Big 12 Basketball: Ranking all 14 head coaches in 2023 after realignment

By Joey Loose | Apr 6, 2023

Mar 29, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Baylor Bears assistant coach Jerome Tang (left) with head coach Scott Drew against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the Elite Eight of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

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Big 12 Basketball Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Kelvin Sampson – Houston

A former point guard from the state of North Carolina, Sampson has turned in quite the coaching career across the last four-plus decades. He was head coach at Montana Tech, Washington State, and Oklahoma with great success, leading the Sooners to the Final Four in 2002. He was off to a hot start leading Indiana before scandal caused his resignation, but he’s bounced back impressively since taking over the Cougars program in 2014.

Houston basketball was largely irrelevant before Sampson’s arrival, but now they’re one of the nation’s top programs. The Cougars have been in the last five NCAA Tournaments and racked up AAC regular season and tournament titles. Houston made the Final Four in 2021 and was in the Elite Eight last season. In fact, Sampson is averaging nearly 30 wins a season for the last five years and has taken the Cougars to at least the second weekend of the Tournament each time.

Houston is in good hands as they transition to the Big 12 this season. This was one of the very best teams in the nation last season, even if they spent half their year playing inferior opposition in the AAC. Things will certainly get tougher for Sampson and the Cougars this season, but that only adds to the intrigue of this league. Not only Houston, but Sampson is also by far the best addition to the conference this offseason.

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