Houston's Kelvin Sampson Named 2024 AP Men's CBB COY over UConn's Dan Hurley

Houston men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson was named the Associated Press Coach of the Year Friday after leading the Cougars to a regular-season Big 12 title during their first year in the conference.

Sampson received 23 of 62 possible votes for the award, beating out runner-up Dan Hurley of UConn by two votes, according to the Associated Press.

South Carolina's Lamont Paris finished in third place with eight votes, according to the AP.

Iowa State's T.J. Otzelberger and Utah State's Danny Sprinkle each received four AP votes, while Washington State's Kyle Smith and McNeese State's Will Wade earned a vote apiece.

Sampson led Houston to a 32-5 overall record and the team's second straight Sweet 16 appearance in 2023.

He previously won the AP Coach of the Year award in 1995 while coaching Oklahoma.

Sampson received a $20,000 incentive bonus for winning the award, according to Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle.

After finishing the season prior with a 33-4 record, Houston lost star players Jarace Walker and Marcus Sasser to the first round of the 2023 NBA draft.

Sampson's ability to lead the Cougars to a third straight 30-win season, despite the losses of Walker and Sasser, the transition from the AAC to Big 12, likely helped him beat out Hurley for the honor.

Houston guard Jamal Shead, who played a key part in the 30-win season before injuring his ankle in the Cougars' Sweet 16 loss to Duke, earned two votes for the AP Player of the Year award.

Meanwhile Hurley and the Huskies are preparing to face Alabama Saturday night as they fight for a second consecutive NCAA tournament title.

Sampson is the 10th coach to win multiple Coach of the Year awards, according to the AP.

Since joining Houston in 2014, Sampson has led the Cougars to six NCAA tournament appearances. The team made just one trip to the tournament in 22 years prior to his hiring.

He is now the second Houston coach to double up on AP Coach of the Year awards.

The late Guy Lewis earned the honor in 1968 and 1983 during another period of NCAA dominance for Cougars basketball, during which Houston completed 27 straight winning seasons.