‘Trusting the work’: Tugler’s career night shows steady growth

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —Trust fuels junior forward JoJo Tugler’s game, even as he continues learning how to rein it in.

“Jo, slow down,” coach Kelvin Sampson shouted after Tugler threw a pass that went off the fingers of freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. in the opening minutes of Houston’s 79-74 loss to the top-seeded Arizona in the Big 12 Tournament final. 

“(I need to) look before I do something,” Tugler said. “I just be trusting stuff too much.” 

But trusting the work he has put into his skillset allowed Tugler to post a career-high 20 points and 10 rebounds en route to his third double-double of the season on Saturday, before being named to the All-Tournament team. 

“The best player on the floor tonight was JoJo Tugler. There’s not a lot of things that bother Jo. He doesn’t get confused or lose confidence or constantly need somebody to build him up,” Sampson said. “JoJo is as tough a kid and as tough a warrior as we’ve had.” 

Tugler, the 2024-25 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, was supposed to spend the summer focusing on his offensive game but he was slowed after undergoing a procedure on the same right foot he broke during his freshman season.

Although he couldn’t take part in on-court activities this offseason, Tugler gained something valuable in the process — a voice.

Tugler put that leadership on display during a film session midway through conference play, 

“You got to get there earlier, Kalifa,” he said, referencing a play in which graduate forward Kalifa Sakho missed his defensive assignment, opening up a 3-point opportunity for the opponent.

“I just melted,” Sampson said. “I thought that was the greatest thing because now you get your team to be what you want all your teams to be: player-led.”

For Tugler, the moment marked a shift from the quiet freshman he once was to a player unafraid to speak up.

“When he first got here as a freshman, he didn’t say anything. Last year, Jo was a starter and started talking a little more, but never in a film session. That’s kind of my domain,” Sampson said. “This year, I’ve noticed that JoJo has started to talk in film sessions. He sees things … and just out of nowhere, JoJo starts talking and I just love it. Because he says it better than I probably could. When JoJo speaks, everybody listens.”

His leadership capabilities emerged at a critical moment, as he was tasked with helping Houston’s frontcourt newcomers, Cenac and Sakho, acclimate to the culture. 

“I just look up to JoJo. Every single thing he does, he goes super hard. In my head, I’m like, ‘I’ve got to do the same thing,’ Just play hard like JoJo,” Sakho said. 

The Sam Houston transfer has been pushed into early action multiple times this season. Foul trouble has plagued Tugler, who has picked up four or more fouls in 13 games, often relegating him to the bench for extended stretches.

But on that bench, a normally apologetic Tugler does not stop impacting the game. 

“If he knew I was coming down to get somebody, it was like he was giving them last-minute instructions before he went out, and then somebody would come out of the game, and JoJo would put his arm around him and tell him he did good,” Sampson said. “Just so selfless. Such a great teammate.” 

Against Arizona, Tugler was on the court for all but five minutes and contributed four points to a 14-0 run that pulled Houston within one with 7:08 remaining.

Redshirt senior guard Emanuel Sharp then fouled freshman guard Brayden Burries after he hit a jumper, extending the Wildcats’ lead back to five. 

With 6:26 on the clock, it was Tugler who grabbed an offensive rebound, allowing freshman guard Kingston Flemings to make a jumper that cut the lead to two. It was the closest the Cougars got the rest of the way. 

Despite the loss, Houston has turned its attention to the NCAA Tournaments now with another glimpse of what Tugler can do when he leads on the floor for extended minutes.

“It’s just trust — all the work I’ve put in the post,” Tugler said. “It’s just me trusting all the work.”