Houston Rewards Kelvin Sampson With Contract Extension, Raise, per Report

The veteran coach has led the team to five straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

Houston and men’s basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson have agreed to a contract extension worth more than $5 million a year, Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle reports. According to Duarte, only six coaches surpassed making $5 million last season.

Sampson first became the Cougars’ head coach in 2014, and after missing the NCAA Tournament in his first three seasons, Houston was good enough to make the tournament in each of the last six seasons. In ’21, Sampson led Houston to the Final Four as a No. 2 seed, the first time the Cougars made it that far since 1984.

Last year, Houston was one of the best teams in the country, going 33–4 and earning the second No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, the Cougars lost to No. 5 Miami in the Sweet 16 as the Hurricanes would go on to make the Final Four out of that region.

Sampson has a 232–74 overall record as Houston’s head coach and the Cougars have entered the AP Top 10 in four of the last five seasons. Starting in 2023, the team will make the move from the AAC to the Big 12 for the first time.

In the offseason, Sampson reportedly interviewed for the vacant Bucks head coach position in the NBA before Milwaukee ultimately hired Adrian Griffin for the role.