Latest news with #KelvinSampson
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA Finals 2025: From Loud City to Pacers Nation, get to know OKC and Indianapolis
Oklahoma City and Indianapolis are about to get to know each other well. That'll happen when your basketball teams go at it in the NBA Finals. With the games scheduled across two-plus weeks, there's lots of time for those of us in the Big Friendly to get familiar with the Circle City. We, of course, are similar in our love of big-time professional basketball, but our cities, our fan bases and more are different. Advertisement Let's speed up the learning curve. We are Loud City. They are Pacers Nation. We are Thunder Up. They are Yes 'Cers. We are The 405. They are The 317. We are hated in Seattle. They are hated in Baltimore. We changed the name. They did not. More: How original Paul George trade between OKC Thunder, Pacers created unlikely NBA Finals They are Herb Simon and the Irsay family. We are Clay Bennett and his band of merry owners. They are the Indy 500. We are the Land Run. They are the lead car. We are a force of nature. They are Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We are Devon Park. We are Jocelyn Alo. They are Caitlin Clark. Advertisement They are the NCAA. We are USA Softball. We are the 2028 Olympics. They are the 2028 Olympic swim trials. They are college basketball. We are college football. We are Blake Griffin, Sam Bradford and Joe Carter. They are Oscar Robertson, Zack Martin and Oscar Charleston. We are 'Kelvin Sampson is so great.' They are 'Kelvin Sampson can kick rocks.' More: What impresses OKC Thunder coach Mark Daigneault most about Pacers, NBA Finals foe? Indiana Pacers fans celebrate outside of Gainbridge Fieldhouse after the Pacers defeated the New York Knicks, 125 - 108, in game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals, on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in Indianapolis. We are the Oklahoma Monarchs and the Oklahoma City Comets. They are the Indianapolis Clowns and the Indianapolis Indians. They are Victory Field. We are Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Advertisement We are Scissortail Park. They are White River State Park. They are Central Canal. We are Bricktown Canal. We are Cattleman's. They are St. Elmo. They are the Children's Museum. We are the Oklahoma City Memorial & Museum. We are Devon Energy and Continental Resources. They are Eli Lilly and Salesforce. They are railroads. We are oil rigs. We are David Holt. They are, well, no one has a mayor cooler than us. We are Vince Gill. They are John Cougar Mellencamp. We are Flaming Lips. They are Lily & Madeleine. We are Color Me Badd. They are Babyface. More: How did OKC Thunder get back to NBA Finals? Timeline from Paul George trade to now Fans cheer during a watch part at Paycom Center for game 3 of the Wester Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves in Oklahoma City, on Saturday, May 24, 2025. They are David Letterman. We are Bill Hader. (OK, he's from Tulsa, but he's a big Thunder fan, so we'll allow it.) Advertisement They are Vivica A. Fox, Joyce DeWitt and Mike Epps. We are Olivia Munn, James Marsden and Kristin Chenoweth. (Again, she is from Broken Arrow but a huge Thunder fan.) They are 'Hoosiers.' We are 'Oklahoma!' We are Ralph Ellison. They are Madam C.J. Walker. We are the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole. They are the Miami and the Delaware. We are the Stockyards and cowboys. They are Municipal Gardens and corn. We are the Oklahoma State Capitol. They are the Indiana State Capitol. And during the NBA Finals, there's one more thing that all of us will come to discover. One of us will be home to the 2025 NBA champ. Advertisement The other won't. More: OKC Thunder vs Indiana Pacers matchup breakdown. Who has the edge? Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at jcarlson@ Like her at follow her at @ and and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: NBA Finals 2025: Your guide to OKC, Indianapolis before Thunder-Pacers
New York Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Milos Uzan withdraws from NBA Draft to return to Houston: Source
Milos Uzan has decided to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return for his senior season at Houston, a source briefed on the move confirmed. This decision gives Houston three returning starters — Uzan joins Emanuel Sharp and Joseph Tugler — and cements last year's national runner-up as one of the preseason national title favorites. Advertisement In a roster domino of Uzan's decision, former Texas Tech and Creighton guard Pop Isaacs decommitted from Houston and will head to Texas A&M, his agency told The Athletic. The Houston coaching staff operated this spring under the premise that Uzan would likely stay in the draft and moved quickly to replace him in the starting lineup with Isaacs. The door was always left open in case Uzan's feedback from the NBA led him back to Houston. After participating in the NBA Draft Combine and working out for six teams, he was trending toward the second round — he appeared at No. 40 in The Athletic's Sam Vecenie's latest mock draft. By returning to college, it's possible that Uzan could get more money than he would have received with a contract in the second round. He also has the chance to play his way into the 2026 first round. With L.J. Cryer, Houston's leading scorer from last season, graduating, Uzan will likely take on more of a scoring role after averaging 11.4 points in his first season at Houston. For coach Kelvin Sampson, his formula has been roster continuity, and this certainly helps in that department. The Cougars will be leaning more on freshmen than ever before, with two starting spots likely going to power forward Chris Cenac Jr. and either Isiah Harwell or Kingston Fleming at the other guard spot, but it's a lot easier to blend those freshmen around three veterans. The combination of Uzan, Sharpe and Tugler outscored opponents by 40.8 points per 100 possessions when on the floor together last season, per CBB Analytics. — The Athletic's Tobias Bass contributed to this report.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kelvin Sampson, Houston agree to new 4-year deal through 2028-29 season
Kelvin Sampson is clearly happy at Houston, and the feeling is mutual. The veteran coach has signed a new four-year contract with the school that will run through the 2028-29 season, the school announced on Thursday. He had two years remaining on his previous contract. The new deal will keep Sampson on par with the highest-paid coaches in college basketball, per CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein. He will be the highest-paid coach in school history, according to the Houston Chronicle. However, terms of the contract have yet to be announced. "There is no other program in the country that has been able to do what he has done, at the level he has been able to do it," Houston athletic director Eddie Nunez said in an interview with Fox 26's Will Kunkel. "As long as he wants to be our coach, I'm in!" 𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐃@CoachSampsonUH has agreed to a new deal & will be a @UHouston Cougar through 2028-29First things first... Who's ready for 2025-26?#ForTheCity #GoCoogs — Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) May 21, 2025 Sampson just wrapped up his 11th season at Houston and the Cougars have been a mainstay among college basketball's elite for most of his tenure. In his time at the school, the Cougars have won 30 or more games five times, made the Sweet 16 six times and have two Final Four appearances. This year's team might've been his best yet. The Cougars pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament in the Final Four, knocking out Cooper Flagg and Duke after a furious rally at the end of the game. They nearly capped it all off with a trophy in the championship game, but Florida eked out a 65-63 win. Houston is in position to continue that success next season. Second-leading scorer Emanuel Sharp (12.6 points per game, 41% 3-point shooting) is returning to help lead the nation's No. 2 recruiting class, as ranked by Rivals. The class includes forwards Chris Cenac Jr. (the No. 6 player nationally) with guards Isiah Harwell (No. 9), Kingston Flemings (No. 22) and Bryce Jackson. The Cougars are also adding senior forward Kalifa Sakho in the transfer portal from Sam Houston State. Sampson has compiled a 299-84 record during his 11 seasons at Houston, a .781 winning percentage. Overall, he has a 724-311 record during his career, which includes stints at Washington State, Oklahoma and Indiana.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kelvin Sampson, Houston agree to new 4-year deal through 2028-29 season
Kelvin Sampson is clearly happy at Houston, and the feeling is mutual. The veteran coach has signed a new four-year contract with the school that will run through the 2028-29 season, the school announced on Thursday. He had two years remaining on his previous contract. Advertisement The new deal will keep Sampson on par with the highest-paid coaches in college basketball, per CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein. The terms of the contract have yet to be announced. "There is no other program in the country that has been able to do what he has done, at the level he has been able to do it," Houston athletic director Eddie Nunez said in an interview with Fox 26's Will Kunkel. "As long as he wants to be our coach, I'm in!" Sampson just wrapped up his 11th season at Houston and the Cougars have been a mainstay among college basketball's elite for most of his tenure. In his time at the school, the Cougars have made the Sweet 16 six times and have two Final Four appearances. Advertisement This year's team might've been his best yet. The Cougars pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament in the Final Four, knocking out Cooper Flagg and Duke after a furious rally at the end of the game. They nearly capped it all off with a trophy in the championship game, but Florida eked out a 65-63 win. Houston is in position to continue that success next season, bringing in the nation's No. 2 recruiting class, as ranked by Rivals. The class includes forwards Chris Cenac Jr. (the No. 6 player nationally) with guards Isiah Harwell (No. 9), Kingston Flemings (No. 22) and Bryce Jackson. The Cougars are also adding senior forward Kalifa Sakho in the transfer portal from Sam Houston State. Sampson has compiled a 299-84 record during his 11 seasons at Houston, a .781 winning percentage. Overall, he has a 724-311 record during his career, which includes stints at Washington State, Oklahoma and Indiana.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kelvin Sampson, Houston agree to new 4-year deal through 2028-29 season: Reports
Kelvin Sampson is clearly happy at Houston, and the feeling is mutual. The veteran coach has signed a new four-year contract with the school that will run through the 2028-29 season, according to multiple reports. The new deal will keep Sampson on par with the highest-paid coaches in college basketball, per CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein. The terms of the contract have yet to be announced. Sampson just wrapped up his 11th season at Houston and the Cougars have been a mainstay among college basketball's elite for most of his tenure. In his time at the school, the Cougars have made the Sweet 16 six times and have two Final Four appearances. This year's team might've been his best yet. The Cougars pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament in the Final Four, knocking out Cooper Flagg and Duke after a furious rally at the end of the game. They nearly capped it all off with a trophy in the championship game, but Florida eked out 65-63 win. This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
