WICHITA, Kan. – Houston and Gonzaga have never met across their long histories, but legendary head coaches Kelvin Sampson and Mark Few have a lengthy history together in the Inland Northwest.
Sampson started his career at Montana Tech, coaching the Orediggers to three Frontier Conference championships and 22-win seasons in those years. He also won conference coach of the year in 1983 and 1985.
This success led him to Washington State, where he led the Cougs to 20-win seasons in 1992 and 1994, plus winning Pac-10 Coach of the Year in that ’92 season.
After moving to Oklahoma (still their highest win percentage coach in their history) and Indiana (beating Gonzaga in 2007), Sampson served three years as an assistant in the NBA before his tenure with UH.
Sampson and Few never played against each other when Sampson led the Cougs and Few was, at the time, an assistant coach for Gonzaga, but their paths crossed many times over their successful careers.
“He’s not one of the best coaches in our game, he’s one of the best coaches our game has ever seen,” Sampson said of Few. “Mark is a Hall of Famer, not just Hall of Fame coach, he’s Hall of Fame everything. Father, husband, friend. He’s one of those guys that makes our profession look good, Mark’s a great guy.”
The Zags and Cougars tip off tomorrow at 5:40 p.m. PST.
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