Craig Larson Jr.
April 7, 2025
Updated 10:59 a.m. ET
As Championship Monday arrives, it marks the coronation of head coach Kelvin Sampson. Often overlooked and criticized, Sampson’s strong leadership has led the Houston Cougars to their first National Championship Game since 1984.
In February 2008, there were still open questions about the type of program Kelvin Sampson ran, especially after he was dismissed from Indiana for mishandling Eric Gordon. Prior to that, a 500-page report from the NCAA documented alleged wrongdoings during his time coaching at Oklahoma. It was a case of two strikes, and he was out. After that, Sampson spent several years as an assistant coach on various NBA benches.
The idea of building a program from scratch and being on the verge of cutting down the nets seemed unimaginable 18 years ago. Remarkably, if the Cougars upset the slightly favored Florida Gators, it will mark Sampson’s 300th career victory at the University of Houston. This is not just “Coogs House”; it’s Kelvin Sampson’s house.
The narrative surrounding this game should not focus on how Duke blew a 14-point lead, but rather on how Houston closed the game with an impressive 11-1 run in the final 1:14 to secure the upset. It was this very determination that stunned the capacity crowd at the Alamodome on Saturday.
Former Houston Coach, Tom Penders spoke to me about the impact Kelvin Sampson has had on the game. “No coach owns the last five minutes like Kelvin. You have to prepare your team for man to man and zone presses, underneath out of bounds situations and defending their 3 pt shooters. That’s too much with one day of preparation. Duke looked prepared for 35 minutes. Their lack of preparation for Houston’s fullcourt press killed them.”
Penders continued, “Kelvin knew what Duke was going to do after their late timeout. J’wan Roberts was matched up with Flagg. No traps, after trapping him all game. Roberts forced Flagg into an off balance fadeaway. Kelvin prepares for everything. I’ve watched him run practice sessions.”
“Nobody does that better. He’s smart. His father was his HS coach. He has never been anointed. He overcame every obstacle in his life and career.”
A mere three weeks ago on Selection Sunday, it was widely acknowledged that the “top tier” coaches of Tom Izzo, Mark Few and Bill Self would be the media darlings of the field. Enter Sampson and his gritty bunch of kids who continue to grind until the final buzzer even when it appeared all hope was lost. Now they stand at the door step of vanquishing the memories of Lorenzo Charles and the short comings of Phi Slamma Jama once and for all. The question will be if the Cougars can contain Walter Clayton Jr, if they do, expect a parade in the Bayou City.
