Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson agreed to a contract extension with improved financial terms this month, a development that is met with excitement among the Cougars’ fan base. However, new information about why the process was delayed has come to light.
The contract extension shows that Sampson is committed to the program, as he had two years left on his original contract.
Houston Athletic Director Reveals Why Kelvin Sampson Delayed His Contract Extension
Houston Men’s Basketball Head Coach Kelvin Sampson put pen to paper on a new four-year contract with the school that will run through the 2028-29 season, the school announced on Thursday. He had two years remaining on his previous contract.
“It is hard to truly put into words what Kelvin Sampson has meant to our men’s basketball program, our athletics department, our university, and our greater Houston community,” Athletics Director Eddie Nunez said in a statement.
University of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson worked on getting a revised and increased compensation pool for his assistant coaches and other UH basketball staffers before negotiating his own contract, AD Eddie Nuñez tells @PaperCityMag. “His No. 1 priority was his assistant coaches… pic.twitter.com/HlnRq9vzye
— Chris Baldwin (@ChrisYBaldwin) May 22, 2025
His success as a coach on the court is even more impressive when considering the tremendous impact he has had on the many young men to come through our program.
AD Eddie Nunez has explained why the contract was delayed, revealing Sampson’s selfless act.
“His No. 1 priority was his assistant coaches and his staff from the beginning,” Nunez says. “He told me, “I want to get that done, Eddie.’”
Only after that was secured did Sampson and Nuñez get into the hard numbers of the coach’s own four-year deal. The details of the contract are not yet public, but it’s reported he’ll be among the highest-earning coaches in college basketball.
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Sampson led the Cougars to a 35-5 record in the 2024-25 season, which included a heartbreaking 65-63 loss to Florida in the NCAA Tournament Final.
Sampson has a 724-311 overall career record in Division I. Before his appointment at Houston in 2014, he coached at Washington State (1987-94), Oklahoma (1994-2006), and Indiana (2006-08). He had a 299-84 record with Houston.
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