Kelvin Sampson receives top national recognition from sports website
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Houston coach Kelvin Sampson has turned in some impressive work during his illustrious coaching career.
This season may have been his most impressive coaching job yet, and one sports website is honoring Sampson for his latest feat.
CBSSports.com announced the winners of the individual college basketball awards for the 2024-25 season, and Sampson was selected as its Coach of the Year. It was the second time in four seasons he received that honor.
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Sampson had to replace point guard Jamal Shead, last year’s Big 12 Player of the Year, and the team started out 4-3. But the Cougars have reeled off 30 wins in their next 31 ballgames, which included a 19-1 run through the Big 12 Conference, a conference tournament championship and Houston’s first Final Four appearance since 2021.
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In addition, after some initial struggles, the Cougars’ new point guard, junior transfer Milos Uzan, has more than filled the void left by Shead’s departure. Sampson also relied on veteran players like LJ Cryer and J’Wan Roberts along with young players like Joseph Tugler.
The team also showed during the course of the season that anyone can step up on any given night. Players like Mylik Wilson, Terrance Arceneaux and Ja’Vier Francis are among those who came up with some huge plays.
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This is what CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone had to say about Sampson:
“Sampson's team is both balanced and brutally physical, a combination that reflects his values he hammers home each and every day. The team is top 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency and among the best both at shooting and defending 3-pointers while playing at a slower pace than any major team in college basketball. The Cougars execute with relentlessness and play a selfless style that embodies both Sampson and the program he's built.
“No coach has done more with less this season and stretched talent further than Sampson. They are Big 12 regular season and Big 12 Tournament champs, dancing into the final weekend of the NCAA Tournament and challenging with a roster Sampson almost entirely recruited and developed in-house. He's proof positive that you can win in the modern era with staples of throwback principles and beliefs.”
Ironically, Sampson received the honor on Wednesday, 11 years to the day that he was hired by Houston after not having coached college basketball for six years.
Duke freshman forward Cooper Flagg was named both the National Player of the Year and the Freshman of the Year by CBSSports.com.
Cryer, a graduate guard, was also named third team All-America by the website. He is the team’s top scorer, averaging 15.4 points per game and has shot .419 percent from 3-point range (113-of-270).
Houston, which has now won 17 straight games following its Elite Eight win against Tennessee, takes on Duke in the national semifinals at San Antonio on Saturday night.
