Why the 2017-2018 Team is my Favorite Kelvin Sampson Coached University of Houston Men’s Basketball Team.
In the Spring of 2014, Kelvin Sampson took over the helm of the struggling University of Houston men’s basketball program. The Houston Cougars hadn’t been to the NCAA tournament since 2010, and had been a long ways away from the dominant Phi Slama Jama era. But, from the day he stepped foot on campus, there was a presence about him that breathed in a legitimate confidence and determination that gave UH fans a feeling that this new hire could equate to something positive in the future. Fast forward 7 years and the Houston Cougars are now a men’s college basketball heavyweight. UH’s basketball team’s list of recent accomplishments include: making the NCAA Tournament 3 years in a row (should be 4, but the 2020 tournament was canceled due to Covid-19), clinching the Final Four in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, sending 5 players to the NBA, winning the American Conference Tournament Championship in 2021, and winning the American Conference Coach of the Year two times (2018, 2019). So, you