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Houston sticks with the plan
Kelvin Sampson signs 4-year contract extension, meaning he'll coach the Cougars well into his 70s. Plus: Miss State benefits from an NBA Draft decision, K-State and Texas A&M add portal players, a massive day of college hoops materializes next season, and much more.
Samuel Lance
May 22, 2025
Good morning! Florida’s big week continued with a trip to the White House to celebrate their 2025 NCAA Tournament title. The only thing missing now? Alex Condon announcing his official return to school. Maybe next week …
Let's get to the rest of Wednesday’s news.
1. Kelvin Sampson’s not retiring anytime soon
One of college basketball’s best coaches will be sticking around a little while longer. Houston announced Wednesday that it’s extending Kelvin Sampson through the 2028-29 season.
Sampson, who’ll turn 70 in October, has a 799-354 overall record (that’s according to the school, and includes his time at Montana Tech), three Final Four appearances and a host of National Coach of the Year awards. He’s also the first coach in Houston history to lead the Cougars to five-straight 20+ win seasons, and has won 30+ games the last four seasons. He’ll become one of 17 head coaches all-time to reach 800 career wins.
The only thing missing? A national championship.
Houston was close to that feat this season, falling to Florida on the last possession of the national title game. It was a historic year for the Cougars, setting a single-season school record with 35 wins and finishing 22-1 against Big 12 competition. Houston also became the first school to join a new conference and win back-to-back regular season titles its first two seasons in over 100 years.
"It is hard to truly put into words what Kelvin Sampson has meant to our men's basketball program, our athletics department, our university and our greater Houston community," Houston AD Eddie Nuñez said in a release. "His success as a coach on the court is even more impressive when considering the tremendous impact he has had on the many young men to come through our program."
The Cougars certainly have a chance to return the the promised land in 2025-26. Houston will bring back starters Emanuel Sharp and Joseph Tugler, and the No. 1 overall recruiting class will supplement those two stars. Point guard Milos Uzan also seems likely to withdraw from the NBA Draft.
2. Mississippi St returns a star + more stay/go decisions
Sometimes the biggest offseason wins are the players you retain. Mississippi State and Chris Jans had a big win in that department on Wednesday.
