Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, now in his 11th season with the Cougars, thinks many of his peers have it all wrong.
Coaches constantly change jobs now. Players do, too. But at a time when continuity seems to be less and less desirable, Sampson says he has emphasized it.
“Everybody thinks they have to go hire the best recruiter, or the best this,” Sampson told reporters at the Final Four in San Antonio. “We develop our staff like we develop our players.”
The approach has worked for the Cougars, now one win away from the program’s first national title. Three of the team’s four assistant coaches—K.C. Beard, Hollis Price and Kelvin’s son, Kellen Sampson—are also in their 11th seasons with the Cougars. Associate head coach Quannas White, who is leaving after the Final Four, is in his eighth season with Houston. Kellen Sampson, Price and White all played for Sampson at Oklahoma. Assistant Anthony Goldwire, a former Houston basketball star, is the newbie in the group, having joined in May 2021. The trend continues down to the support staff, Sampson said.
“All of my auxiliary staff that we have are former [Houston] managers, he said. “I don’t take resumes and I don’t take phone calls. I hire everything from within.”
Sportico will be publishing daily stories about March Madness throughout the men’s and women’s tournaments. To receive them in your inbox daily, sign up here via Club Sportico.
That’s a stark contrast to Houston’s finals opponent, Florida, which has a relatively new head coach and therefore a relatively new staff. Gators head coach Todd Golden is in his third season with Florida. None of his assistants predate him in Gainesville.
Continuity for Sampson was harder to attain earlier in his coaching career. Both his stints at Oklahoma (1994-2006) and Indiana (2006-08) ended with his teams on probation for NCAA violations. He was hired by Houston out of the NBA, where he’d jumped after the NCAA gave him a five-year show cause penalty stemming from violations with the Hoosiers.
As for roster construction, Houston’s team is also more homegrown than most. Four of the six players that played the most for the Cougars this season are at their first NCAA school. They include senior J’Wan Roberts, who had a double-double against Duke, and junior Emanuel Sharp, who hit a late three that jumpstarted Houston’s comeback. Leading scorer L.J. Cryer transferred two years ago from Big 12 rival Baylor.
For Florida, three of six are homegrown, including forwards Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon. Star guard Walter Clayton Jr. started his career at Iona.