Kelvin Sampson, Rick Barnes Are A Rare Breed In College Basketball, Who Still Love This 'Beautiful Game'

INDIANAPOLIS - Kelvin Sampson and Rick Barnes took to the podium on Saturday afternoon with a sense of calm that only comes with coaches who have been in the business long enough to not get flustered by the surroundings of a high-profile matchup. Today, one of these close friends will lead either Tennessee or Houston to a Final Four. 

Having known each other from decades of grinding in the sport of college basketball, it's easy to see how these two legends of the sport have lasted this long, especially in this new era filled with NIL deals and a transfer portal that is a significant part of winning in today's world. 

Both coaches are looking to make history during this NCAA Tournament, with the Vols beating Kentucky on Friday night, while Houston won in the final seconds against Purdue in a thriller inside Lucas Oil Stadium. It was certainly a monumental night for both, who talk like two guys that just want the best for the sport they love. 

On Saturday, you would've thought it was just another day at the office for these coaches who have cemented their legacy in the sport. For these two coaches, who have known each other for over 40 years, their relationship goes well beyond the basketball court. This includes some awkward late-night calls from Barnes to Sampson. 

"You know Rick, right? He's a prankster, jokester, funny as all-get-out. Country boy, little Ricky from Hickory. All that. Used to have long hair," Kelvin Sampson jokingly said about Rick Barnes. We actually played against each other in college. That's a long time ago. They actually did have seams on the basketball, but not very indented.

"You know, Rick is... his faith is really important to him. He and his wife, Candy, are two of my favorite people in the world. Sometimes Rick will call me at night and he'll say -- he won't even say hello. He will just say, you still run your 3-2-zone? I'll say, yeah. He'll say, I'm gonna call you tomorrow and talk about that, all right?"

If you wanted a clear example of how loose Kelvin Sampson was on Saturday, the Houston head coach made it clear that he wasn't worried about watching tape of Tennessee following the win over Purdue. He was more worried about how he was going to get some sleep with a little extra help. 

"I didn't prepare last night. I prepared for bed (laughter)," Sampson recalled. "That's the only preparation I had. Biggest decision was how many melatonin because it's hard to sleep. When you get out of something like that, it's really difficult for me to go to sleep."

INDIANAPOLIS - Head coach Kelvin Sampson of the Houston Cougars reacts during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers in the Midwest Regional Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 28, 2025. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Rick Barnes And Kelvin Sampson Are True Friends, Hanging On Together

Having coached against each other while at Oklahoma and Texas, their relationship hasn't wavered since the early days of their career, dating back to before actually getting into the Big 12. 

"I love Kelvin Sampson, and we will be friends till the day we die. We'll probably spend a lot of time together when we're done because he's so much fun to be around," Rick Barnes said about Sampson. 

As you can tell, these are two coaches who have gone through the ringer of college basketball over the past number of decades. There isn’t much that fazes them any longer, though the current state of the sport with NIL and the transfer portal is clearly something that Kelvin Sampson often thinks about. 

"Look at what was behind NIL in the summer of '22. How did that even start?," Kelvin noted. "Think of all the coaches that didn't think it was -- think of all the ADs, forget coaches. Think of all the ADs out there who said it's not going to last. Nah, it'll go away. One-year, two-year deal. It'll go away. Therein lies how smart college basketball is. Smarter than all of us. It's forced us all to take an inventory of what's really important. 

"It forces you to do that -- it used to be in the summers, but you have to do it every week now. You have to take inventory of your program, of your roster, of your staff, of your athletic department, of your sport administrators, of your president. It's smarter than all of us. It's put us on our knees. It's forced us to have to react to things we never thought we would have to."

It's safe to say that while the sport continues to change, and some coaches decide to move on, it's clear that Rick Barnes and Kelvin Sampson have at least embraced the past four or five years. 

Ahead Of Battle, Both Coaches Make It Known This Is Still A Great Game

While the college basketball world is currently caught up with either the NCAA Tournament or the transfer portal, it's clear that the game is still a beautiful one. Even if there are a minority of bad stories that come out of the portal or NIL, as Kelvin Sampson pointed out, there are those that realize this game is still a beautiful one. 

"You know, Rick and I talk about this. I talk about it with Tom Izzo and we all came up together as young coaches, and now I guess we're all on our way out here pretty soon. We have a great game," Sampson noted. "We still have great kids. Our kids do well in NIL, and I'm thankful it hasn't changed our kids. I'm thankful that I still get to coach good kids. 

"I hear horror stories. I think the horror stories are more the minority, but it's still a great game. It's a game where you can teach good values, teach kids that it's okay to make mistakes. It's okay to get up when you get knocked down. It's okay. You still got to learn life's lessons. While everything is growing exponentially in areas I had no idea even existed, it's still a great game."

Tennessee's Rick Barnes Shocked By NIL Numbers, But Has Been On A Mission To Help

For Rick Barnes, he made it clear that once he loses his love for coaching these players, even in the current landscape with NIL and the transfer portal, will be the day he walks away from the sport. 

"Right now, the rumors I'm hearing are mind-boggling, it is. But, it's not gonna keep us from doing our job," Rick Barnes noted. "We're working on it, I have got a staff right now working on the stuff you're talking about, while in the middle of trying to win a national championship. 

"You can't let that interfere with the fact that you love what you're doing. I've made it clear that the day that I lose that purity of not wanting to be around the kids or the players as a coach, that's when you know it's time. But I still love it like Kelvin. We really wanna help these guys."

INDIANAPOLIS - Head coach Rick Barnes of the Tennessee Volunteers talks with his team after the game against the Kentucky Wildcats in the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 28, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Hancock/NCAA Photos/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

As both coaches take to the court on Sunday afternoon inside Lucas Oil Stadium, they will surely share a moment mid-court, looking at where the game of college basketball is at. They've had their moments, so watching their players perform at the highest level is the rewarding part of the job now for these two legendary coaches. 

Rick Barnes summed it up best in the final moments of his press conference on Saturday. 

"We've lived our dream. We wanna help those guys do it. The way you do it is you give them your best every day."

Now it's time for the players to help one of them cut down the nets this afternoon, securing a trip to the Final Four.