More than two weeks after firing Mike Budenholzer, the Milwaukee Bucks coaching search has now shifted focus to a new wave of candidates headlined by Kelvin Sampson.
The Houston Cougars’ 67-year-old coach is coming off a trip to the Sweet Sixteen, where his program lost to Miami (Florida) before the Elite Eight. Sampson, one of the best coaches in college basketball, is now on Milwaukee’s radar.
- Kelvin Sampson coaching record: 657-301
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According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Bucks recently conducted an interview with Sampson regarding the team’s coaching vacancy.
Sampson has a brief history with the Bucks, serving as an assistant coach from 2008-’11. The long-time college head coach later spent the 2011-’14 seasons as an assistant with the Houston Rockets before agreeing to become the Cougars’ head coach.
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Sampson took over Houston’s basketball program before the 2014-’15 at a low point for the university. The Cougars made the NCAA Tournament just once in their last 22 seasons before Sampson arrived. In his first three years, Houston went 56-40. They’ve become one of the best teams in college basketball over the last six seasons.
Houston reached the Final Four in 2011 and has four consecutive Sweet 16 berths. Sampson’s success is more notable because the Cougars haven’t had a 247 Sports’ top-20 recruiting class in the last five years.
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Sampson is well-known for his defenses but has never served as an NBA head coach. He indicated to Mark Berman of Fox 26 that he intends to remain at Houston.