Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson, a North Carolina native, looks to cement legacy with NCAA championship

NCAA championship game: Houston leads Florida 31-28 at half

Houston and 69-year-old head coach Kelvin Sampson are 20 minutes from their first NCAA championship.

Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson, a North Carolina native, looks to cement legacy with NCAA championship

SAN ANTONIO (WNCN) – Despite Duke's historically dominant year ending in abrupt and heartbreaking fashion over the weekend, one connection from the state of North Carolina still lingers at the Final Four in San Antonio. As the pinnacle of the college basketball season tips off in the NCAA championship game on Monday night, one of the leaders of the final two teams originally resided from southeastern North Carolina. Ironically, this leader playe…

Kelvin Sampson's old-school Houston program is a reminder of a disappearing era

If Houston wins this title as college sports become professionalized, it’ll be remembered as relic of days when culture mattered more than contracts.

The Redemption of Kelvin Sampson and Houston on the Line in Title Game

The Cougars coach would become the oldest to ever win a national championship if he leads the Cougars to their first trophy.

Houston's Kelvin Sampson on failed final play in NCAA championship loss to Florida: 'At the end, you've gotta get a shot'

For the better part of 40 minutes Monday night, an elusive championship was in Houston's and head coach Kelvin Sampson's grasp.A victory would have have marked a breakthrough for a program and a coach who took the championship stage in San Antonio on similar trajectories.AdvertisementHouston, in its seventh Final Four, is a program with a rich history and a proud lineage that features Phi Slamma Jamma, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and Elvin Ha…

Former IU basketball coach Kelvin Sampson comes up short in national championship

17 years after he was fired by Indiana, Kelvin Sampson came up short in a grueling national championship game. Sampson’s Houston Cougars lost 65-63 to Florida Monday evening in San Antonio after leading by 12 in the second half.  Houston committed four straight turnovers to end the game. It was Sampson’s fourth trip to the Final Four and first appearance in the national title game. The 69-year-old Sampson remains at 799 career wins, but he’s com…