University of Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson has interviewed for the Bucks’ head coach vacancy, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Sampson, who recently completed his ninth season at Houston, spent six seasons in the NBA as an assistant coach with the Bucks and Rockets before building the Cougars into an elite program within the college basketball landscape. In Milwaukee, Sampson was an assistant on Scott Skiles’s coaching staff from 2008 to ’11.
Milwaukee reportedly has interviewed several coaches in its search to replace Mike Budenholzer, who was was fired on May 4 after five seasons with the team. The list of assistant coaches who have interviewed for the Bucks’ vacancy include the Warriors’ Kenny Atkinson, the Trail Blazers’ Scott Brooks, the Raptors’ Adrian Griffin, the Heat’s Chris Quinn, the Suns’ Kevin Young and the Bucks’ own Charles Lee, plus former Hornets coach James Borrego, per Wojnarowski.
In nine seasons at Houston, Sampson has posted a 232-74 record along with five consecutive appearances in the men’s NCAA tournament, including four trips to the Sweet 16 and a Final Four appearance. Houston spent much of the ’22-23 campaign as the nation’s No. 1-ranked team before losing to Miami in this year’s Sweet 16.
Despite Wojnarowski’s report, KRIV-TV’s Mark Berman shared a text from Sampson suggesting that the coach has no plans to leave Houston for the Bucks’ job.
“Can’t wait to compete in the Big 12 next season. Go Coogs!” Sampson wrote, per Berman.
Sampson also has served as a college head coach at Indiana, Oklahoma and Washington State.
