Kelvin Sampson Shockingly Did Not Make the Cut For This Honor
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It's a matter of when, not if, Houston men's basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson will enter the Hall of Fame. In a shock to Cougars' fans on Tuesday evening, Sampson reportedly did not get enough votes to get inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Sampson, who just confirmed he will be back for his 13th season as Houston's head coach, made it as a finalist for the prestigious honor in his first year on the ballot.
In order to be inducted, the nominee must receive at least 18 votes. While the 70-year-old wasn't able to get in this time around, it's widely expected to just be a matter of time. Among the other 11 nominees in his committee is fellow college head coach Mark Few, besides names such as Blake Griffin, Doc Rivers and Amar’e Stoudemire.
Sampson was named a first-time nominee in December before advancing as a finalist in February. It had been over a decade since he was eligible as a nominee, and he got that first step to immortality this season after leading the program to its first national championship game since 1984.
Still On the Road to The Hall
Houston Cougars fans were not pleased with this development and made their thoughts known.
This is complete and utter nonsense...committee is not worth their salt
— Nebcoog🇺🇸 (@nebcoog) March 31, 2026
Some of the possible reasons why Sampson may not be a first ballot Hall of Famer is the fact he hasn't won a national championship and the incident during his head coaching tenure at Indiana where he was forced to resign due to NCAA recruiting violations.
That time is long in the past now. In Sampson's 37 years as a head coach, he is one of only 15 coaches in NCAA history to lead 4+ schools to the NCAA Tournament and one of only 16 coaches to lead multiple schools to the NCAA Final Four. That included Oklahoma in 2002, and now Houston in 2021 and 2025. He led Washington State to its first March Madness appearance in 11 years back in 1994.
Sampson just crossed 800 total wins in his career and owns the highest winning percentage among coaches in Houston history.
In the previous 12 seasons at Houston, Sampson has led the Cougars to a program record eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances going back to 2018, and seven straight Sweet 16's starting in 2019. Houston has won six American Athletic Conference titles, back-to-back Big 12 Conference regular season championships, and the 2025 Big 12 tournament title.
The 14-time National Coach of the Year winner is the only coach to lead Houston to 11 straight 20-win seasons, and the Cougars have currently won 30 games for five straight seasons. Sampson was hired at Houston back in 2014 after spending time as an NBA assistant coach and has brought the program back to relevance in one of the most impressive rebuilds seen in recent college basketball history.
Sampson also led the development of the $25-million Guy V. Lewis Development Facility, where the team practices, as well as the $60-million renovation of Hofeinz Pavillion into Fertitta Center.
While Sampson won't be part of the Class of 2026, this will be a development to keep an eye on in 2027. The Cougars head coach is looking to join Hakeem Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes, Clyde Drexler, and Guy V. Lewis as the Houston Cougars in the Hall of Fame.
Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.