Oklahoma fans have already been dreaming of coaching candidates as the Sooners will inevitably soon be looking for a new men’s basketball coach to replace Porter Moser, and at the top of many fans’ lists has been Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson, who led the Sooners in 1994-2006. The thought of Sampson leaving Houston to return to Norman, though, seemed like a fantasy, but after a recent statement from Sampson, that door might actually still be at least cracked open.
Sampson during a postgame press conference after his No. 3 Cougars beat UCF last week was blunt about the state of Houston’s athletic department and the hurdles it faces in recruiting to maintain the success Sampson has had there, even after a move to the Big 12.
Kelvin Sampson was blunt about the state of Houston’s athletic department
“We have a very poor athletic department,” Sampson said. “We’re poor. You know, we were poor when I got here and we’re still poor. We probably have the lowest budget of anybody in Power Four, you know? And, you know, the way our recruiting is going, we have to stop at some point, because we don’t have enough money to keep bringing in really good players. That’s not easy for us to do.”
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson gets into money challenges his elite program still faces: “We’re still poor. We probably have the lowest budget of anybody in Power 4. The way our recruiting is going, we’re going to have to stop it at some point because we don’t have enough money.” pic.twitter.com/wgJLjKolwv
— Chris Baldwin (@ChrisYBaldwin) February 5, 2026
Not including 2020 when there was no NCAA Tournament because of COVID precautions, Houston has went dancing seven seasons in a row under Sampson. The Cougars have reached at least the Sweet 16 in six of those NCAA Tournament appearances with two trips to the Final Four, including a runner-up finish last season…