45 years ago, Kelvin Sampson got his first crack at coaching as a graduate assistant at Michigan State. From there, Sampson's coaching career took him to Montana Tech, Washington State, Oklahoma, and Indiana before he took half a decade detour as an assistant coach in the NBA following allegations of NCAA recruiting violations. In 2014, Sampson was hired by the University of Houston to lead their program back to relevancy. The Cougars hadn't won an NCAA Tournament game since 1984, when Houston advanced to the Final Four and fell to the Georgetown Hoyas in the National Championship Game.
In just ten years time, Kelvin Sampson managed to turn Houston back into one of the best and most consistent programs in the country. In each of the last five seasons, Houston has advanced to at least the Sweet Sixteen, and that includes one trip to the Elite Eight, and another to the Final Four. During his decade at Houston, Sampson has coached three different players who have won a conference player of the year award — and those distinctions came in both the AAC and the Big 12. So what is the trick? Why is it that after before forced away from the college game for six years, Kelvin Sampson is having more success than he's ever had?
It's because Kelvin Sampson has figured something out that many coaches, especially in this era, never seem to figure out.
"Just don't recruit the best players and hope you can win, that rarely works out. Recruit kids that are really good and develop them."
—@UHCougarMBK's Kelvin Sampson pic.twitter.com/jjcdpxG8QZ
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 29, 2024
The Big 12 Coach of the Year went on to say, “Once you develop them, that means they own their skillset. If they're not developed, that means they're renting it. And if they're renting it, that means somebody gave it to you.” Kelvin Sampson isn't just talking the talk here. He's proven that he and the Cougars can walk the walk as well.
The Unheralded Houston Cougars
Jamal Shead is the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year and the only player in the history of the Big 12 to win that award the same year as he won the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, but as a high schooler, his ceiling was likely viewed as considerably lower than this. Shead was a three-star prospect who was primarily recruited by Texas A&M, SMU, and Colorado State. See the lack of powerhouses there? No Kansas. No Texas. No Iowa State. But Shead arrived in Houston, and steadily over four seasons has developed into one of the best players in the country.
Now sure, we can't give all of the credit to Kelvin Sampson for the development of Jamal Shead, but how often do we see players fail to develop over their time in college? Or maybe more accurately, how often do we see guys develop over time, but then choose to depart for the NBA or the transfer portal before their eligibility is up? Is it possible that by cracking this code, Sampson has stumbled upon the recipe for sustained success at the college level?
Jamal Shead isn't the only example. Marcus Sasser, the 2022-23 AAC Player of the Year, had only gotten scholarship offers from Houston, UTEP, Colorado State, and SMU during high school. Sasser joined Sampson's program, and developed into a 1st round draft pick during his four years at Houston. J'Wan Roberts is another example. Roberts wasn't on anybody's radar when he moved to the Texas from the U.S. Virgin Islands before his freshman year of college, but as soon as Sampson saw him in 2017 while scouting a different player, he continued to pay attention. Eventually, the three-star recruit committed to Houston. Roberts red-shirted his first year, played 10 minutes per game as a red-shirt freshman, and was named a third-team All Big 12 performer this year.
Continuity and coaching and player development seem to be lacking importance nowadays, but it's nice to see that Kelvin Sampson has managed to slow down the process and succeed because of it.
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