Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) dunks over Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game on Monday Dec. 29, in Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
UH has been on a roll lately when it comes to developing players into NBA-caliber talent. Many talented athletes from across the nation and the world have come to Houston to play for coach Kelvin Sampson and his elite staff members.
They seem to have all realized that the Houston coaching staff has mastered the art of unlocking a player’s potential, with a few exceptions here and there.
Recently, former Cougar stars Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr. both came to Houston specifically for this reason. In their short time with Sampson, they both quickly flourished into NBA-caliber players. Flemings especially benefited as he went from an under-the-radar pickup to a potential top 10 pick in the 2026 NBA draft.
As a Cougar, Flemings set the single-season freshman scoring record with a total of 594 points and set a freshman single-game record with an astonishing 42 points against Texas Tech. He led the team with 16.1 points, 5.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game during the 2025-26 season. This made Flemings a consensus second-team All-American and gave him first-team All-Big 12 honors.
It is this type of development that has also made many other Cougars valuable assets to a variety of current NBA team rosters. One way or another, these players have assisted their teams while providing significant depth and contributions.
Cougars in the NBA
Point guard LJ Cryer helped lead the Cougars to their first national championship game since 1984 after coming in through the transfer portal from Baylor. He came into the NBA as an undrafted free agent who eventually signed with the Golden State Warriors.
He was a steady contributor for the Warriors, averaging 8.2 points in 18 regular-season games. An unfortunate injury in a loss against the Lakers prior to the play-in tournament match-up against the Phoenix Suns sidelined him for the rest of the season.
Jamal Shead played for a total of four years as a point guard with the Cougars and won both the Big 12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2024.
Shead was drafted 45th by the Toronto Raptors in the 2024 draft and is currently averaging 6.6 points, 5.4 assists and 1.7 rebounds over 82 games. He has become an important playmaker for the Raptors who are currently contending against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
Guard Marcus Sasser also played all four years for the Cougars and won the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year award as a senior. Sasser was drafted 25th by the Detroit Pistons in 2023.
He is currently averaging 5.2 points, 2.0 assists and 1.0 rebounds per game with the Pistons. The Pistons are the number one seed in the East this 2026 season and are currently locking horns with the Orlando Magic in the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
Jarace Walker was a one-and-done power/small forward who had a standout season with the Cougars during the 2022-23 season. Walker was named AAC Freshman of the Year that season and went straight to the NBA.
He currently plays for the Indiana Pacers but was drafted by the Wizards in 2023 as the eighth overall pick in the 2023 draft. Walker was injured in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks and did not play in the NBA Finals against the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Walker recently averaged 11.6 points, 2.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game during the 2025-26 season for Indiana.
Shooting guard Quentin Grimes was one of the first Cougars to earn an All-American honor since 1999 and helped lead the team to the Final Four in 2021.
He was also selected as an AAC tournament MVP after scoring 21 points against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the final match of the tournament. Grimes was drafted twenty-fifth overall by the New York Knicks in the 2021 draft and now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers.
He has averaged 13.4 points, 3.3 assists and 3.6 rebounds during the 2025-26 season. He is currently competing with his team in the 2026 NBA playoffs against the Boston Celtics.
All these players are prime examples of how Coach Sampson and company’s system unlocks the potential within. The grit and grind culture of the Houston Cougars instills a never-give-up mentality within those who endure and embrace it. This is why the 2026 motto of “Built by Houston” so aptly captures the spirit of the program.
sports@thedailycougar.com
