Houston men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson called Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne and coach Nate Oats to apologize for his team’s behavior after a close loss Saturday night in Coleman Coliseum.
Byrne revealed the conversation in a tweet Sunday evening, saying Sampson “sincerely apologized for how things ended after last night’s game” and thanking the veteran coach for reaching out.
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Video captured by a fan and posted by another to Twitter showed a Houston staffer kicking bench chairs on his way to the visitors’ locker room after the 83-82 loss, which ended controversially when Alabama guard JD Davison swatted the ball away from the rim. Cougars coaches and players wanted officials to call goal-tending on the play.
That staffer was identified to be Sampson’s son Kellen, an assistant coach who later apologized in a Sunday evening tweet.
“At the conclusion of yesterday’s game, I allowed my emotions to bubble over,” he wrote. “I sincerely apologize to @AlabamaMBB and their fan base for my actions. I understand my role as a coach and my reaction was not indicative of a leader of men. I will be better moving forward.”
Following Kellen Sampson’s walk to the locker room, Houston senior forward Reggie Chaney also kicked a chair and tipped over a trash can. A teammate, sophomore guard Jamal Shead, was later seen picking up the trash and returning it to the righted can.
Kelvin Sampson said during his postgame news conference that he believed Davison should have been called for goal-tending, which likely would have given Houston the win. Sampson and guard Marcus Sasser followed officials off the court, with Sasser not stopping until a police officer held him back.
Alabama and Houston announced their home-and-home series in May 2020, but were forced to cancel their planned December 2020 game in Tuscaloosa after a COVID-19 outbreak among the Cougars’ program. That game was made up Saturday, and Alabama will make its planned trip to Houston’s Fertitta Center next season.
Sampson, 66, is in his eighth season as Houston’s coach after previous stints coaching Washington State, Oklahoma and Indiana. His team won The American tournament last season as part of a run to the Final Four.
Byrne said in his tweet that he has known Sampson since he was a high school student in the late 1980s, when Sampson was at Washington State and Byrne’s father Bill was the athletics director at Oregon.
Oats said before the game on The Next Round that he knows Sampson a “little bit” and he visited Houston’s basketball facility when the Final Four was played in the city in 2016.
“I respect him,” Oats said Friday. “I know him well enough. I wouldn’t say we’re great friends, but we’re friends and I think we’ve both got a mutual respect for what each other has done in the business.”
After Saturday’s game, Oats held out his hand and waited for Sampson to shake it in a moment that went viral on social media. Sampson instead turned his attention toward finding the officials, and Oats eventually lowered his hand.
Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.
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Houston apologizes to Alabama for behavior in Coleman Coliseum after loss - AL.com
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