The Houston Cougars have once again reached the Final Four, led by head coach Kelvin Sampson, who has had an intriguing career path to this point.
Diving Into Cougars Coach Kelvin Sampson’s Career Path, Including an NCAA Ban and Final Four Appearances
Sampson has come a long way.
At 69 years old, he has long been established as one of the best coaches and defensive technicians in college basketball. He consistently fields one of the best defenses in college basketball. In fact, this season, the Cougars rank first in the nation in allowing only 58.3 ppg—a staggering mark in this age of college basketball.
After pursuing a master’s in coaching and administration at Michigan State University, Sampson’s first job in the college basketball world began with the NAIA’s Montana Tech Orediggers, where he was an assistant coach for a season before becoming the head coach and leading the Orediggers to a 73-45 record in four years.
From there, he was hired as an assistant with the Washington State Cougars in 1986. Just two seasons later, he was hired as the head coach, holding the job for seven seasons and lifting a previously dormant basketball program to the NCAA Tournament in his final season.
In 1994, he was hired away from Washington State by the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners’ job represented his first in big time college basketball as a member of the newly-created Big 12 conference.
During his time in Norman, he led Oklahoma to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances in 11 seasons, a terrific run for Sooners basketball that included a Final Four showing in 2002. Near the end of his tenure, he was accused of illegally — according to NCAA rules — contacting recruits via phone calls, a clear violation.
Despite that, the prestigious Indiana Hoosiers hired Sampson away from Oklahoma to lead their basketball program. Unfortunately for the program, he lasted only one full season before being, once again, accused of illegal contact with recruits.
This time, the NCAA put down their fist. Sampson was given a five-year show-cause ban, disallowing him to coach college basketball in any manner for the entirety of five years.
KEEP READING: Houston’s L.J. Cryer Aims To Make NCAA History With Second National Championship at Two Schools
The NBA was next up, where Sampson served as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks for three seasons, followed by three more seasons with the Houston Rockets.
By that point, his ban had run out — and the Cougars came calling for his services.
He hasn’t looked back since, navigating Houston to seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including the Final Four in 2021.
Now, Sampson and the Cougars have a golden opportunity to win a national championship with two more victories. The title would be the first in school history, a fitting way for Sampson’s roller-coaster of a career to include.
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