Following one of the greatest seasons in Houston Men’s Basketball history, Head Coach Kelvin Sampson has signed a four-year contract extension that will keep him at the head of the Cougars’ bench through the 2028-29 season, Vice President for Athletics Eddie Nuñez announced Wednesday.
Under Sampson’s leadership, the 2024-25 Cougars enjoyed a season which will be long remembered by Houston fans. For his and his team’s impressive performance, Sampson was recognized as The Sporting News and CBS Sports National Coach of the Year and was named the Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year for the second straight season.
“It is hard to truly put into words what Kelvin Sampson has meant to our Men’s Basketball program, our Athletics Department, our University and our greater Houston community,” Nuñez said. “His success as a coach on the court is even more impressive when considering the tremendous impact he has had on the many young men to come through our program. Extending Coach Sampson’s contract and rewarding him for what he means to the University of Houston was important to me, President (Renu) Khator and our Board of Regents, and we are thrilled that Coach will remain a part of our University for years to come.”
“We stand on the shoulders of all our former and current players and coaches,” Sampson said. “I would like to thank President Renu Khator, Tilman Fertitta, the Board of Regents, Vice President for Athletics Eddie Nuñez and all our great fans and supporters. We look forward to continued success on and off the court.”
In 2024-25, the Cougars set a school single-season record with 35 wins and advanced to the NCAA Tournament National Championship Game before falling to Florida inside Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Houston, which finished #2 in both national polls, won 31 of its final 33 games to end the season and advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the seventh time in program history – and the second time under Sampson – with a resounding 69-50 win over #6/6 (2) Tennessee during the NCAA Elite Eight in Indianapolis on March 30.
The Cougars swept the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships in their second year in the league and set school and league records with a 19-1 mark in conference games. Houston became the first school to join a major conference and win the regular-season title in each of its first two years in the league in more than 100 years.
Houston returns two starters and six lettermen in 2025-26, including Phillips 66 Big12 Championship Most Outstanding Player and NCAA Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player guard Emanuel Sharp and Naismith Awards National Defensive Player of the Year presented by MOLECULE finalist Joseph Tugler.
The Cougars will be boosted with the addition of the nation’s #1 recruiting class with freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr., freshman guard Isiah Harwell, freshman point guard Kingston Flemings, freshman guard Bryce Jackson, junior guard Pop Isaacs and senior forward Kalifa Sakho.
Sampson has compiled a 799-354 overall record in 36 seasons as a collegiate head coach with a 299-54 record at Houston. With his team’s next victory, he will become the 17th coach in NCAA history to reach 800 wins (among coaches with 10+ years at NCAA Division I level).
A veteran of 20 NCAA Tournaments in his career, Sampson is the only coach in Houston history to lead the Cougars to five, six, seven, eight, nine and 10 consecutive 20-win seasons and has guided Houston to four straight 30-win campaigns the nation’s longest active streak.
He has earned 14 National Coach of the Year awards, including 11 in his time at Houston, with 12 Conference of the Year accolades.
Tagged with: Big 12
