With Houston’s 65-55 loss to Illinois in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night, Kelvin Sampson completed his 33rd season as a Division I coach. How many more seasons does the 70-year-old have left in him?
In his postgame press conference, Sampson said he still enjoys coaching, but he’s also keenly aware that every career has an expiration date. Sampson is determined not to stick around past his.
“I still like it,” Sampson said. “We all have our time. I think coaches have to understand when their time is. We all know this is a young man’s game. I still like it, but we’re all gonna step away eventually. I haven’t really thought about that to the point where I can share anything. I’m not gonna get in anybody’s way, though. If I’m in somebody’s way — or if I’m overstaying my welcome — I’ll be the first one to leave.”
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Asked about turning the page on a season following a devastating loss, Sampson spoke at length about the rigors of coaching in the modern college athletics landscape.
“Last season, for us, ended on April 7,” Sampson said. “The next day, we drove from San Antonio to Houston, and I really haven’t stopped since then. You just keep going. Everything is driven by the season you’re in.”
Sampson added that his immediate future will be “consumed with portal and NIL” while he also tries to help his seniors, and projected first-round pick Kingston Flemings, determine their next step. That means there isn’t much time to exhale after a rigorous 37-game season.
“I always get a kick out of people who say, ‘Well, now you can take some time off.’ I will eventually. Not right now. Right now, helping Emmanuel (Sharp), Milos (Uzan), Ramon (Walker), Khalifa (Sakho), Kingston, making sure those guys are settled and organized on what their next step is.”
No matter how much longer Sampson continues coaching, he’s already cemented himself as one of the greatest coaches of his generation with a career that spans more than four decades.
Sampson’s lengthy resume includes three Final Four appearances (one at Oklahoma and two at Houston), seven regular-season conference titles and six conference tournament championships. Sampson’s 754 Division-I wins rank 23rd all-time, and if you add in his years at Montana Tech, he has an overall record of 828-362.