DALLAS – Kelvin Sampson said there is no player in the country more valuable to his team than Jamal Shead was to Houston. Shead is the Big 12 Player of the Year, a first-team All-American and Houston’s best defender.
“He’s the heart and soul of this team,” Sampson said. “We don’t have another Jamal. He was the best player on the field tonight. He’s been the best player on the field in every game we’ve played this year except for a few.
“We earned a seed because of his leadership, his tenacity and his ability to make everyone better.”
The Cougars, the top seed in the South Region, played without Shead for much of their Sweet 16 loss to fourth-seeded Duke. Shead played 13 minutes in the first half and scored two points before spraining his ankle.
He did not return to the game, watching the second half from the bench as Houston lost 54-51. Duke advances to Sunday’s Elite Eight game against NC State.
Sampson said Shead would have missed the rest of the tournament even if Houston had advanced.
“I couldn’t really put pressure on it or walk,” Shead said. “I couldn’t go back. I hate that it ended like this. I wish I could go back and at least participate in the fight.
“I knew if I had played the outcome probably would have been different, or I hope it would have been.”
The Cougars kept the game close, but Emanuel Sharp missed a 3-point try in the final seconds that would have sent the game to overtime.
“We were in a position to win the game without Jamal,” Sampson said. “With Jamal, it’s a whole different story, but that’s neither here nor there, is it?
“It doesn’t feel like a fair fight. It might take two to match Jamal’s. That’s how good he was. He’s a first-team All American. You don’t have one another one. You don’t have the best defensive player in the Big 12. You don’t have a guy who made all the big shots at the end.”
Almost echoing Sampson, Duke coach Jon Scheyer said, “Shead is the ultimate competitor and winner. There is no replacement for him.”
Sampson said he thought the Cougars were good enough to reach the Final Four without injuries. The Cougars lost guards Terrance Arceneaux and Joseph Tugler to injuries earlier in the season.
Instead, Houston failed to reach the Final Four for the second straight season as a No. 1 seed.
“Sometimes it’s just God’s work,” Sampson said. “It just wasn’t our time.”
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