Why Kingston Flemings Is Forever Grateful For the University of Houston
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Houston’s freshman point guard Kingston Flemings recently spoke to the media one final time as he declared for the 2026 NBA Draft.
With the news, Flemings will now take on workouts from various teams to try to improve his stock as much as possible before the draft, beginning on Tuesday, June 26.
Throughout the press conference, Flemings delivered several powerful messages about the University of Houston, giving fans even further insight on what the coaching staff is doing behind closed doors.
Kingston Speaks on His Journey at the University of Houston
One reason why Flemings had a breakout freshman campaign, earning his way into a top-10 projected draft pick, is because of his work ethic and passion for the game of basketball.
”When I came here… I was ready to work,” Flemings said. “Through the recruitment process with coach Sampson, coach Kellen and all the coaches, it was a journey for sure. When I got here in the summer, I was just ready to work, ready to prove coach Samp right for coming after me and recruiting me.”
Well, Flemings absolutely showed how good Houston is at recruiting because in just one season the rookie point guard flourished into one of the best playmakers in all of college basketball.
In his freshman season, he averaged 16.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Because Flemings put all his trust in his coaching staff and came in ready to work hard and win games, he certainly raised his draft stock maybe even quicker than the young guard ever anticipated.
”When I came into this season, my main goal was to find a way to help this team and winning,” Flemings said. “Coming here, I just wanted to win so bad and that is the reason I chose here. Honestly [being a one-and-done] was not even on my mind coming into the year, I was just trying to focus so much because coming here, if you are focused on outside factors, you aren’t going to have a good year.”
With his quick growth from a high school standout into a college basketball star, coach Kelvin Sampson pleaded his case for his young point guard.
”I don’t think Kingston’s a top-10 pick,” Sampson said. “I think he is a top-5 pick. If I was an NBA team, I’d draft him top five.”
If Flemings is drafted in the top five, he would become Sampson’s highest-drafted player since joining the University of Houston in 2014.
Overall, Flemings work ethic and trust in Sampson and his staff made this recruitment a perfect match, and is a huge reason why that Flemings will be a lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
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Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).