Houston basketball standout returns home, plays against the Longhorns
AUSTIN, Texas - Houston senior point guard Jamal Shead had a happy homecoming at UT on Monday.
Shead, a former Manor star, is right where he and his family always dreamed he would be.
"It's an awesome situation. We're really excited. This is his first time in his college career he gets to play at home," said Elvin Shead, Jamal Shead's father.
"Soon as they said that we were playing in Austin. Man, we put it together. You know we had a pregame for it," said Jaylen Shead, Jamal Shead's brother.
"Just tried to stay focused. During the game, once you're in it, you don't worry about it being your hometown. You just try to win for your teammates," said Jamal Shead.
That is exactly what the former Manor standout, who is now one of the nation's best, went out and did. He helped lead Houston to a 76-72 overtime win against Texas.
Houston senior point guard Jamal Shead
"He's been a part of winning at the highest level. He played in the Final Four. He's played in the Elite Eight. So, he understands what goes into winning, and he plays his role at a very high level," said Rodney Terry, UT Men's Basketball Head Coach.
Jamal definitely showed out in front of his family and friends at his first college game back in his hometown, lighting the Horns up for 25. That included back-to-back threes as the Cougs hit three straight to quickly turn a six-point deficit into a three-point lead in the second half.
"Just talked about staying together. Everybody's going to make a run. Basketball's a game of runs, and Texas is a good team. We didn't expect to just be ahead of them the whole time, and I feel like we responded very well," Jamal said.
"Being from Austin. Yeah, you want to play for the Texas Longhorns, but unfortunately, none of my kids got that opportunity. Nor did myself. But we're here now," said Elvin.
"Coming out of high school, I didn't think I was good enough to get to the division one level for a while. And one school that really showed interest in me was Houston. So, the school showed interest in me and believed in me first. They got me. So, Texas is a really good school. It is a school that I grew up around, but Houston's home for me," Jamal said.