Scott Drew encourages Houston fans to appreciate Kelvin Sampson

It’s been a bit of an uneven road for Scott Drew and the Baylor Bears throughout the 2024-25 season, and a trip to Houston to play Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Drew’s team couldn’t overcome the No. 6 team in the country inside the Fertitta Center earlier this week, but he did leave Houston feeling a ton of respect for Sampson. Following the 11-point loss, the Baylor leader encouraged Cougars fans to appreciate their coach, believing him to be on a special level when it comes to the profession.

“Nothing but love and respect for Coach Sampson and what he’s done here,” Drew told the media, following the loss to the Cougars. “The only thing I’d say is, I go to a lot of arenas, and when the other coach gets announced, the place goes crazy. I mean, for what Coach Sampson has done here, it’s amazing.

“I just encourage everyone to appreciate him for what he’s built, because it’s a really hard place to play, and he deserves a lot of that credit.”

All told, Sampson has been a mainstay at Houston for over a decade, as he took over the program prior to the 2014 campaign. Since then, his teams have made it to the Sweet 16 five times, the Elite Eight twice and the Final Four once. He has an overall record of 284–83, and at 20-4 on the season at the moment, they’re poised to continue adding wins.

It’s even more impressive to see what Sampson has done since Houston decided to join the Big 12 prior to last season. The Cougars were the regular season champions in the Big 12 last season, and they’re currently first in the conference once again at the moment, with their lone loss a one-point disappointment against Texas Tech.

Still, Sampson isn’t necessarily seen on the same level as the more legendary coaches in the game, and that’s a shame. Drew is trying to rectify that by going to bat for the Houston leader, and the stats back up his argument.

Moving forward, Houston will remain one of the tougher teams to beat in all of college basketball, and the Fertitta Center is still one of the more difficult arenas to play in throughout all of the sport. The Cougars are on the road on Saturday, in Tucson to face the Arizona Wildcats, but they’re still favored to get the dub, a testament to Sampson’s coaching.

Time will tell how it all turns out for Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars this season, but perhaps they’ll break through and finally capture that national championship they’ve been chasing. Scott Drew certainly believes it’s possible for them in 2025.