06-04-2025
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson shares funny Jud Heathcote story ahead of National Championship
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson shares funny Jud Heathcote story ahead of National Championship Hear this funny story from Kelvin Sampson's early coaching days related to former Michigan State head coach Jud Heathcote
Kelvin Sampson with a Jud Heathcote story.
(By the way, did anyone notice Houston using Jud-style play signs from the bench last night? They weren't on paddles, but basically the same thing.)
— Jim Comparoni (@JimComparoni) April 6, 2025
Kelvin Sampson is one game away from winning the National Championship, but on Sunday he was able to share a story about how one former Michigan State basketball coach impacted his career.
Sampson led Houston to an improbable comeback against Duke on Saturday night to advance to the National Championship game on Monday. Sampson has experienced a ton of success while at Houston and is now one win away from the highest achievement of them all. But it wasn't always like this for Sampson, who a long time ago coached at Michigan State as a graduate assistant under head coach Jud Heathcote.
Following Sampson's time at Michigan State as a grad assistant, he took the head coaching job at Montana Tech. He had a rough first season, where he said the team won only four games. But upon completing his first season, Sampson said he got a call from Heathcote congratulating him on the successful first season.
Here's a snippet of the story from Sampson during his media availability on Sunday:
"Jud calls up and says 'hey Kel, I just want to congratulate you. You're the only coach in captivity that could have possibly taken Montana Tech from obscurity to oblivion. Got to go, Kel,''" Sampson said with a chuckle during his press conference. "True story."
Check out the complete video below:
Houston will face Florida on Monday in the National Championship game from San Antonio, Texas. The game is scheduled to tip off at 8:50 p.m. ET and will be televised on CBS.
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