Houston Cougars’ Freshman Recognized for Exceptional Performances
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No. 2 Houston Cougars men’s basketball is undefeated through the first four games of the season and is coming off an exciting one-point win over No. 22 Auburn on Sunday.
This was going to be a very interesting early season to watch for the Cougars with a group of top freshmen that will play a major role in the starting lineup and will be crucial to their ultimate success this year.
No one has arguably stood out more and taken the country more by surprise than point guard Kingston Flemings.
A Freshman Floor General
After his two standout performances this past week against Oakland and Auburn, Fleming was given the Lute Olson as well as the USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week awards. The former five-star product remarkably averaged 20 points, eight assists, and five rebounds during this stretch while shooting at a 64% clip from the field with a 3-pointer in each game.
Another honor for @K1ngFlemings 👑
— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) November 18, 2025
He's a @USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week!
🔗 – https://t.co/GPSIMLf2bs#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/Yyt2VLyrKM
Flemings was truly leading the Cougars from the front as he led the team in scoring and assists this week, while being tied for second in blocks. He started off with a team-high 19-point performance against Oakland on Wednesday night at home. Flemings shot 8/12 overall and dished out an early career high nine assists with no turnovers, as well as five rebounds.
On Sunday, the San Antonio native showcased himself on the national stage with a season-high 22 points on 8/13 shooting and seven assists, along with five rebounds. Additionally, Flemings came through defensively with a block on a potential go-ahead layup with 15 seconds left.
While his offense has been the talk, Fleming’s defense is at a high level, one of the reasons why head coach Kelvin Sampson keeps him in the starting lineup.
Flemings now leads Houston with 17.3 points and 5.3 assists per game. Senior guard Emanuel Sharp is close behind with 16.3 PPG. Flemings joins Braden Smith (Purdue), Mikel Brown (Louisville), Cameron Boozer (Duke), and Delrecco Gillespie (Kent State) as fellow Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week honorees.
On Monday, Flemings was additionally awarded the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week honors. He has clearly defined himself as one of the best freshmen in the conference. While many expected Flemings to be good, it looks like he was definitely underrated to start the year.
Nice work, @K1ngFlemings! 👑@Big12Conference Player of the Week ✅
— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) November 17, 2025
Big 12 Newcomer of the Week ✅
Big 12 Starting Five of the Week ✅
NEXT – vs Rider, 8 pm THURSDAY, Fertitta Center#ForTheCity x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/Rmttz9tMR0
Flemings was joined on this week’s Big 12 Starting Five by AJ Dybantsa (BYU), Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State), Flory Bidunga (Kansas), and JT Toppin (Texas Tech).
Sampson is not surprised by this electric start to the year from Flemings, as he has seen it all the time during his recruitment process. There is a reason why he has such vital minutes already. Additionally, Sampson is not one to give a ton of praise four games into the year, especially to a freshman.
“That was the worst game Kingston has played defensively all year. Both of them (Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr.) gave up as much as they got, if you look at all the breakdowns they had," Sampson said.
Sampson was pleased with the win but clearly wants to see improvement, especially defensively.
Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.