Kelvin Sampson’s 'Boomer Sooner' moments prove Oklahoma never left him

When someone yells, "Boomer," even 20 years later and now coaching the Houston Cougars, Kelvin Sampson still can't help but respond in the proper way.

Sampson, who coached Oklahoma's men's basketball program for 22 years between 1994-2006, returned to the Sooner State this week with his No. 2 seed Cougars starting their hopeful return to the NCAA Tournament final at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, just miles from where Sampson once called home. Houston tips off against No. 15 Idaho at 9:10 p.m. CT Thursday, and before March Madness got going, Sampson answered a list of questions during his press conference about his return to Oklahoma with a perfect answer every time.

Kelvin Sampson returns to Oklahoma with Houston Cougars for NCAA Tournament

"I wanted to make sure we played well in the tournament, so after we beat BYU and after we beat Kansas (in the Big 12 Tournament), I thought that probably put us in Oklahoma City, and that put a smile on my face," Sampson said.

During his presser, Sampson gave a lot of credit to former OU athletic director Joe Castiglione as being a great mentor to have the success he has today. Sampson left OU for Indiana, then after some time as an assistant in the NBA, he took over Houston in 2014.

In his 12 years leading the Cougars, Sampson has navigated through the introduction of the Transfer Portal and the NIL as a program with less resources than most powerhouses, while also guiding Houston during its jump from the American to a Power Four program in the Big 12. Yet, through it all, Sampson has still built Houston into a consistent national contender and was even a win away from his first national title last year. It was his third trip to the Final Four after also getting the Sooners there in 2001.

Also through everything over two decades later, Sampson still has OU DNA that will never go away. Both of his kids graduated from Oklahoma. His son, Kellen, played for him at OU and is now his assistant. Former Sooner Hollis Price is also on his coaching staff. And with so much experience returning from last year's NCAA Tournament run, how fitting would it be for Sampson's journey to his first national title to start in Oklahoma, both this week and back in 1994.

Without the Sooners in the Big Dance, there seems to be no other team in the NCAA Tournament worth cheering on for OU fans than Sampson's Cougars because of all those ties and history. Houston even practiced at OU's facilities this week to prepare.

Now more than ever with Houston in the Big 12, Sampson hears fans yell "Boomer" from across an arena. He'll likely hear it more at Paycom Center this week since when he was at Lloyd Noble Center. And when Sampson does inevitably hear "Boomer," his instincts still kick in.

"We'll go somewhere, and the next you know, from 100 feet away, someone will scream 'Boomer' at us," Sampson said. "There's very few basketball games that I go to, especially in the Big 12, that I don't get a 'Boomer.' And I always scream "Sooner" back at 'em. ...

"I'm a Cougar, man, but I'll always have a little Sooner blood in me."