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Culture / Sporting Life

Kelvin Sampson’s Unabashed Caitlin Clark Love Shows What Houston’s Coach Is All About

Digging the Game, the Fearlessness and a Women's Basketball Star Who Makes It Better

BY // 02.17.24

With University of Texas basketball visiting Houston for a regular season game for the first time in 24 years — and all the hysterics that brings — Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson would be forgiven for only thinking about what’s in front of him. But Houston’s basketball lifer of a coach usually finds a way to see the bigger picture.

And the bigger picture this week — and really this entire season — in college basketball centers around Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark. You can count Sampson among those who are all in Clark’s game changing feats.

“I’d pay top dollar to go see Caitlin Clark,” Sampson says. “I like her. She’s fun to watch. When you have somebody who’s on a level like that and has that much courage, and freedom, and talent. Don’t care whether it goes in not, but it probably will and usually does type player.

“I’m just in awe of her.”

The 68-year-old Sampson has always been one of the more progressive coaches in men’s college basketball. He embraces analytics to a degree that many don’t even realize, understands how the NET rankings really work better than some computer programmers and has never been afraid to speak up for causes he believes in. Or against what he feels is wrong. Houston’s coach eloquently addressed racism after a recent game.

Kelvin Sampson has also been a supporter of women’s sports programs at UH. Sampson, the rest of the UH coaching staff and most of the players stuck around Fertitta Center after returning from a preseason scrimmage at Ole Miss to watch Houston women’s volleyball team take on Texas. And volleyball coach David Rehr has detailed how Sampson will send him supportive texts.

It’s no real surprise to see Sampson express his appreciation for Caitlin Clark. Taking the time to bring her up unprompted before a grueling three day stretch for his team (UH also hosts Iowa State in an ESPN Big Monday first place showdown). But this seems more like a game recognizing game thing than anything. Despite his well-earned reputation for being demanding, Sampson gives his guards a lot of offensive freedom. He’s let scorers like Rob Gray, Caleb Mills, Quentin Grimes and Marcus Sasser cook over the years. In fact, he’s encouraged many of them to shoot more.

Much the same way Sampson is doing with LJ Cryer, the Baylor transfer with one of the purest shooting strokes in America, this season.

“If you buy in defensively, he’ll let you have freedom on offense,” Cryer tells PaperCity.

Clark takes that same kind of freedom and runs with it. Shooting from everywhere. Breaking the NCAA Women’s Division I all-time scoring record on Thursday night by hitting a Logo 3. Kelvin Sampson enjoyed that one. He might even let one of his guys shoot from there regularly some year if one of them showed he could consistently make it.

Caitlin Clark can. She is by far the biggest — and most recognizable — star in college basketball this season, Men’s or women’s. A game changing force who’s altered the way many look at women’s basketball. Kelvin Sampson’s always looked at the game of basketball with open eyes, appreciated game changers no matter their gender, country of origin or background.

“I’d pay top dollar to go see Caitlin Clark. I like her. She’s fun to watch. When you have somebody who’s on a level like that and has that much courage, and freedom, and talent.” — UH coach Kelvin Sampson

Caitlin Clark and College Basketball’s 3-Point Truth

So even as Houston’s coach prepared for a Texas team that can score with anyone (the Longhorns put up 72 points against UH’s No. 1 ranked defense in an overtime win for the Cougars in Austin last month and rank 10th in the nation in offensive efficiency over the last 10 games) in a CBS noon Saturday showdown, he logged Caitlin Clark’s record breaking moment. Kelvin Sampson knows when something is good for the game he loves — and Caitlin Clark is good for basketball period.

The Houston Cougars defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys 79-63, behind Jamal Shead’s 23 points. Coach Kelvin Sampson was given to technical fouls and ejected from the game in the 2nd half at the Fertitta Center
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson always defends his players and speaks up for what’s right. (Photo by F. Carter Smith)

Sampson still broke down plenty of tape on UT and its 6-foot-9 3-point bomber Dylan Disu, who is coming off a 7-for-10 3-point shooting day against West Virginia.

“The Disu kid is playing as good as anyone in the country,” Sampson says. “Forget our league. And their coaching staff has done a great job with their schemes of how to get him the ball. They’re clearing the side of the floor to get him on the side. They’re short rolling him.

“. . . But the thing that Disu can do is he’s a big man that can really shoot threes. He’s an excellent 3-point shooter. Statistically, I think he’s the best 3-point shooter in the conference. He’s shooting almost 56 percent his last five games. And he’s shooting I think 54 percent in conference play. And that’s your center. You think when you’re guarding the 3-point line, you’re usually talking about a guard.

“. . . But your five is a little more difficult. It creates more problems for you if the five is shooting threes.”

Kelvin Sampson will come up with a defensive wrinkle or three to deal with Dylan Disu. He’ll just watch Caitlin Clark when he can, a basketball lifer and should be Hall of Fame coach turned into a most knowledgeable fan. Of course, Kelvin Sampson loves Caitlin Clark.

He loves basketball and anyone who makes the game better.

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