Kingston Flemings Shows His Humble Nature Even as He Wows Tilman Fertitta, a Crazed UH Crowd and Rips Out Texas Tech’s Heart

No one is less impressed by Kingston Flemings than Kingston Flemings. It is part of this wonder freshman point guard’s secret sauce, the ability to not make himself out to be a big deal even as everyone else becomes obsessed with the magic he’s producing for Kelvin Sampson’s University of Houston team. On a night when Flemings takes over in the clutch in a high-level Top 15 Big 12 matchup, a night when UH chancellor Renu Khator wraps him up in a big hug, a night when the UH proud United States Ambassador to Italy Tilman Fertitta marvels over him and legendary broadcaster Bill Rafferty hits him with one of his signature “Talk about onions!” calls, Flemings barely celebrates.

This is a newly turned 19-year-old who expects to do this.

“Flemings really hit some clutch shots there,” Fertitta tells PaperCity, having gone from watching Kevin Durant bury the Phoenix Suns with a game-winner on Monday night to seeing Flemings score nine points in the last two minutes and 11 seconds to topple Texas Tech on Tuesday. “Great athlete. He’s going to be a great pro one day.

“There’s guys out there that are just made that way. To go hit those — he hit our last three baskets — just a big-time guy. Give him a lot of credit. But a really nice young man.”

One who does everything he can to make it about what UH is doing, not what he’s doing. After seizing the game in those final 131 seconds in what turns into a 69-65 win over Texas Tech, Flemings talks about how bad his defense was in the first half, voluntarily shares how much Sampson had to get on him at halftime. He gushes over how many winning plays freshman big man Chris Cenac Jr. makes. He marvels over how JoJo Tugler adjusted to use his left hand in one of the bigger baskets of the game. He praises the defense of veteran guards Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan, and even true freshman Isiah Harwell in a short stint, and how hard they make life for elite Texas Tech point guard Christian Anderson (who finishes with only seven points in 40 minutes, even after making a meaningless half-court fling at the final buzzer).

In other words, Kingston Flemings mostly tries to talk about everyone but himself. This is who he is. A baller who doesn’t do ego. A star who just wants to be part of the team.

And a closer who isn’t scared of any moment.

“Fearless,” UH coach Kelvin Sampson says of Flemings. “I didn’t think Kingston played great tonight.”

“There’s guys out there that are just made that way. To go hit those — he hit our last three baskets — just a big-time guy. Give him a lot of credit. But a really nice young man.” — Tilman Fertitta on Kingston Flemings

That’s the thing. This 23 point (9 for 19 shooting), five assist, three rebound, two turnover game isn’t close to the freshman’s most impressive game of his young season. The way Flemings completely controlled the game in that high-octane win in a very pro Arkansas environment in New Jersey stands out more. So does that eight steal game against Florida State. The way he almost willed UH back against Tennessee by getting to the basket again and again and again in Las Vegas screamed out more. As does his 22 point, seven assists and five rebound game in that one point win over Auburn in Alabama.

This Texas Tech game is more about the close, how Kingston Flemings shrugs off everything and anything that went wrong earlier to deliver when Houston needs him most.

Emanuel Sharp isn’t surprised. The senior guard quickly lost any doubt himself when Flemings showed up to campus and immediately started dominating in this beyond nationally elite program’s summer pickup games. Flemings never has been afraid.

And in a picture perfect night of rocking atmosphere at the Fertitta Center, with Houston Astros manager Joe Espada, UH football coach Willie Fritz, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and Tilman and Patrick Fertitta all in the building, the teenage point guard shows why he’s so special. So unusual. Which is about much more than the talent that will likely make him the second one-and-done player of this Kelvin Sampson golden era.

A baller who doesn’t do ego. A star who just wants to be part of the team. Even as he seizes the moment.

“In high school, I hit a lot of game winners,” Flemings says. “Whether it’s AAU, whether it’s high school ball, I hit a lot of game winners. It’s just the work you put in to have that confidence. Knowing that coach wants the ball in my hands, it helps me have confidence.”

“I just get to go out there and do what I do best.”

Kelvin Sampson’s Trust and Game Calling

Kelvin Sampson clears the middle of the floor to get his true freshman point guard room to operate, running an action late that he saves for moments like this, catching a well-schooled Texas Tech team a little off guard.

“We actually have an action where we flatten the baseline out, playing the Nail with him up top,” Sampson says. “Then we kind of fill behind whichever way he goes. I don’t like running that stuff early in games. But it’s something that we started working on while we were in Vegas.”

With Flemings having gone the first 37 minutes and 49 seconds of this Texas Tech game without hitting a three, Grant McCasland’s team was much more focused on keeping Emanuel Sharp (17 points, including 11 in the first half when the Cougars needed a veteran to steady them) off of the 3-point line. When Flemings saw his opening, he didn’t hesitate.

Give Kingston Flemings an opening and he’ll kick the door right down.

“After he made that three, I thought he was already in a mode where he was taking the game over,” McCasland says.

Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland on UH freshman point guard Kingston Flemings hitting biggest shots: “It shows his competitive character is tremendous. Then he made that pull-up. But after he made that three, I thought he was already in the mode where he was taking the game over” pic.twitter.com/lLvNFh5s1V

— Chris Baldwin (@ChrisYBaldwin) January 7, 2026

Closers close. But Flemings will tell you he never gets a chance to take over late without Chris Cenac’s double double (11 points, 11 rebounds), without Cenac and JoJo Tugler combining for 21 rebounds (seven of those offensive by Tugler, UH’s defensive unicorn) to help offset JT Toppin’s 18 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. No. 7 Houston vs. No. 14 Texas Tech turns out to be a drag out Big 12 battle of elite starting lineups. In a game with only two bench points scored total (with Ramon Walker Jr. talking a shot to the groin and Isiah Harwell two shots to the head that limited UH’s bench options), it turns into a fight of endurance and finishing.

Kelvin Sampson’s Houston program has been the best in the Big 12 at doing that ever since it joined the league. But to keep doing it with this younger, untypical UH team means even more. These now 14-1 Cougars force Texas Tech into five turnovers in the last 5:25 after the disciplined Red Raiders only commit nine turnovers in the first 34 plus minutes.

That’s finishing.

“It’s a great feeling,” Emanuel Sharp says. “Knowing that we’re able to toughen up at the end of games. These are the type of games that bring out the true colors of a team. Tonight we showed we’re a tough team. We got down the stretch and really nutted up and got some stops. Guys stepped up.”

Especially the teenage point guard.

“Kingston’s an Alpha,” Sharp says. “He was that guy in high school. . . And he’s been that since he got here.”

A baller who doesn’t do ego. A star who just wants to be part of the team.

“Chris,” Flemings says. “Chris — 11 points, 11 rebounds. He doesn’t look like a freshman out there, seeing him fly for rebounds. He had the biggest play — I think in my opinion, the biggest play of the game — when with Milos at the line, he won the block out rebound (with 1:17 remaining in a two-point game).”

Kingston Flemings will keep talking about everyone but himself. This is who he is. Even as he turns on the joy at UH’s packed, buzzing on-campus arena. Makes everyone want to hug the person next to them. Whatever they know them or not.

“I’m really happy for the Coach and the whole team,” Fertitta tells PaperCity.

It’s a moment. By Kingston. Even if he’d rather make it about everyone else.

No outlet covers UH basketball throughout the entire calendar year with more consistency and focus than PaperCity Houston. For more of Chris Baldwin’s extensive, detailed and unique insider coverage of UH sports — stories you cannot read anywhere else, stay tuned. Follow Baldwin on the platform formerly known as Twitter here.