Myron MedcalfMar 27, 2026, 05:59 PM

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Joined ESPN.com in 2011
Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato

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HOUSTON — Houston coach Kelvin Sampson addressed his future, albeit in vague terms, after his No. 2-seeded Cougars bowed out of the NCAA tournament in the South Region semifinals Thursday night, saying he still enjoys coaching but also acknowledging every coach “will step away” at some point.

“We all have our time, but I think coaches have to understand when their time is,” Sampson said after Houston’s 65-55 loss to No. 3 seed Illinois. “I mean, we all know this is a young man’s game. I still like it, but we’re all going to step away eventually.

“I haven’t really thought about that to the point where I can share anything, but I’m not going to get in anybody’s way though. If I’m in somebody’s way or if I’m overstaying my welcome, I’d be the first one to leave.”

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Thursday night’s loss at the Toyota Center, eight minutes from Houston’s home arena on campus, unfolded a year after the Cougars lost to Florida in the national title game in San Antonio.

Sampson, 70, has been vocal this season about his program’s need for more resources to compete with the game’s powerhouses. In February, he said his team struggles to sign more elite recruits because “we’re poor.” But Sampson hasn’t hinted at retirement this season.

Sampson said he’ll spend the next few days hosting individual meetings and preparing to build a new roster, which he said is a 24-7 job these days. He said he doesn’t take vacations except for an occasional family vacation in the offseason. But even then, he said, he’s usually working.

“The last season ended for us on April 7, and then the next day, we drove from San Antonio back to Houston, and I really haven’t stopped since then,” Sampson said. “You just keep going. Everything is driven by the season you’re in. At some point here in the next day or two, I’m going to have to have individual meetings with the players, find out what their plans are, who’s coming back, who’s not. That’s what you have to do now. Then you have to start building a roster and then you’re consumed with the portal and NIL. That will mandate just about everything that you’re doing.”

The Illini spoiled the Cougars’ homecoming and their chance to avenge last season’s finish in the NCAA tournament. Sampson said he didn’t think Houston needed the hometown advantage on Thursday because the Cougars had won in hostile environments in the past, including last year’s Sweet 16 win over Purdue in Indianapolis, about an hour from the Boilermakers’ campus.

He said he was disappointed in his team’s performance but also thought its matchup against head coach Brad Underwood’s team was a game between two elite programs.

“First of all, congratulations to Coach Underwood and his team,” he said. “They have a good team. Although, both those teams were worthy of winning this game.”