Kelvin Sampson brought a different perspective to Houston Athletics, one that no coach has had in 40 years. He has the unusual ability not to accept failure, never allowing for “this is the way we’ve done it.” Kelvin does not want any part of that. He’s fought to get his way because he knows he’s right.

And I suppose it’s worked out. Sampson’s team has won 11 games in the last four NCAA Tournaments.

the daily #133 | 12/11/2023 | Archives
 

Watch this short clip of Kelvin from Saturday evening after the Jackson State game. He’s talking about their coach, Mo Williams, and how his situation is similar but different from the one Kelvin inherited ten years ago.

Houston Basketball was a failed organization when he came in. But Sampson realized that when you take over a failed organization, you don’t accept “this is the way we’ve done it.” This is common sense yet a radical thought; it might as well come from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.

The Art of War Sampson Edition:

1. Every battle is won before it is fought.
2. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
3. All warfare is based on deception.
4. Opportunities multiply as they are seized.
5. In war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.
6. When taking over from a fallen general, do not allow “this is the way we’ve done it” to distract you.

On Twitter Sunday night, I reposted some photos that Greg Propes snapped as he walked into Hofheinz on December 9, 2013, just four months before Sampson took over. This is what that scene looked like as the teams were introduced:

Why would you accept “this is the way we’ve done it” from a program that couldn’t get more than a hundred fans interested in a college basketball game?
 

Houston Football was a failed organization when Willie Fritz came in. Like Sampson, Fritz is a successful leader who knows not to recreate the failed policies of the previous staff. You don’t build Blinn, Central Missouri, Sam Houston State, Georgia Southern, and Tulane by doing it the same way it was done.

He will use his experience and knowledge to build the Houston program correctly. Some have mixed feelings because players are leaving, assistant coaches are being dismissed, and Willie is installing his philosophy. But the band-aid needs to be ripped off.

I’m the biggest Brian Early fan, and what he did at UH was remarkable. He developed defensive linemen for five years, spurned an offer from Colorado last spring, and will put another into the NFL with Nelson Ceaser in late April.

Would I have liked to see Early stay? 100%. But Fritz has his own ideas, loyalties, and coaches with whom he’s won 23 games over the last two years.

Too often, UH has interfered with coaching hires, demanding certain people are cared for. Because “this is how we’ve done it.” Thankfully, Kelvin and Willie came here with enough gravitas to take complete control of their situations.

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