A veteran of 13 NCAA Tournaments, Houston Rockets assistant coach and former college coach Kelvin Sampson will join the University of Houston Men’s Basketball program as its head coach, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Mack Rhoades announced Wednesday evening.

Sampson will be introduced at a 3 p.m., press conference on Thursday, inside Hofheinz Pavilion. Fans are invited to attend the press conference. Doors on the Holman Street side will be open at 2:30 p.m., with seating available on the West side of Hofheinz Pavilion. Cash parking will be available in the Football Stadium Parking Garage.

Sampson will become the ninth head coach in the history of the Houston program, replacing James Dickey, who stepped down in late March due to private family matters.

"As we conducted our search, we spoke with many people who employed, worked with and worked for Kelvin Sampson at his previous institutions as well as current and former NCAA officials. Those reviews were extremely encouraging and, in multiple meetings with Kelvin, he was candid and completely transparent about his mistakes in the past. Coach Sampson is committed to leading a first-class program in all areas and is excited to return to the college game," Rhoades said.