Rising star Kelvin Sampson’s assistant coaches stay by his side in Houston, creating one of sports’ most remarkable stories

Ia world of college athletics that is more upside down than it has ever been in history, a world that sees the University of Houston fire its blue uniform-obsessed athletic director Chris Pezman on a Thursday haphazard summer, the resilience of Kelvin Sampson’s own UH staff is a remarkable symbol of consistency. This Sampson team sticks together and is the foundation of one of the best programs in America.

Sampson’s son Kellen, the assistant and future head coach-in-waiting, has been alongside his father for 10 seasons on Cullen Boulevard. Associate head coach Quannas White has been on the staff since the breakout 2017-18 season. Special assistant Hollis Price has also been on Houston’s staff for a full decade. Assistant coach KC Beard is another who has been there with Kelvin Sampson for the entire 10-year journey. Athletic trainer John Houston, a Houston regular even before Sampson arrived, is also a 10-year player with Kelvin. Men’s Basketball Director of Sports Performance Alan Bishop has helped shape the program since the 2017-18 season. Lauren Sampson, Director of Basketball Operations, who impacts a little bit of everything, often serving as the glue that holds the program together, joined the program in 2016. Director of Program Strategy and Player Relations, Bilal Batley , Sampson’s former student manager at Oklahoma, has been with the program since 2017. Director of basketball operations and strategy Bobby Champagne, a longtime veteran coach and Sampson ally, and director of player development Anthony Goldwire are the two “newcomers”, arriving in 2021.

That represents a lot of continuity. In an era of college sports where everything always seems to be changing, Kelvin Sampson’s team is staying put.

“It’s unique,” ​​says White Paper city staff who stick together. “Something really special is happening here, man. Winning over 30 games, I think, in the last four years. This is unheard of. All the compliments we get when we hit the road. We know what we have here.

“And then we all love each other. There’s nothing better than coming to this facility (Fertitta) or the training facility and developing our guys. . . We see everything coming to fruition because of all the work we have done. And it’s a beautiful thing.

Houston has the most wins in all of college basketball since 2020, ahead of Gonzaga, Purdue, UConn and Kansas. Sampson’s program has produced three first-round NBA draft picks since 2021 (Quentin Grimes, Jarace Walker and Marcus Sasser). The staff that Kelvin Sampson assembled – and, more importantly, retained – fueled all of this. This was made possible.

For Quannas White, the reason they all stay is simple. The mission in Houston is not yet over.

“We haven’t reached our ultimate goal yet,” White says. “It’s one of the main reasons we all come back. We all want to see Coach come out completely victorious. With a national championship.

Kelvin Sampson appreciates his assistants sticking around, but I would tell you it’s about a lot more than just him. Or the quest for a national title. When I ask him about the staff, this lifelong basketball coach talks about the daily meetings, the lively (and often ultra intense) basketball debates and the learning that comes from pushing each other.

“I like to give our guys the freedom to be who they are,” Sampson says. “Have confidence in them. So one day, when they’re sitting in my seat, they’ll be able to do it with their staff. But part of my growth as a head coach came from not having a head coach to work for. I was a head coach at 25 years old. . I never had the chance to work for another head coach. I must have made more mistakes than should probably be allowed.

“And these guys will be much better head coaches than I ever was. Because they also had the benefit of learning from each other. And I learn from them. I love going to meetings with them. I love listening to them debate, argue, almost fight sometimes.

“But we take it on the field. We are working on it. Throw in some eggs, put them in the blender and go to work.

“We have not yet reached our ultimate goal. It’s one of the main reasons we all come back. We all want to see Coach come out completely victorious. With a national championship. — Kelvin Sampson, UH associate head coach

In the lab with Kelvin Sampson

Kelvin Sampson’s staff at the University of Houston is a working laboratory for future head coaches. Kellen Sampson is UH Basketball’s head coach-in-waiting, poised to become head coach once his father steps down via contract. Quannas White, KC Beard, Hollis Price and even young Goldwire are all on the head coaching trail.

“Absolutely,” White says when I ask him if he’s interested in becoming a head coach in the future. “That’s my ultimate goal. And I’m more than ready.

“I learned from the best to do it.”

White and Price both received head coaching offers this offseason. They both turned down the chance. Staying with Sampson in Houston. So that this version of basketball paradise continues. Continue to fight for this national title for the one they all call Coach.

“I never give advice,” Sampson says of his assistant coaches who receive job offers. “Never. If they want my opinion, they’ll ask me. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don’t. They think about it.

“I think that’s part of our secret sauce (keeping the staff intact). I love Mondays and Tuesdays here this time of year. I probably prefer Thursdays and Fridays. . . I didn’t give Kellen his development plan. It’s his plan, he deserves the credit. Not me. KC and Hollis what they are doing in their area of ​​development. Quannas. Goldie. What they do in their area of ​​development.

What they’re doing for now is sticking with Kelvin Sampson, keeping in tune one of the sport’s most remarkable visions of continuity and consistency.

No media outlet covers UH basketball throughout the calendar year with more consistency and focus than PaperCity Houston. To read more of Chris Baldwin’s in-depth, detailed and unique coverage of UH sports – stories you can’t read anywhere else – bookmark this page. Follow Baldwin on the platform formerly known as Twitter here.