Kentucky Basketball: 20 candidates to replace John Calipari as Head Coach

Kelvin Sampson

Basically every prominent college basketball head coach will get some sort of look here, though a select few don’t necessary meet our standards. While he’s not likely to get the job, Sampson would certainly be an interesting hire with the Wildcats, especially after all the success across a long coaching career.

Sampson has helmed five different collegiate programs, including power conference experience at Washington State, Oklahoma, Indiana, and Houston. He did great with the Cougars, took the Sooners to a Final Four back in 2002, and has done his best work in the last decade with Houston. Not only have these Cougars been in the last five Sweet Sixteen’s, but Sampson took them to the Final Four in 2021, Elite Eight in 2022, and a Big 12 regular season title this season.

If what Kentucky wants is a winner, then they need look no further than Sampson. However, he’s already 68 and Houston is almost certainly they final stop on his coaching career. Would Kentucky really want to hire someone like this, especially since he’d likely just be a stopgap for a few seasons? From a pure basketball standpoint, Sampson is one of the best coaches in the nation, but does he make sense for the Wildcats to invest in?