Emanuel Sharp Earns Place on Jerry West Award Preseason Watch List

Kalifa Sakho, Emanuel Sharp, Kingston Flemings, Hands

Emanuel Sharp Earns Place on Jerry West Award Preseason Watch List

10/28/2025 10:51:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Buy Fertitta Center Single-Game Tickets Request Fertitta Center Group Tickets

Senior guard collects latest preseason honor as one of 20 student-athletes nationally

Emanuel Sharp, Jerry West Award Shooting Guard of the Year Preseason Watch List

HOUSTON – University of Houston senior guard Emanuel Sharp became the latest Cougar to receive preseason recognition when he was named to the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Top 20 Watch List on Tuesday.

He was named a Preseason All-American by Blue Ribbon College Yearbook and was one of three Cougars on the Preseason All-Big 12 Conference Team as voted on by the league's head coaches.

The Tampa, Fla., native scored 12 points with a rebound, steal and assist in the Cougars' win over rv/– Mississippi State during the nightcap of The Preview CBB Exhibition inside Fort Bend Epicenter in Rosenberg, Texas, on Sunday night.

The Cougars are no stranger to the Jerry West Award. In 2023, All-American guard Marcus Sasser became the first Cougar in program history to receive the award. In 2021, All-American guard Quentin Grimes was recognized as one of five finalists for the honor.

This was Houston's latest 2025-26 preseason honor from the Basketball Hall of Fame. On Monday, senior point guard Milos Uzan was named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List.

The Jerry West Award, named after the late Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player, celebrates its 12^th year by highlighting the top shooting guards in NCAA Division I.

Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting in each of the three rounds starting on Friday. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2026 Jerry West Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five.

In March, the five finalists will be presented to West's family and the Hall of Fame's selection committee, where winners will be selected.

The Selection Committee is composed of top college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.

The winner of the 2026 West Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the 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).

ABOUT EMANUEL SHARP
Sharp was a key leader for the Cougars during their run to the NCAA Tournament National Championship Game.

He ranked second among the Cougars with 12.6 points and 2.4 3-point field goals per game on the way to being named 2024-25 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.

The Tampa, Fla., native elevated his play in the postseason. After averaging 20.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 treys per game while leading Houston to the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship crown, Sharp was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, a first for the Cougars in school history.

Scoring 17 points against #22/22 (4) Purdue and 16 points with four 3-pointers against #6/6 (2) Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament, Sharp added NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player honors to his trophy case a few weeks later.

He joined legendary center Hakeem Olajuwon as the only Cougars to be named Most Outstanding Player of a conference tournament and an NCAA Tournament Regional in the same season.

With 212 3-point field goals during his career, Sharp needs only 65 treys in 2025-26 to surpass All-American guard Marcus Sasser and become the program's all-time leader in that category.

Sharp needs only five more wins for 100 in his career and to become the seventh player in school history to reach that milestone.

JERRY WEST SHOOTING GUARD of the YEAR AWARD TOP 20 PRESEASON WATCH LIST

Player	School
Emanuel Sharp	Houston
Brayden Burries	Arizona
Richie Saunders	BYU
Josh Dix	Creighton
Isaiah Evans	Duke
Xaivian Lee	Florida
Kylan Boswell	Illinois
PJ Haggerty	Kansas State
Otega Oweh	Kentucky
Ryan Conwell	Louisville
Seth Trimble	North Carolina
Anthony Roy	Oklahoma State
Jason Edwards	Providence
Ian Jackson	St. John's
Solo Ball	UConn
Rodney Rice	USC
Mason Falslev	Utah State
Malik Thomas	Virginia
Wesley Yates III	Washington
John Blackwell	Wisconsin

UP NEXT
Sharp and the Cougars begin their 2025-26 regular-season schedule when they play host to Lehigh at 7 p.m., Monday inside Fertitta Center. Houston will unveil its 2024-25 NCAA Final Four banner on the Fertitta Center concourse during a pregame ceremony, and Sampson looks to make history as he goes for the 800^th win of his career.

Single-game home tickets for all games inside Fertitta Center are now on sale, and fans are encouraged to purchase quickly while supplies last. The two-time defending Big 12 Conference Champions, Houston will play host to 16 home games inside Fertitta Center with seven in non-conference play and nine in Big 12 action in 2025-26.

Fans can purchase single-game tickets by clicking here.

Fans interested in purchasing group tickets may complete this form to be contacted by a member of the Houston Athletics Tickets Sales staff.

BUY SEASON 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.

ABOUT the COUGARS
Houston returns three starters and seven lettermen in 2025-26.

The Cougars will be boosted with the addition of one of the nation's top recruiting classes with freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr., freshman guard Isiah Harwell, freshman point guard Kingston Flemings, freshman guard Bryce Jackson and senior forward Kalifa Sakho.

In 2024-25, the Cougars set a school single-season record with 35 wins and advanced to the NCAA Tournament National Championship Game inside Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Houston, which finished #2 in both national polls, won 31 of its final 33 games to end the season and advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the seventh time in program history – and the second time under Sampson – with a resounding 69-50 win over #6/6 (2) Tennessee during the NCAA Elite Eight in Indianapolis on March 30.

The Cougars swept the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships in their second year in the league and set school and league records with a 19-1 mark in conference games. Houston became the first school to join a major conference and win the regular-season title in each of its first two years in the league in more than 100 years.

Houston posted a perfect 10-0 record in road games in Big 12 play, becoming the first program in NCAA Division I history to accomplish that feat in a season, and enter the 2025-26 season with the nation's longest active road winning streak at 14 straight games.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
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
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on X 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 –