Kelvin Sampson's history with former Tennessee basketball head coach Jerry Green
Kelvin Sampson's history with former Tennessee basketball head coach Jerry Green
No. 2 seed Tennessee (30-7) will play No. 1 seed Houston (33-4) Sunday in the Elite Eight of the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
Tipoff between the Vols and Cougars in the Midwest Region final is slated for 2:20 p.m. EDT at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Kelvin Sampson has served as Houston's head coach since 2014. He also served as a head coach at Montana Tech (1981-85), Washington State (1987-94), Oklahoma (1994-2006) and Indiana (2006-08).
During Sampson's tenures at Oklahoma and Indiana, former Tennessee basketball head coach Jerry Green was his director of basketball operations. Green was hired by Sampson in 2005 with the Sooners and would retire in 2007 after the two went to Indiana.
Green coached the Vols from 1997-2001 and was one of Tennessee's most successful head coaches, compiling a record of 89-36. He guided Tennessee to four consecutive 20-plus win seasons and four straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Green was named SEC Coach of the Year in 1998 and led the Vols to a 2000 SEC regular-season championship. Tennessee and Green advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2000.
Sampson began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Michigan State under head coach Jud Heathcote during the 1979-80 season. He was also an assistant coach in college at Montana Tech (1980-81) and Washington State (1985-87), and in the NBA with Milwaukee (2008-11) and the Rockets (2011-14).
In his head coaching career, Sampson has reached the Final Four in 2002 and 2021. He has also been named a two-time AP Coach of the Year (1995, 2004), while winning four Big 12 Tournament championships and three Big 12 regular-season titles.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Atlanta-Colorado MLB game features two starting pitchers with Knoxville ties
Atlanta-Colorado MLB game features two starting pitchers with Knoxville ties Atlanta (31-38) defeated Colorado (13-57), 4-1, Saturday at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia. Saturday's National League contest featured two starting pitchers with ties to Knoxville. Spencer Strider (1-5) earned his first win in 2025 after pitching six innings and recording 13 strikeouts for the Braves. He totaled 87 pitches, including 61 strikes, against 22 batters. Chase Dollander (2-7) started for the Rockies and pitched six innings. He totaled four strikeouts and 97 pitches (60 strikes) against 26 batters. Dollander (17-6) played for the Vols from 2022-23 after transferring from Georgia Southern. He appeared in 33 games, including 31 starts, at Tennessee. Dollander recorded 228 strikeouts, one complete game and a .364 ERA in 168 innings pitched during his Tennessee career. Strider went to Christian Academy of Knoxville before playing collegiately at Clemson from 2018-20. He won a state championship during his senior season at Christian Academy of Knoxville under head coach Tommy Pharr. More: How former Tony Vitello era Vols performed in MLB debuts Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Ranking every SEC basketball stadium by seating capacity
Ranking every SEC basketball stadium by seating capacity The Georgia Bulldogs are not known for having the best basketball program in the SEC, but the Dawgs were part of the best conference in men's basketball during the 2024-2025 season when a record-breaking 14 (of 16) SEC teams made March Madness. The Florida Gators ended up as the national champions to cap the SEC's elite season. That means 87.5% of SEC basketball fan bases had a team that made the 2024-2025 NCAA Tournament. The Georgia Bulldogs were one of those teams to make March Madness. They went 20-13 in the 2024-25 season, good enough to earn a No. 9 seed in March Madness. The Bulldogs can welcome up to 10,253 fans in Stegeman Coliseum and in 2024-2025 those fans were treated to a Georgia team that reached new heights not seen in years. Stegeman Coliseum ranks just 13th in maximum seat capacity among all SEC basketball stadiums. Despite that, Georgia was still able to beat Kentucky and Florida in Stegeman Coliseum in 2024-2025, showing that UGA still has a strong home-court advantage. Ranking all 16 SEC men's basketball stadiums by capacity Tennessee Volunteers (Stadium: Thompson-Boling Arena, Max Capacity: 21,678) Kentucky Wildcats (Rupp Arena, 20,500) Arkansas Razorbacks (Bud Walton Arena, 19,368) South Carolina Gamecocks (Colonial Life Arena, 18,000) Alabama Crimson Tide (Coleman Coliseum, 15,383) Missouri Tigers (Mizzou Arena, 15,061) Vanderbilt Commodores (Memorial Gymnasium, 14,316) LSU Tigers (Pete Maravich Assembly Center, 13,215) Texas A&M Aggies (Reed Arena, 12,989) Oklahoma Sooners (Lloyd Noble Center, 11,528) Texas Longhorns (Moody Center, 10,763) Mississippi State Bulldogs (Humphrey Coliseum, 10,575) Georgia Bulldogs (Stegeman Coliseum, 10,523) Florida Gators (Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, 10,151) Ole Miss Rebels (The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss, 9,500) Auburn Tigers (Neville Arena, 9,121) Follow UGAWire on Instagram!
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Texas A&M is reportedly pursuing Cal State Fullerton star short stop
Texas A&M is reportedly pursuing Cal State Fullerton star short stop Texas A&M baseball's roster will look significantly different in 2026, primarily due to the departure of junior star outfielder Jace LaViolette, who is expected to enter the 2025 MLB Draft, along with several pitchers, including Ryan Prager and Justin Lamkin, who have yet to announce their decisions. Still, nothing compares to the last month's news regarding Texas A&M Athletic Director Trev Alberts' decison to retain head coach Michael Earley, whose inagural season ended with a dissapointing 30-26 (11-19 SEC) record, including a series sweeping loss to lowly Missouri, which all but eliminated the Aggies from the NCAA Tournament. Given a second chance, Earely will need dominate the transfer portal, which, outside of adding three veterans, pitchers Michael (MJ) Bollinger (FAU), Preston Prince (Rutgers), and star outfielder Jake Duer, also an FAU transfer, he will need to continue bolstering the roster to have any chance at competing in the always stacked SEC next season. This week, it was revealed that star Cal Fullerton shortstop Maddox Latta has entered the transfer portal. According to AggieYell (Rivals) Editor Mark Passwaters, Texas A&M is in pursuit, which could lead to a future visit. Currently, junior shortstop Kaeden Kent has yet to announce his return for next season, and although his return is assumed, nothing is guaranteed. Last season, Latta was highly productive, leading Cal Fullerton with a .362 batting average, 72 hits, 27 RBI, and three home runs. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
