Kelvin Sampson admits Houston was a no-go without nepotism hires

Kelvin Sampson has never been shy about the unconventional path that helped transform the Houston Cougars into a national power. According to the legendary coach, the job might not have worked without a little help from family.

During a recent interview with Jason Whitlock, Sampson acknowledged that what some might call nepotism was actually building the foundation of Houston’s program.

“When the job came open, my son, Kellen, had just been fired at Appalachian State,” Sampson said. “My daughter, Lauren, was also someone I believed was incredibly talented in marketing and promotions and she’s a basketball nut.”

At the time, Sampson said he told his wife Karen that Houston’s interest intrigued him, but there was one major obstacle.Texas’ strict rules regarding nepotism in public institutions had to go. “I asked them about their nepotism policy,” Sampson said. “They told me Texas has a nepotism law. I told them, if I can’t hire my son and my daughter, I don’t think this will work."

University officials eventually found a workaround after studying how other programs had handled similar situations, including the arrangement once used by legendary coach Bob Knight and his son at Texas Tech. 

“When Houston offered me the job, I said, you’ve got to find a way to get around this nepotism thing because if I can’t hire my son and my daughter, then I don’t think it’ll work.” - Houston head coach, Kelvin Sampson, on the importance of his children to his staff. pic.twitter.com/p1Jxc7rvMu

Once the structure was in place, Sampson agreed to take the job. Even then, he admitted the rebuilding project initially looked daunting. “I came over here and lifted the hood and looked under it,” Sampson said. “I wanted to close it real quick and run back to the Rockets because it wasn’t pretty.”

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But Sampson leaned on the people he trusted most. He trusted the process and made it happen. “You get put in situations,” he said. “I needed Houston, and Houston needed me. It had good bones.”

With his family helping run key parts of the program, that foundation eventually helped turn the Cougars into one of college basketball’s most consistent contenders.

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