'You just keep going': Sampson discusses coaching future after Houston's Sweet 16 loss
"We all have our time, but I think coaches have to understand when their time is," coach Kelvin Sampson said after the Coogs' 65-55 loss to No. 3 seed Illinois on Thursday.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson addressed his future, albeit in vague terms, after his No. 2-seeded Cougars bowed out of the NCAA tournament in the South Region semifinals Thursday night, saying he still enjoys coaching but also acknowledging every coach "will step away" at some point. "We all have our time, but I think coaches have to understand when their time is," Sampson said after Houston's 65-55 loss to No.
3 seed Illinois. "I mean, we all know this is a young man's game. I still like it, but we're all going to step away eventually.
"I haven't really thought about that to the point where I can share anything, but I'm not going to get in anybody's way, though. If I'm in somebody's way or if I'm overstaying my welcome, I'd be the first one to leave. " Thursday night's loss at the Toyota Center, eight minutes from Houston's home arena on campus, unfolded a year after the Cougars lost to Florida in the national title game in San Antonio.
Sampson, 70, has been vocal this season about his program's need for more resources to compete with the game's powerhouses. In February, he said his team struggles to sign more elite recruits because "we're poor. " But Sampson hasn't hinted at retirement this season.