Houston Cougars basketball shines with conference awards, Kelvin Sampson named coach of the year

The Houston Cougars basketball team walked away with a lot of accolades in its final regular season in the American Athletic Conference.

The AAC on Wednesday morning revealed its men’s basketball regular season award winners. Houston was featured multiple times, including Marcus Sasser earning AAC player of the year honors and head coach Kelvin Sampson being voted the conference’s coach of the year.

Houston junior point guard Jamal Shead was awarded AAC defensive player of the year. Junior forward J’Wan Roberts was named the conference’s most improved player of the year, and senior big man Reggie Chaney was named AAC sixth man of the year. Forward Jarace Walker was named the conference’s freshman of the year.

Sasser also headlined the league’s first-team all-conference team. Sasser was a unanimous selection to the team. He was joined by Memphis fifth-year guard Kendric Davis as the only players to receive unanimous selections.

The AAC first-team all-conference also included Cincinnati’s Landers Nolley II, Memphis big man DeAndre Williams and Tulane sophomore guard Jalen Cook.

Shead, Roberts, and Walker were named to the second-team all-conference. They joined UCF freshman forward Taylor Hendricks and Tulane junior guard Jaylen Forbes.

No Houston Cougars basketball players were named to the all-conference third team, which featured Tulane senior guard David DeJulius, South Florida senior guard Tyler Harris, Temple redshirt sophomore guard Damian Dunn, Wichita State senior guard Craig Porter Jr. and junior forward Kevin Cross.

All three of Houston’s freshmen — Terrance Arceneaux, Emanuel Sharp, and Walker — were named to the AAC all-freshman team. Walker was a unanimous selection along with UCF’s Hendricks and East Carolina forward Ezra Ausar.