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Houston head basketball coach Kelvin Sampson is known to have a short fuse when things aren’t going his way. He put that temper on display for 7,200 screaming Cougar fans Tuesday in an incredible on-court tirade.
Neither score nor situation will keep him from getting his point across to officials, and that was never more evident than in Houston’s matchup versus Big 12 rival Oklahoma State. Sampson let each individual referee hear his thoughts before being ejected from the game.
After seeing a Cowboys player get away with some contact in the post, Sampson stormed onto the floor in a complete fury. Believing a foul should’ve been called on his team’s opponent, he let all that rage out while confronting each official face-to-face.
Never mind that Houston was up 20 points.
@espn Houston men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson was ejected after this no-call. #collegebasketball #houstoncougars #basketball ♬ original sound – ESPN
Knowing that he’d be removed from action, he swiftly walked back to the locker room after getting his point across.
The broadcast crew mentioned that there’s been a trend with Big 12 officiating to let contact go as players battle for position on the boards. Sampson apparently had seen too much!
“The physicality in the Big 12 over the last two weeks is unacceptable!”
For what it’s worth, a clear foul was committed as the Oklahoma State big man shoved his Houston defender in order to get open.
Kelvin Sampson’s was one of the more animated ejections we’ve seen this college basketball season, and luckily for his team, the Cougars wouldn’t need him on the sidelines.
Houston would go on to win the Big 12 matchup by a score of 79-63, improving to 20-3 on the season and solidifying their standing as a Top 5 team.