Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson is not going anywhere for the 2026-2027 college basketball season. The future Hall of Famer wants everyone to know he will be back for his 13th season with the Cougars.
Fans have wondered how much longer the 70-year-old will continue coaching, with Sampson confirming it will be at least one more year. Sampson said his “heat is still hot” and will continue burning beneath him in 2026-2027.
“My heat is still hot,” Sampson said, via the Houston Chronicle. “I still burn for this; I want another run at it. I want to chase it again.”
Although Sampson has only been with Houston since 2014, he has been a Division I head coach for 33 years. He got his start with Montana Tech of the NAIA in 1981, which led to jobs at Washington State, Indiana, Oklahoma and, eventually, Houston.
Sampson's official decision comes two days after Houston's 2025-2026 season ended with a 65-55 loss to Illinois in the Sweet Sixteen. Two years removed from a runner-up season, Sampson is still chasing his first National Championship.
Sampson recently captured fans' hearts with his post-game comments after Houston's loss to Illinois. The longtime head coach went viral for saying his players are his entire life and that his current goal is to make sure all the departing Cougars are set up for their next steps.
Houston avoids a full program rebuild with Sampson returning, but it will still have to replace much of its production from the 2025-2026 season. The Cougars are likely going to have to replace four starters with Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp exhausting their eligibility, and Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr. likely headed to the 2026 NBA Draft.
