Jamal Shead

Shead began his high school career at John B. Connally in Texas and later transferred to Manor High School. As a junior, Shead led his team to the state tournament for the first time in school history, earning District 18-5A Most Valuable Player honors. As a senior, he helped Manor win the District 18-5A title. Considered a three-star prospect by 247Sports, Shead committed to play college basketball for Houston. While Shead received limited playing time as a freshman, he made 32 starts as a sophomore and was named to the All-AAC Third Team. The following year, the 6-foot guard was named to the All-AAC Second Team and earned AAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. As a senior, Shead averaged 12.9 points, 6.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 steals in 31.1 minutes across 37 appearances. For his efforts, he was named the Big 12 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player to win both awards in the same season. Shead's biggest strength is his standout perimeter defense. The 6-foot guard is adept at navigating screens, keeping opponents in front of him, and forcing turnovers through jumping passing lanes and maintaining active hands. Shead is also a good playmaker, able to find teammates all over the court as a primary ball-handler. Shead's game is reminiscent of Tre Jones and Kris Dunn due to his elite perimeter defense combined with the ability to create open shots for teammates. Shead's skillset could allow him to develop into a quality backup point at the next level who can fit seamlessly alongside volume scorers.