Texas Basketball: 4 early coaching candidates to replace Chris Beard

Kelvin Sampson, Houston HC

If Texas is seeking out a real home run hire next offseason to replace Beard, look no further than the longtime Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson. Currently in his ninth year at Houston, Sampson has really hit his stride leading that program.

At the moment, Houston is sitting on a record of 14-1 (2-0 AAC), with the second spot in the latest AP Poll. Houston also was ranked No. 1 for a couple of weeks earlier this season.

Sampson has accomplished a lot in his time as the Cougars’ head men’s basketball coach. He’s won the AAC Coach of the Year honors three times, all of which have come in the last half-decade. Sampson also won the Jim Phelan Award in 2021 and the Ben Jobe Award last year.

The success that Sampson has found of late at Houston is undoubted. And while it would be great for Texas to be able to just throw a lot of money and resources his way to convince him to leave Houston, it probably won’t be that simple.

I mentioned earlier that Sampson would be considered a “real home run hire” for a reason. He’s got a good thing going at Houston, which is a program that is also about to join the Big 12.

Multiple college and NBA teams have considered Sampson as a job candidate before in recent years, and he’s wound up sticking at Houston.

Nonetheless, I think it would be misguided for the Longhorns not to at least consider Sampson on their candidate list to replace Beard next offseason. Sampson is just too good of a head coach and a proven winner for Texas not to at least kick the tires on him as a candidate.

Sampson had plenty of college basketball head coaching experience prior to taking the Houston job nearly a decade ago. He’s served in various head coaching roles since the 1980s with the likes of the Washington State Cougars, Oklahoma Sooners, and Indiana Hoosiers.