Bill Self Strongly Praises Kelvin Sampson After Kansas’ Defeat at Houston

Sampson has truly capitalized on his second opportunity in college basketball.

Monday night’s game in Houston had a nostalgic feel, reminiscent of the golden days of college basketball.
Head coaches Kelvin Sampson and Bill Self were facing off in the marquee matchup on ESPN’s “Big Monday,” similar to how it would have been 20 years ago when Sampson coached at Oklahoma.

Sampson, who left Oklahoma for Indiana, was dismissed from the Hoosiers for recruiting violations and banned from college basketball, has since made a remarkable comeback. Bill Self’s admiration for him is hard to dispute.

Kansas coach Bill Self on what Kelvin Sampson has built in 11 seasons at Houston:
“What he’s done in his time here is the best job anybody has done, in my opinion, in America in that period of time.”

— Joseph Duarte (@Joseph_Duarte) March 4, 2025

Before Sampson took over, Houston had only made the NCAA Tournament once in the prior 22 seasons. The Cougars were a 13-seed in 2009-10 under Tommy Penders, but have become a dominant force under Sampson’s leadership.

Houston has reached the Sweet 16 in the last five NCAA Tournaments and made it to the Final Four in 2021. Sampson and his team are now aiming for another Final Four appearance and are almost certain to enter the upcoming tournament as a No. 1 or No. 2 seed.