Trio of Houston Cougars Basketball Stars Named To Prestigious Preseason Team

With the season just weeks away, the preseason awards have already started to come in for the Houston Cougars men's basketball team.

Apr 7, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Houston Cougars guard Milos Uzan (7) dribbles the ball against the Florida Gators during the first half of the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Just over six months after finishing three points shy of their first national championship, the Houston Cougars are gearing up for an even more successful 2025-26 season, their 12th under head coach Kelvin Sampson.

The school's first national championship game in over 40 years was preceded by a 27-4 regular season that saw the Coogs go 19-1 in Big 12 play, their one loss coming at home in an 82-81 overtime loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders, before winning their next 18 games and ending up in the championship game, losing 65-63 to the Florida Gators.

Now, as the 2025 season is just a few short weeks away from commencement, the team's star players have already received some recognition in the national spotlight.

Three Coogs Named To Preseason All-Big 12 Team

Thursday morning, the Big 12 Conference announced the selections for the Preseason All-Big 12 team, and leading the way with three players was none other than Houston, represented in the 10-player team by redshirted senior guard Emanuel Sharp, junior forward Joseph Tugler, and senior guard Milos Uzan, with Uzan making the team as a unanimous selection.

Mar 28, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Houston Cougars guard Milos Uzan (7) reacts with forward Joseph Tugler (11) in the second half during a Midwest Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Uzan, ready for his second season with the Cougars after coming over from the Oklahoma Sooners, averaged a career-high 11.4 points and 4.3 assists per game in the 2024-25 season, highlighted by a 25-point game in the Big 12 Championship, boosting Houston over the Arizona Wildcats, as well as a 22-point showing against the Purdue Boilermakers in the Sweet 16, and ending with a second-team All-Big 12 naming.

Tugler, also known as "JoJo," averaged nearly two blocks, one steal, and six rebounds per game, earning him Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Award honors last season, in addition to 5.5 points in 21.7 minutes played.

Also awarded to Tugler for his stellar defensive play was the Lefty Driesell Award, given annually to the most outstanding men's college basketball defender in Division I, Tugler becoming the first Cougar to be graced with the honor.

Sharp, a former member of the Israeli Under-16 national team, has averaged 12.6 points and started all but six games in his last two seasons with the Cougars and was also named the Big 12 tournament MVP after scoring 19 points against the Colorado Buffaloes, 26 against the BYU Cougars, and 17 in the conference championship game against the Arizona Wildcats, the latter resulting in a 72-64 for Houston and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Cougars open up their championship redemption tour on November 3 at 7:00 PM against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks from the Fertitta Center in Houston.