Houston’s Sampson dedicates OT win to former Cougar
Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson knew before Sunday’s game against Texas A&M began that his Cougars would be in for a fight.
He knew it after the game started. And he knew at halftime that the rest of the NCAA tournament secondround game in Memphis wouldn’t be any different. Sampson knew it was the kind of game where former Cougars forward Reggie Chaney, who died from fentanyl toxicity in August 2023, would have thrived.
Knowing he needed his team to dig deep to overcome the Aggies (which it did, 100-95 in overtime to advance to the Sweet 16), Sampson invoked Chaney’s name and memory in the locker room at halftime.
“‘What would 32 do? Reggie Chaney (who wore No. 32 at Houston) would have fought his (expletive) off,’ “Houston All-american guard Jamal Shead said during a postgame television interview, recalling what Sampson told the team. “He mentioned Reggie, and I kind of didn’t really listen to the rest of the speech, kind of just started to tear up a little bit. So when he asked, what would Reggie do? Reggie would fight. And I think we did that the second half.”
As much fight as the Cougars had in the second half, the Aggies matched or exceeded it. Texas A&M outscored Houston 25-12 in the final 3:43 of regulation, with Andersson Garcia drilling a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. But Sampson’s squad still had enough left in the tank to pull out the victory.
“I asked them about Reggie, and as soon as I said it, out of the corner of my eye I saw Jamal got really emotional,” Sampson said. “Ramon (Walker Jr.) got really emotional. So that one was for Big Reg.”
Houston walk-on Ryan Elvin hit a single free throw with 17 seconds left in overtime, making him an unlikely hero. He and Chaney were teammates for three seasons.
“We play every game for Reggie,” Elvin said, referencing the No. 32 patch the Cougars have worn on their uniforms all season. “Tough games like this, you know, we know he’s with us. This was his type of game, for sure. Reggie was one of the toughest dudes, if not the toughest dude, I’ve ever been around.
“When it’s hard games like this, we think about him a little bit more. But he’s always with us.”
No. 1 seed Houston will face Duke in the Sweet 16 on Friday in Dallas at American Airlines Center, host of the South Regional. The game will be at approximately 9:15 p.m. CT, following the North Carolina State-marquette game, which begins at 6:09 p.m. CT. Both games will be on CBS.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.