Kelvin Sampson, T.J. Otzelberger Listed as Coach of the Year Finalists
With the 2023-24 college basketball season nearing its end, finalists for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award were announced on Monday, with two representatives from the Big 12 Conference listed.
Houston‘s Kelvin Sampson and Iowa State‘s T.J. Otzelberger were mentioned as finalists for the prestigious award alongside UConn’s Dan Hurley and South Carolina’s Lamont Paris.
Sampson edged past Otzelberger for the Big 12 Coach of the Year award following the conclusion of the 2023-24 regular season. In his first year as a member of the Big 12, Sampson led the Cougars to a first-place finish this season with an overall record of 32-4 and a conference record of 15-3.
While Iowa State was unable to capture a regular-season title this year, T.J. Otzelberger’s squad wound up getting a second shot at Houston in the Big 12 Tournament, where they emerged victorious. Iowa State finished the season with a 13-5 conference record and is continuing to improve its overall record of 29-7.
If either coach is named the 2024 National Coach of the Year, they would join a selective group of two coaches from the Big 12 Conference to win the award since 2000 and would become the Big 12’s fifth coach to claim the honor. They would join Kansas State’s Jerome Tang (2022-23) and a trio of Kansas coaches in Bill Self (2011-12), Roy Williams (1996-97), and Larry Brown (1987-1988) as the only five coaches in league history to take home the award.
Both Iowa State and Houston advanced to the Sweet 16 with wins in the Round of 32. While Sampson and Otzelberger both have a good argument to take home National Coach of the Year, both groups have their eyes set on a National Championship if they can keep rolling through March Madness.
