long list of accolades for the Cougars’ leader and becoming the first UH player to win the award since its creation in the 2017-18 season.
Shead enjoyed the best season of his career with averages of 12.9 points, 6.3 assists and 2.2 steals while leading Houston to a Big 12 regular season championship and a 32-5 record in its first year in the conference. Shead won Big 12 Player and Defensive Player of the Year honors for his performance and was a unanimous choice for First-Team All-American honors.
Under Shead’s leadership, the Cougars earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year and helped UH make the Sweet 16 for the fifth consecutive year.
