While North Carolina has one team representing the state in the Final Four, there’s another NC connection opposing them in Houston men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson.
The NC native is preparing for his third Final Four appearance, having coached the top-seeded Cougars all the way through the Midwest Region.
A man of humble beginnings, Sampson – a veteran head coach with 36 years of experience – is a member of North Carolina’s Lumbee Tribe, having been born in Deep Branch, a Lumbee community in Robeson County.
“My roots in North Carolina are strong,” Sampson said following a game against ECU in 2023. “I’ve been a Lumbee my whole life and I’m proud of it.”
Sampson’s basketball career began local too, as he started playing basketball at Pembroke High School and then Pembroke State (now UNC-Pembroke) before getting a break as a graduate assistant at Michigan State – where he pursued his masters degree in coaching and administration – under Jud Heathcote
Following that, Sampson got his first head coaching gig at Montana Tech before slowly climbing the ladder to Washington State, Oklahoma and Indiana. Eventually, he even made his way to the NBA, although in part because of a five-year, show-cause penalty that was placed on him due to NCAA recruiting violations.
Sampson was an assistant in the big leagues for six seasons, first with the Milwaukee Bucks and then the Houston Rockets, before the Houston Cougars came calling in 2014, after the expiration of his penalty.
Over his 11-year career down south, Sampson has transformed the Cougars’ program from basement dwellers to top-end competitors, as Houston has been a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament for three straight seasons.
“One of the attributes a coach has to have is a clearly defined way they want to win the game,” Sampson said on The Herd. “You don’t have to pick the defensive end or the offensive end, but you have to have something that your kids will believe in.
“Culture starts with being on time, giving your best effort. It starts with your body language and being responsible so you don’t have to be held accountable. Being someone who has the right attitude every day. I spent a lot of time coaching attitude and effort before we could ever be a good team because all the great cultures have kids that will play for something bigger than themselves.”
The team has enjoyed relatively little turnover year after year due to that culture – a growing rarity now in the NCAA – with eight of the team’s top-10 players having returned this season.
Sampson’s teams also embody a hard-nosed defensive style, being the stingiest team in DI basketball (No. 1 ranked in KenPom defensive rating and allowing just 58.3 PPG).
“I have a lot of confidence in how we do things and how we do them is the way we do them,” Sampson said at his availability Tuesday. “It’s not up for negotiation or discussion. You either like it or you don’t and we don’t really care either way. It’s just how we do it, but our family is what binds us together.”
Sampson’s overall collegiate track record is an impressive one, boasting a 797-354 overall record (a 69.2% winning percentage), three Final Four appearances and twice having been named the AP Coach of the Year.
As a DI coach, his 70% win rate ranks him 75th all-time and he is the 25th most winningest. In fact, only 21 other coaches have more Final Four appearances than his three and of those, only three of them are still actively coaching.
And he doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
“When you’re my age, the last thing you worry about is pressure or being fired,” Sampson said. “I’ve had a lifetime contract here for a long time. I’ll decide when it’s time to go and I’ll make that decision independent of anybody else other than my wife.”
He’s won numerous conference tournaments and titles, but the ultimate crown is still one that has eluded him.
Now, his team will face the Duke Blue Devils – who are trying to win their first title since 2015 – as Sampson himself looks to make it to his first ever National Championship game and Houston’s first since 1984, the days of Phi Slama Jama.
“We know that the season’s going to end either Saturday or Monday and we’re going to do our best to take this as far as we can,” Sampson said.
