Three Men’s Basketball Stars Named to Naismith Player of the Year Watch List

HOUSTON – University of Houston Men's Basketball stars Emanuel Sharp, Milos Uzan and Joseph Tugler were among 50 student-athletes named to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Watch List presented by AXIA Time on Monday.

Houston was one of only three schools to have 3+ student-athletes on the list, joining Florida and St. John's.

These were the latest preseason honors for the Cougar trio. All three student-athletes also earned places on the Preseason All-Big 12 Conference Team in voting by the league's head coaches in October.

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.

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A person in a basketball uniform holding a basketballAI-generated content may be incorrect.

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.

He was named a Fourth-Team All-American by Blue Ribbon College Yearbook and was one of 20 preseason candidates for the Jerry West Award Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List

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A basketball player in a uniform with a ball in front of a crowdAI-generated content may be incorrect.

ABOUT MILOS UZAN
Now in his second season at Houston, Uzan electrified Cougar fans with his decision in May to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to the University for his final season of eligibility.

After transferring from Oklahoma in the summer of 2024, Uzan emerged as an offensive leader for the Cougars during the 2024-25 season. He started all 40 games to set a school single-season record and led the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament National Championship Game.

Uzan ranked third on the team with 11.4 points per game and led the Cougars and ranked eighth in the Big 12 with 4.3 assists per game.

With a 2.98 assist-turnover ratio, he topped the Cougars, finished third in the league and ranked 11^th nationally with that total.

He flirted with a triple-double with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in Houston's thrilling come-from-behind win in double overtime at Kansas. He tipped a KU inbounds pass into the hands of guard Mylik Wilson, who drained the game-tying 3-pointer to force the second extra period.

For that performance, Uzan was named the Big 12's Player of the Week and was recognized as a USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week.

He scored double-digit points in 25 games with a career-high 25 points in Houston's win over rv/#24 (3) Arizona during the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Title Game in Kansas City, Mo.

Uzan was named to the All-Big 12 Conference Second Team and captured a place on the NABC All-Gulf District Team as well as the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team.

This preseason, Uzan was named to the NABC Player of the Year Watch List and was recognized on the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Watch List. He also was voted to the Field of 68 and CBS Sports Preseason All-America Third Teams.

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A basketball player reaching for a ballAI-generated content may be incorrect.

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.

This preseason, Tugler was named CBS Sports' inaugural Preseason National Defensive Player of the Year and was one of student-athletes from across the nation on the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Watch List.

JERSEY MIKE'S NAISMITH TROPHY PLAYER of the YEAR WATCH LIST presented by AXIA TIME

Player	Class	Position	School	Conference
Emanuel Sharp	Senior	Guard	Houston	Big 12
Milos Uzan	Senior	Guard	Houston	Big 12
Joseph Tugler	Junior	Forward	Houston	Big 12
Darius Acuf Jr.	Freshman	Guard	Arkansas	SEC
Nate Ament	Freshman	Forward	Tennessee	SEC
Robbie Avila	Senior	Center	Saint Louis	Atlantic 10
Solo Ball	Junior	Guard	UConn	Big East
Nate Bittle	Senior	Center	Oregon	Big Ten
John Blackwell	Junior	Guard	Wisconsin	Big Ten
Cameron Boozer	Freshman	Forward	Duke	ACC
Mikel Brown Jr.	Freshman	Guard	Louisivlle	ACC
Markus Burton	Junior	Guard	Notre Dame	ACC
Alex Condon	Junior	Forward/Center	Florida	SEC
Ryan Conwell	Senior	Guard	Louisville	ACC
Donovan Dent	Senior	Guard	UCLA	Big Ten
Tucker DeVries	Senior	Forward	Indiana	Big Ten
Josh Dix	Senior	Guard	Creighton	Big East
A.J. Dybantsa	Freshman	Forward	BYU	Big 12
Zuby Ejiofor	Senior	Forward	St. John's	Big East
Isaiah Evans	Sophomore	Guard/Forward	Duke	ACC
Boogie Fland	Sophomore	Guard	Florida	SEC
Ja'Kobi Gillespie	Senior	Guard	Tennessee	SEC
P.J. Haggerty	Junior	Guard	Kansas State	Big 12
Thomas Haugh	Junior	Forward	Florida	SEC
Bryce Hopkins	Graduate	Forward/Guard	St. John's	Big East
Josh Hubbard	Junior	Guard	Mississippi State	SEC
Graham Ike	Graduate	Forward	Gonzaga	West Coast
Tomislav Ivisic	Junior	Center	Illinois	Big Ten
Ian Jackson	Sophomore	Guard	St. John's	Big East
Alex Karaban	Senior	Forward	UConn	Big East
Trey Kaufman-Renn	Senior	Forward	Purdue	Big Ten
Xaivian Lee	Senior	Guard	Florida	SEC
Yaxel Lendeborg	Graduate	Forward	Michigan	Big Ten
Tamin Lipsey	Senior	Guard	Iowa State	Big 12
Jaland Lowe	Junior	Guard	Kentucky	SEC
Nick Martinelli	Senior	Forward	Northwestern	Big Ten
Otega Oweh	Senior	Guard	Kentucky	SEC
Koa Peat	Freshman	Forward	Arizona	Big 12
Darryn Peterson	Freshman	Guard	Kansas	Big 12
Tahaad Pettiford	Sophomore	Guard	Alabama	SEC
Richie Saunders	Senior	Forward	BYU	Big 12
Jackson Shelstad	Junior	Guard	Oregon	Big Ten
Braden Smith	Senior	Guard	Purdue	Big 12
Bennett Stirtz	Senior	Guard	Iowa	Big Ten
Andrej Stojakovic	Junior	Guard	Illinois	Big Ten
Bruce Thornton	Senior	Guard	Ohio State	Big Ten
JT Toppin	Junior	Forward	Texas Tech	Big 12
Darrion Williams	Senior	Forward	NC State	ACC
Caleb Wilson	Freshman	Forward	North Carolina	ACC

UP NEXT
Uzan, Sharp, Tugler and the Cougars begin their 2025-26 regular-season schedule when they play host to Lehigh at 7 p.m., Monday, November 3, 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.

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 –

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