After Houston's run to NCAA championship game, Kelvin Sampson agrees to new four-year contract extension

Head coach Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars had an incredible season, reaching the NCAA championship game. Although they were not able to defeat the Florida Gators in the final, it was still a phenomenal season for the Cougars. As a result, Cougars management decided to reward Sampson with a new contract.

On Wednesday, it was reported by insider Jon Rothstein that Kelvin Sampson had signed a new four-year contract that runs through the 2028-29 season.

"Sources: Houston’s Kelvin Sampson has received a new four-year contract through the 2028-29 season. The deal keeps Sampson among the highest paid coaches in college basketball."

This deal for Sampson adds two years to his previous contract. In his former deal, he had at least $9.8 million left on his contract over the next two seasons. Rothstein reported that this deal will keep Sampson among the highest-paid head coaches in college basketball.

However, Rothstein did not indicate what the exact terms of the deal are. Contract numbers have not yet been reported, but it is safe to guess that Sampson would have received a raise on his previous contract. The question is just how much of a pay bump he got.

Kelvin Sampson added a new assistant coach to his staff this offseason

Kelvin Sampson receiving a contract extension is good news for Houston Cougars fans. He has led the Cougars since the 2015 season, helping them qualify for the NCAA Tournament seven times in a row (Not counting the 2020 season when the postseason was not held because of the COVID-19 pandemic). The team has reached the Sweet 16 or better in their six most recent NCAA Tournament runs.

However, despite the success of the team, Sampson needed to make coaching changes this offseason. Quannas White was a member of the Cougars coaching staff since 2017 but left during the offseason to become the head coach of the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns.

Fortunately for the Cougars, Sampson found a good replacement. He hired Mike Ekanem, who has worked in various capacities at the college and NBA levels. This past season, he was an assistant coach for Oklahoma State. Sampson released a statement about the hiring of Ekanem in early May.

"Mike fits in with our culture and is very much a go-getter," Sampson said in a statement. "He is an extremely hard worker, is well connected and is well respected in our industry."

It will be interesting to see what the impact of this coaching change has on the Cougars next season.