Sampson Named Naismith Award Finalist

Feb. 26, 2001

NORMAN, Okla. - University of Oklahoma men's basketball Head Coach Kelvin Sampson has been announced as a finalist for the Naismith College Coach of the Year Award, according to the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Sampson is one of 20 Division I coaches comprising the list of finalists.

Sampson has guided the Sooners to a 21-6 overall record and a 10-4 Big 12 mark with two conference games remaining, both at home. Oklahoma is tied with Kansas and Texas for second place in the Big 12, just one game behind first-place Iowa State. The Sooners are ranked 17th in both major top-25 polls this week.

In his seventh year at Oklahoma, Sampson owns a 151-68 record (.689). He is in his 18th season as a collegiate head coach and owns a 326-216 career mark (.601). Sampson was named the national coach of the year following the 1994-95 campaign, his first season at OU, by the Associated Press, United States Basketball Writers Association and Basketball Weekly. That year he led Oklahoma to a 23-9 overall record and a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Iowa State's Larry Eustachy and Kansas' Roy Williams also appear on the list of Naismith Award finalists.

Oklahoma hosts Colorado Wednesday at 8 p.m. before closing out the regular season Saturday when it plays Oklahoma State at 8 p.m. in front of a national ESPN audience.

The Naismith Awards program, now in its 33rd year, honors the outstanding college basketball coaches in the United States. The awards program was founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, an organization dedicated to recognizing the achievements of excellence in basketball.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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