To even have players consider leaving early — unheard of at UH for most of the past few decades — is a testament to the nationally ranked program built by Sampson and his staff that puts a premium on player development.
“When you have a program like ours and the level we are at now, the reason why we are good is we have good players,” said Sampson, who in the last three years has won 83 games and two American Athletic Conference regular-season titles and would have made a third straight NCAA Tournament trip if not for the coronavirus shutdown. “When you have good players in this climate, sometimes you may lose one earlier than expected to the draft, which is why you build depth.”
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It’s a good problem to have. If we can become another Duke, UNC or UK, which lands and loses some of the best players every year, then I will be one happy fan. Good recruiting is the result of good coaching and good results. Of course, I would love to have our better players stay through their senior year, but I understand the need to make a living and an athletic career is typically a short career.
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We’re blessed to know who our head coach will be for the next 30 years. Stability is big nowadays.
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30 yrs!! 
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FIFY
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Who knew that a new hip could add that many years to your life!
Kelvin coaching into his mid 90’s would be great!
Now IF we are talking about Kellen taking over, while I agree I like how he is learning under Dad, sons being as good as their Dad were hasn’t had a great track record. So IF I were a betting man I’m going to take the under on 30!
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That’s fair. I’m all-in on Kellen.
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I’m optimistic about Kellen too but would also jump all over the under on 30.
Being a head coach at the college level is a ridiculously hard profession to find success and to maintain success. Even coaches that have a ton of success can find it hard to maintain or replicate. Look at Shaka.
And if he does crush it like many of us hope/think he may be able to do, there’s no assurance he doesn’t parlay that into a job at UNC/etc. or an NBA job.
To be fair. Kelvin is still here for at least another 5 years. So, Kellen only has to make it 25 years. Lol
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Kellen hasn’t disappointed In recruiting. So I’m all in too!!
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It would be great to get back to the model we had when Guy, Yeoman, Williams, Tellez, etc. were here for long tenures.
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I think Kellen is already doing a lot of the day to day administrative running of the basketball program and coordinating the recruiting etc. Of course it helps UH using the Kelvin Sampson name and of course Game day experience with game planning and adjustments. That is where it will take time for Kellen to get near his Dad.
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Don’t disagree with any of that.
But I love Kellen’s future with the Coogs.
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And there is a chance he can turn out better than Dad…we have seen it with players, why not coaches. I never would have thought Dell Curry would have a son better than him…or Koby Bryant better than Bean Bryant.
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I am in on Kellen because I trust his family culture and learning more from CKS than from guys like Bob Knight and Eddie Sutton.
However there will still be challenges for a young coach and maintinaning a championship level staff with connections to recruiting will be important for him to reestablish our culture.
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Kellen is a top notch recruiter right now and he is also doing a very good job of coaching. I think he is responsible for a large part of the success we have experienced of late and is learning from a master. Kevin Sampson is teaching his son something equally as impartent as the Xs and Os; he is teaching how to deal with players by being genuine and caring as well as demanding. It is much better to be a leader than a driver.
In my opinion, those lessons are also passed on to the young men they coach. I see the kids getting their degrees and learning more than just basketball and what they get in the class rooms. A lot of the kids come from single parent households without a male role model. When they go to the Sampsons for their get togethers and see that family atmosphere and how Kevin and Kellen treat their wives, they are learning important lessons right there. How to treat one’s wife with love and respect is something that strengthens families and the role models are passed down to their children as well.
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I am happy that Kellen will be given his chance with the Coogs. Like most of us I hope that is 4-5 years from happening. I would LOVE for Kelvin to coach here till he’s 70, as long as he keeps the fire. Kellen can keep taking on more and more the role of HC and we can increase his salary accordingly until he becomes the man. We need to make the Sampson family feel like this is their program. My biggest worry would be IF Kellen has great success those first few years then OU could come calling. Kellen played and graduated from OU. He still tweets a lot of stuff about OU. As long as we pay going rate that is the one school I worry about. I believe his sister also attended OU.
I have zero worry about that man losing the fire. Ever,
I love the players that we have coming in and the state of the program and it’s direction. But we’re no where near the level of duke, unc, or Kentucky in recruiting.