LAWRENCE — Houston’s Kelvin Sampson might not have led his team to a win Monday, on the road against Kansas basketball, but he did earn some praise from Bill Self.
Earlier in February, Sampson, the Cougars’ head coach, was named a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. According to a Houston release, the Class of 2026 will be announced on April 4 during the Final Four weekend. And Self, the Jayhawks’ head coach and a member of the Hall of Fame himself, would like to see Sampson inducted.
“I’m not an expert on judging, except I do know this: there’s not a better ball coach in America than Kelvin Sampson,” Self said. “You don’t have to be in the Hall to be one of the best. There’s a lot of great coaches that aren’t. But, certainly, if he’s a finalist, I hope he gets in because I think he’s terrific.”
This season, Sampson has Houston ranked No. 4 in the nation in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. The Cougars’ 69-56 loss Monday inside Allen Fieldhouse against the No. 14 Jayhawks might represent a third-straight defeat, but Houston’s also gone through as challenging a stretch as a team could deal with this season. The Cougars still have the potential to make deep runs in the Big 12 Conference and NCAA tournaments.
Since Houston has joined the Big 12, Sampson’s squad is 3-2 against Self’s Jayhawks. KU has gone 0-2 on the road and 2-1 at home. Sampson, who has also been a head coach in the past at Indiana, Oklahoma and Washington State, saw his Cougars finish as the runner-up in the NCAA tournament national championship game last season.
Houston’s regular season continues with games against Colorado and Baylor at home, and Oklahoma State on the road. Kansas' continues with games on the road against No. 2 Arizona and Arizona State, and at home against Kansas State. Both programs remain in contention for the Big 12 regular-season title.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball's Bill Self hopes Kelvin Sampson makes Hall of Fame