<\/p>\n
Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson makes a call from the bench against Idaho during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament in Oklahoma City, Thursday, March 19, 2026.<\/p>\n
Brett Coomer\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Kelvin Sampson<\/a> was supposed to be miles away, wearing his trademark red University of Houston<\/a> polo shirt, about to coach a high-stakes college basketball game on a recent Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n It was 5:07 p.m., just minutes before tip-off of an NCAA Elite Eight game, and Sampson was miles away from the Toyota Center in downtown Houston.<\/p>\n Instead he was on a neighborhood walk with his dog, Roxie.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so strange to even be home right now,\u201d Sampson said by phone.<\/p>\n Less than two days earlier, UH\u2019s season ended abruptly in a cold-shooting loss to Illinois<\/a> in the Sweet 16, denying the Cougars a shot at a return trip to the Final Four.\u00a0<\/p>\n An \u201cunbelievable text message\u201d was waiting for Sampson the next morning from close friend Jay Wright, the retired former coach at Villanova.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes you need your friends to remind you of the year you had,\u201d Sampson said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Wright\u2019s text partly read:<\/p>\n \u201cLet me ask you something, brother. In November, before your first game, if somebody had told you that you were going to lose L.J. Cryer, J\u2019Wan Roberts, Mylik Wilson and Ja\u2019Vier Francis and replace them with freshmen and someone would say you were going to win 30 games and finish second in the Big 12 and go to the Sweet 16, would you have signed up for it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI looked at that and said, ‘That looks pretty good, doesn\u2019t it? ‘ Shoutout to all my friends that put things in perspective for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Sign up for Cougar Confidential<\/p>\n You’ll get get in-depth news and analysis about UH\u2019s basketball and football teams from reporter Joseph Duarte by signing up for the Cougar Confidential newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n By Friday morning, Sampson met with his coaching staff and began to hold exit interviews with players. Several are out of eligibility. One has a no-brainer decision to leave to become a lottery pick<\/a> in the\u00a0NBA draft. Another could opt to stay<\/a>. Others may look elsewhere for more playing time or NIL opportunities.<\/p>\n Each time, Sampson said, the same question came up:<\/p>\n Coach, are you going to come back?<\/p>\n Sampson has said on a few recent occasions that his 37-year coaching career is winding down. That coaches have\u00a0to \u201cunderstand when their time is\u201d and he\u2019s not going to get in anybody\u2019s way.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I\u2019m in somebody\u2019s way, or if I\u2019m overstaying my welcome, I\u2019ll be the first one to leave,\u201d Sampson, 70, said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n