Leading the Houston Men’s Basketball program to its sixth consecutive 20-win season and national rankings every week during the 2020-21 season, Head Coach Kelvin Sampson has signed a contract extension through the 2026-27 season.
“I am looking forward to continuing our journey of building our basketball program to the best it can be,” Sampson said. “The greatest joy I have in coaching is being with these young men every day. I look forward to continue developing them on and off the court and chase championships.”
“Since he arrived at the University of Houston in 2014, Coach Kelvin Sampson has consistently built his program through culture, family and winning,” Houston Vice President for Athletics Chris Pezman said. “Through Coach Sampson’s leadership, he has returned our program to national prominence, but he has also given the city of Houston a men’s basketball team to cheer on and competes at the highest level. He has built a complete program that is a model for all of our coaches within our athletics department. We are excited for many more years of competing for championships and appearances in the NCAA Tournament, but we also appreciate his continued dedication to the University of Houston.”
“I couldn’t be more pleased with the impact Coach Sampson continues to have on Cougar Basketball and our University as a whole,” University of Houston President Dr. Renu Khator said. “His culture of winning has consistently positioned us to compete at the highest levels. Today is a significant investment in our commitment to being nationally competitive in all that we do as a University and I am thrilled he will continue to be a Cougar.”
“Kelvin is a great ambassador for our University and the City of Houston,” University of Houston Board of Regents Chairman Tilman J. Fertitta said. “He’s an elite coach and built a top-10 program. I look forward to Kelvin leading our program for years to come.”
Since the 2017-18 season, Sampson has led the Cougars to a 104-23 overall record, two American Athletic Conference regular season titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances. The Cougars are also the winningest Division I men’s basketball program in the state of Texas with 147 victories, 12 ahead of second-place Baylor.
Despite losing four starters from last year’s squad, he has guided the Cougars to a 21-3 record and 14-3 mark in conference play in 2020-21.
During Sampson’s tenure, Houston opened the Fertitta Center during the 2018-19 season. Since the facility’s opening, the Cougars are 44-3 on their home court and have won 25 consecutive home victories, the nation’s fourth-longest active streak
Overall, Sampson is one of 10 coaches in NCAA history to lead 3+ teams to NCAA Tournament wins, and he is also one of 15 coaches to lead 4+ schools to NCAA Tournament appearances. He has earned 19 postseason appearances, including 15 NCAA Tournament berths.
Sampson ranks as the second-winningest coach in Houston history and stands as the program’s career leader in winning percentage (.717).
https://uhcougars.com/news/2021/3/9/mens-basketball-sampson-contract-extended-through-2026-27.aspx
