- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
Houston Cougars’ head basketball coach, Kelvin Sampson, is poised to lead his team to the second NCAA’s Final Four for the second straight year. Coach Sampson is a tribal citizen of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.
Before getting to the Final Four, Houston has to beat Villanova tonight. Houston's 72-60 Sweet 16 upset over No.1 seed Arizona on Thursday night got the team to the Elite Eight.
Watch Houston Cougrars v. Villanova Wildcats
WHEN: Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 6:09 p.m. - EDT
TV: TBS
STREAM: Watch
Want more Native News? Get the free daily newsletter today.
“We're not Villanova,” Sampson said at a press conference when answering a question about Houston’s Elite Eight opponent Saturday. “Villanova's up here. We're down here. We're not there. Maybe one day we can be, but we're not there yet, and that's OK. You have to be comfortable in your own skin. There's not a lot of Villanovas. A lot of programs have gone down and gone back up, but not Villanova. They're great every year.”
Coach Sampson was born in Laurinberg, N.C. and raised in Pembroke, N.C. — the heart of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. He’s Lumbee through and through, and out of the NCAA's 353 Division I basketball programs, Sampson is the only Native American head coach.
Sampson has been coaching basketball for over 40 years, coaching eight years in the NBA and then for various NCAA men’s programs, including Michigan State University, Montana Tech University, Washington State University, University of Oklahoma, Indiana University, and the University of Houston.
He is one of only 15 coaches in NCAA history to lead four or more schools to the NCAA tournament and has been named National Coach of the Year three times.
Coach Sampson's son, Kellen Samspon, is Houston's lead assistant coach.
A victory on Saturday night will not only get the Houston into the Final Four for the second consecutive year, but it would be Sampson's 700th career college coaching victory.
More Stories Like This
Biden Nominates Salish & Kootenai Tribal Attorney Danna Jackson for Federal BenchA Conversation With Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan: What We Can Celebrate Around the State
Return to the Heart Foundation Gives 44 Micro-Grants to Native Women Leaders
Indigenous Journalists Association President Addresses Members of the UNPFII
Inter-Tribal Council Passes Resolution Urging FCC to Establish Specific Event Code for Missing and Endangered Persons
Native Perspective. Native Voices. Native News.
We launched Native News Online because the mainstream media often overlooks news that is important is Native people. We believe that everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities. That's why the story you’ve just finished was free — and we want to keep it that way, for all readers. We hope you'll consider making a donation to support our efforts so that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount — big or small — gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous-centered journalism. Thank you.
