Forward Joseph Tugler Honored on Karl Malone Award Watch List

Forward Joseph Tugler Honored on Karl Malone Award Watch List

10/30/2025 9:44:00 AM | Men's Basketball

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National Defensive Player of the Year candidate among 20 student-athletes to be recognized among top power forwards

HOUSTON – University of Houston junior forward Joseph Tugler was one of 20 student-athletes to be named to the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Watch List on Thursday.

Tugler collected his latest preseason honor with Thursday's announcement. He was named CBS Sports' inaugural Preseason National Defensive Player of the Year and was recognized as a Preseason All-American by Blue Ribbon College Yearbook.

The Monroe, La., native also joined teammates Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp on the Preseason All-Big 12 Conference Team

This was latest preseason honor from the Basketball Hall of Fame for Houston. Earlier this week, senior point guard Milos Uzan was named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List, and senior guard Emanuel Sharp earned a place on the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Top 20 Preseason Watch List.

On Wednesday, freshman guard Isiah Harwell was named to the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List.

The annual Karl Malone Award, named after the Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player celebrates its 12^th year by recognizing the top power forward 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 Karl Malone Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five.

In March, the five finalists will be presented to Malone 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), Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward) and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center).

ABOUT JOSEPH TUGLER
Tugler burst into the national spotlight and established himself as one of the nation's premier defensive players during the 2024-25 season.

He was one of only five Cougars to compete in all 40 games to set a school single-season record and was recognized as the Lefty Driesell Award recipient. That honor is presented annually to the nation's top defensive player.

The Monroe, La., native ranked among the national and Big 12 leaders with 1.9 blocked shots per game and stood second among the Cougars with 5.9 rebounds per contest.

Tugler grabbed 7+ rebounds in 18 games, including a season-high 11 boards in the Cougars' NCAA Tournament Second-Round win over #24/23 (8) Gonzaga.

He also blocked 3+ shots in 11 games, including a stunning eight swats against #9/9 Alabama during the first day of the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas, to become only the sixth Cougar in school history to block 8+ shots in a game.

For his impressive performances throughout the year, Tugler was a Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year presented by MOLECULE finalist.

KARL MALONE POWER FORWARD of the YEAR AWARD TOP 20 PRESEASON WATCH LIST

Player	School
Joseph Tugler	Houston
Koa Peat	Arizona
Keyshawn Hall	Auburn
Michael Rataj	Baylor
Cameron Boozer	Duke
Thomas Haugh	Florida
Baye Ndongo	Georgia Tech
Graham Ike	Gonzaga
Alvaro Folgueiras	Iowa
Joshua Jefferson	Iowa State
Malik Reneau	Miami (Fla.)
Yaxel Lendeborg	Michigan
Caleb Wilson	North Carolina
Nick Martinelli	Northwestern
Trey Kaufman-Renn	Purdue
Bryce Hopkins	St. John's
Donnie Freeman	Syracuse
JT Toppin	Texas Tech
Tyler Bilodeau	UCLA
Alex Karaban	UConn

UP NEXT
Tugler 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 one of the nation's top recruiting classes with Harwell, freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr., 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
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– UHCougars.com –