Kelvin Sampson Shares His Joy As Houston Goes Back To Back, Points To LJ Cryer’s Leadership Leap — Inside the Sweetest Of Repeat Big 12 Ladder Climbs

Milos Uzan walks around the court, packed with happy Cougars, with a strand of the net tucked behind his ear, a giant smile seemingly permanently affixed on his face. Kelvin Sampson scoops his 7-year-old granddaughter Maisy Jade up and twirls her through the air, triggering a round of delighted giggles. Emanuel Sharp and J’Wan Roberts take turns cradling the giant silver Big 12 championship trophy, the one you can’t even think of holding with just one hand.

All around the University of Houston’s home court, the place that a 69-year-old basketball lifer of a coach and his program infused with magic, scenes like this are playing out. This is what happens when you defend your Big 12 Championship, the one many didn’t think you could win in the first place, by becoming even more dominant. By somehow raising your championship level even higher.

Sampson’s guys rip through one of the very toughest leagues in the land 17-1, win the Big 12 outright with two games to spare. Are you kidding me?

“Doesn’t make sense, does it?” Kelvin Sampson says in a quiet moment outside his locker room, talking to PaperCity one on one. “So many great programs. Great coaches. National championship coaches. Bill (Self) and Scott (Drew). Programs that are going to compete for national championships in Iowa State, Texas Tech and BYU.

“It’s monumental because of the respect all the coaches have for each other. I’m proud of these kids.”

Sampson made his players believe, often forced them to lean on each other, to find strength beyond themselves. Uzan, the new point guard who kept hearing how he was no Jamal Shead when UH sputtered off to that 4-3 start after two losses in three games in Las Vegas. LJ Cryer, the shooting star who learned how to become the vocal leader this Houston team needed. JoJo Tugler, the swatting savant, playing every minute he’s on the court with relentless ferocity. Terrance Arceneaux, Ja’Vier Francis and Mylik Wilson, three could be starters forming the best bench unit in the Big 12, bailing these Cougars out in a number of those 17 conference wins.

“Especially for this group, considering what November was like for us, to be at this point speaks volumes about the character of these young men,” UH assistant coach K.C. Beard says as the Isley Brothers’ “Shout” blares out over the Fertitta Center speakers. “They allowed us to coach them.

“And they bought into each other. And to do something that’s never been done in 100 years (winning the conference title in a team’s first two years in a league), right? Just awesome.”

Shout indeed. Back to Back. But even better.

Saturday’s 73-64 win over a Cincinnati team desperate to prove it belongs in the NCAA Tournament is the final step of the outright Big 12 championship repeat. The 21st win its last 22 games for this now 25-4 Houston team, a No. 1 NCAA Tournament worthy seed by every metric that should matter.

The scenes on that happy court, with two well-used ladders brought out to cut down the nets, isn’t about that though. It’s about creating memories that Kelvin Sampson knows his players will never forget. Because so many former players of his have told him just that when they come back to see him (and almost everyone comes back to see the Sampsons) over all the years.

“I tell every team — I tell every single team — you’re the most important team I’ll ever coach,” Kelvin Sampson tells PaperCity, his red Big 12 championship T-shirt still on. “Because it’s this year’s team. I’m not coaching last year’s team. I’m not coaching next year’s team.

“I’m coaching this year’s team. And I give these kids 100 percent of my effort, my energy, my resources.”

Kelvin Sampson’s poured his heart and soul, his very being, into every one of 36 teams he’s coached in college basketball. From his first team at Montana Tech in 1981-82 to his Washington State NCAA Tournament breakthrough squad in 1993-94 to his Oklahoma Final Four team in 2001-02 to these 17-1 Big 12 Run It Back Cougars in 2024-25.

Karen Sampson’s been with Kelvin for every one of those 36 college seasons — and this coach’s wife wasn’t sure if her husband would have his guys cut down the nets until little more than a minute remained in this win over Cincinnati. “We didn’t know,” Karen Sampson says. “I didn’t know. People were looking at me. I’m like, ‘I don’t know.’ ”

Only Kelvin Sampson can bend the timing of a championship celebration to his will too. But in the end, the coach would embrace it, would relish seeing all his guys climb up the ladder, get their snip of the net. Kelvin Sampson would even snap his fingers to the beat as this year’s team gathered together at center court for its championship photo.

“He smelled the roses,” Karen Sampson says. “He may not smell them by the time we get home. It may be over. . . But right now, he smelled the roses. He did. He took it in because he’s happy with how hard these kids worked.”

“I’m not coaching last year’s team. I’m not coaching next year’s team. I’m coaching this year’s team. And I give these kids 100 percent of my effort, my energy, my resources.” — UH coach Kelvin Sampson

This is the team that just Ran It Back by going Back to Back Championships. Running over the usually unforgiving Big 12 in the process. No one is supposed to be able to go 17-1 in this league. Cryer, Roberts, Sharp and Co. have.

“We’re all brothers,” Terrance Arceneaux, the super sixth man guard who was too injured to really enjoy the Big 12 championship celebration last season, tells PaperCity. “We all love each other. And that’s what we play for. We play for Houston.

“But we’re really playing for each other.”

Back to Back. With feeling.

LJ Cryer, Kelvin Sampson’s Chosen One

LJ Cryer almost looks like a proud older brother, watching his teammates celebrate. He’ll help finalize this outright title by dropping 20 points on Cincinnati, but he doesn’t spend much time with the Big 12 trophy. He’s won four Big 12 championships (two at Baylor, now these two back to back at Houston). He’s already looking for more, fixated on winning the national championship and what it will take to help his teammates get there.

After all, he’s the leader now. Chosen and anointed by Kelvin Sampson in those long days after Las Vegas.

“I had a lot of individual meetings,” Sampson tells PaperCity. “Meetings with the staff. I got on my staff about things they need to do better.

“But the guy that was my most important meeting was with LJ.”

Kelvin Sampson told LJ Cryer he’s as talented as any of the standout guards who’ve played for Sampson at Houston. “But you’ve got to get out of the backseat and go get in the front seat and get behind this steering wheel son. And drive this bus,” Sampson says, detailing his message. “We don’t have a lot of natural leaders. We’ve got guys that will follow you.

“But LJ had to get out of his comfort zone. That’s not his comfort zone. For him to sacrifice some of his game to help lead this team. . . That was the turning point. When he became the leader. . . And I can’t tell you how proud I am of him.”

“I had a lot of individual meetings. Meetings with the staff. I got on my staff about things they need to do better. But the guy that was my most important meeting was with LJ.” — UH coach Kelvin Sampson

As Cryer pushed his teammates to focus more, to pay more attention to details, speaking up in practice and in-game huddles, the rest of the Cougars gained more confidence. UH grew into a team that refused to lose. No matter how tough the environment. No matter how talented the opponent. No matter the assumed absurdity of thinking you could go 17-1 in this league, four full games clear of the second place teams. It turns out no one is any closer than they appear in this University of Houston team’s rear view mirror.

What this UH team did is like if Lucius went into the Coliseum in Gladiator 2 and just shrugged off the drug-enhanced baboons and the sharks in the same fight.

Back to Back. With dominance.

“I had no doubt,” Milos Uzan says amid the celebratory music and cheerleaders asking him to pose for photos on the court. “I knew Houston’s development. I knew how good it was. And we played good teams (early in the season).

“I had no doubt. I had no doubt.”

Kelvin Sampson’s been helping players like Milos Uzan — even if they weren’t ever close to as talented as Milos Uzan in his first coaching stop at Montana Tech out of the Frontier conference — make these ladder climbs for 40 years now. Sampson’s first one came with his daughter Lauren Sampson his arms back in March of 1984. This is a coach who knows just how much those ladder climbs, every one of these journeys, means.

“It is a big deal,” Kelvin Sampson says firmly. “There’s a lot of ignorant people out there that try to downplay the journey. They think the only thing that matters is winning the national championship. You’ve got to be way, way more lucky than good to do that thing.

“So you enjoy these victories along the way. I’m enjoying this conference championship.”

Sampson pauses for a beat. “Until tomorrow,” he finishes. But his look says just as much. You never forget a ladder climb. Kelvin Sampson certainly never forgets a team. Or its championship fight.

Back to Back. With memories.