Men's Basketball Sports

Kelvin Sampson inks extension with UH through 2027

Kelvin Sampson cutting down the nets on March 8 after Houston clinched a share of the AAC regular season championship. | Mikol Kindle Jr./The Cougar

Kelvin Sampson cutting down the nets on March 8 after Houston clinched a share of the AAC regular season championship. | Mikol Kindle Jr./The Cougar

Houston men’s basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson has signed a contract extension that will keep him with the program until the 2026-27 season, the University announced on Tuesday afternoon.

“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.”

The Cougars are coming off their sixth straight season with at least 20 wins.

They finished the 2020-21 regular season with a 21-3 record, which includes a 14-3 mark against the American Athletic Conference and are the seventh-ranked team in the AP Poll.

“Since he arrived at the University of Houston in 2014, coach Kelvin Sampson has consistently built his program through culture, family and winning,” athletic director Chris Pezman said. “Through Coach Sampson’s leadership, he has returned our program to national prominence.

“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.”

Under Sampson’s leadership, the Cougars have appeared in two NCAA Tournaments, which includes a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2019, and will likely make the team’s third appearance in as many tries in 2021. There was no tournament in 2020 due to the coronavirus.

“Kelvin is a great ambassador for our University and the city of Houston,” Board of Regents Chairman Tilman 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.”

The UH men’s basketball team will play in the AAC Tournament beginning on Friday as the No. 2 seed.

“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,” President Renu Khator said.

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