Houston Cougars basketball player picks up trash on floor after teammate spills garbage can over

A University of Houston basketball player has been praised for cleaning up after his teammates after one angrily kicked over a trash can on his way off court following  the team’s loss to Alabama on Saturday.

Emotions were running high when officials refused to give a call on an Alabama player for goaltending in the last seconds of a 83-82 loss for the Cougars. Following the no-call, U of H coaches and players argued with the referees before they left the court in Tuscaloosa, visibly frustrated with the game’s outcome.  

In the aftermath of the highly-anticipated encounter, a Twitter user shared footage of a Houston assistant coach, seen stomping over a chair and kicking another out of anger before leaving the court.  

Senior and power forward Reggie Chaney is also seen knocking a garbage can onto the floor on his way to the locker room.

Moments later, one of Chaney’s teammates, sophomore Jamal Shead, starts picking up the garbage, much to the delight of Alabama supporters, including Austin Rader, who captured the moment on his phone and shared it on Twitter.

‘Shoutout Jamal Shead for picking up the trash,’ Rader tweeted.  

No. 35 and power forward Reggie Chaney grabbed a garbage can and knocked it over, spilling trash on the floor

Tempers were running high when officials refused to award a last-minute call to Houston for goaltending in the last seconds of a 83-82 loss to Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Saturday

No. 1 Jamal Shead sees the trash on the floor after No. 35  Reggie Chaney knocked it over out of anger

Shead proceeds to pick up trash while Alabama fans observe, following his teammates return to the locker room

University of Houston guard Jamal Shead was quick to pick up the content of trash spilled over by a teammate after Saturday’s 83-822 loss to Alabama, much to the delight of the home supporters

College basketball fans watching the game were quick to praise Shead’s good deed and sportsmanship

‘Thats (sic) what class looks like. His teammates should learn from him,’ said a Twitter user, going by ‘Butlebj’.

‘Showing class like this in the midst of pure chaos … Lots of emotions. I can’t say I would have handled myself like this guy at his age or now. Good on him,’ tweeted @Julioarenas19.   

College basketball fans praised Shead's good deed and sportsmanship on Twitter, citing the sophomore as an example for his teammates

College basketball fans praised Shead’s good deed and sportsmanship on Twitter, citing the sophomore as an example for his teammates

Houston guard Jamal Shead (No.1) works inside during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Alabama on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Aabama.

Houston guard Jamal Shead (No.1) works inside during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Alabama on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Aabama.

The video sparked more than one million views on Twitter as of Monday evening, after popular sport outlet ESPN SportsCenter shared the footage online.

Following the video’s increase in popularity, more players and staff on the University of Houston team came out to apologize for their post-game behavior.

‘Just received a call from [head coach Kelvin Sampson], someone I’ve known since I was in high school. He sincerely apologized for how things ended after last night’s game in Coleman (Coliseum). He also called [Alabama head coach Nate Oats]. Thanks Coach Sampson for reaching out,’ University of Alabama’s director of athletics, Greg Byrne, tweeted.

Kellen Sampson, the U of H assistant coach who was caught kicking the chairs nearby, also apologized for physically venting his frustration in public.

‘At the conclusion of yesterday’s game, I allowed my emotions to bubble over. I sincerely apologize to @AlabamaMBB and their fan base for my actions. I understand my role as a coach and my reaction was not indicative of a leader of men. I will be better moving forward,’ Kellen tweeted on Sunday.

University of Alabama's director of athletics, Greg Byrne, shared the apology made by the University of Houston Basketball staff in the wake of the game on Sunday

University of Alabama’s director of athletics, Greg Byrne, shared the apology made by the University of Houston Basketball staff in the wake of the game on Sunday 

Kellen Sampson, the U of H assistant coach who knocked two chairs over, wrote that his post-game reaction 'was not indicative of a leader of men.'

Kellen Sampson, the U of H assistant coach who knocked two chairs over, wrote that his post-game reaction ‘was not indicative of a leader of men.’

Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson talks to Houston Cougars forward Reggie Chaney (32) during the second half against Alabama Crimson Tide at Coleman Coliseum

Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson talks to Houston Cougars forward Reggie Chaney (32) during the second half against Alabama Crimson Tide at Coleman Coliseum

Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson argued after the game that the call should have been given and that the officials did not offer him any explanation as to why it was not called. 

‘That was disappointing that he didn’t call that,’ Sampson said. ‘I felt bad for my kids, not for me. I’ll live to fight another day. These kids have invested so much and they work so hard, and they played so hard tonight in a tough environment with a lot of things going against them, over and over and over.

‘For us to rebound it twice and put the ball on the rim and he knocks it off the rim and there’s no call, that’s just a tough way to go down tonight,’ he added.

The game between between the two teams was the first encounter between two top-15 teams in Coleman Coliseum since 2007. The victory meant back-to-back wins for Alabama over last season’s Final Four teams after the Crimson Tide beat No. 5-ranked Gonzaga on December 4. 

No. 6 Alabama’s next game is on Tuesday night at Memphis, looking to improve on its 8-1 record while No. 13 Houston (8-2) plays against Louisiana Lafayette, also on Tuesday.