Houston Cougars Freshman Guard Earns Big 12 Honors

The Houston Cougars' underclassmen are starting to find their rhythm as conference play quickly approaches.

Florida State Seminoles guard Cam Miles looks on as Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings celebrates after scoring a basket during the first half at Toyota Center. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Kingston Flemings, a freshmen guard for the Houston Cougars, has received Big 12 Starting Five honors from the Big 12 for his recent performance against Florida State. In the 82-67 win over the Seminoles, Flemings totaled 21 points, three rebounds, five assists, and eight steals.

The Big 12 Starting Five for Dec. 8 also included Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic, Baylor guard Tounde Yessoufou, Texas Tech forward Christian Anderson, and Oklahoma State forward Parsa Fallah. Momcilovic was also the Big 12's Player of the Week, and Yessoufou was selected as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.

December 8⃣ @OldTrapper #Big12MBB Starting Five 🏀 pic.twitter.com/ix0smDUmLA

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) December 8, 2025

A little under two weeks ago, Flemings had his worst performance of the year with only one point, five rebounds and five assists in a win over Notre Dame. The shots just weren't falling. The freshman rebounding with a standout performance this early in the season shows a level of maturity that very few underclassmen carry with them.

In his first season with the Cougars, Flemings is putting up 15.9 points per game along with 3.6 rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

Freshman Finding Their Rhythm

Nov 12, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) shoots the ball over Oakland Golden Grizzlies guard Ziare Wells (2) during the first half at Fertitta Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Flemings isn't the only freshman that had a rebound performance against Florida State. Chris Cenac Jr., a forward from New Orleans, Louisiana, also had a better performance against the Seminoles. Against Notre Dame, Cenac Jr. and Flemings combined for just five points, and it was the first time the two had struggled at the college level at the same time.

It's an understatement to say that the Cougars need Flemings and Cenac Jr. to be consistent offensively. While Emmanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan can take over a game when needed, the squad seems to find more success when both of the true freshman are getting scoring opportunities.

Flemings being included in the Big 12's Starting Five also speaks volumes about the freshman's raw talent. The conference is widely regarded as the best in college basketball, making any weekly honor something to be proud about.

Once conference play begins in the Big 12, Flemings' ability to rebound after a rough performance is something that the Cougars will need to feed off of. Even head coach Kelvin Sampson said earlier in the season that Houston won't win every game.

With how much talent the conference has shown this early in the season, the Cougars could be met with a different level of opposition once Big 12 play begins.

If Houston's freshmen can get a steady production from their freshmen, the program could have a level of depth that warrants another solid run at both the Big 12 regular season title and the Big 12 Tournament title as well.