UCLA's Mick Cronin Trolls Houston's Kelvin Sampson Over 'Poor' Comment

The two coaches shared a lighthearted exchange about Sampson's claim that Houston has a 'very poor athletic department'.

Feb. 19, 2026 at 12:15pm

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In a recent interview, Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson claimed that his program has a 'very poor athletic department' and 'probably has the lowest budget of anybody in Power 4'. This prompted UCLA head coach Mick Cronin to jokingly Venmo Sampson a dollar, telling him 'I heard your shtick—(at) postgame press conferences, you gotta learn not to say certain things. But I did get that you don't have very much, so here's a dollar.'

Why it matters

Sampson's comments about Houston's financial situation sparked a humorous exchange between the two coaches, highlighting the competitive nature and banter that often occurs between top college basketball programs.

The details

Sampson's original 'poor' comments came after Houston's 79-55 win over UCF on February 5. He claimed the program has a very low budget compared to other Power 5 schools. This prompted reporter Jeff Goodman to jokingly hand Sampson a $100 bill during a later interview, saying 'I heard you were broke. I just wanted to help out here. You know, for your next meal...' Sampson laughed and slid the money back. Cronin then shared the story of how he Venmo'd Sampson a dollar, poking fun at his 'shtick' of making such comments at press conferences.

  • On February 5, Kelvin Sampson made the 'poor' comments following Houston's win over UCF.
  • On February 17, Sampson shared the story about Mick Cronin Venmo'ing him a dollar.

The players

Kelvin Sampson

Head coach of the Houston Cougars men's basketball team.

Mick Cronin

Head coach of the UCLA Bruins men's basketball team.

Jeff Goodman

Basketball analyst for The Field of 68.

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What they’re saying

“We have a very poor athletic department. We're poor. We were poor when I got here, and we're still poor. We probably have the lowest budget of anybody in Power 4. The way our recruiting is going, we have to stop at some point because we don't have the money to keep bringing in many good players. And that's not easy for us to do.”

— Kelvin Sampson, Houston Cougars Head Coach (Sporting News)

“Mick Cronin had the best line. He Venmo's me a dollar... (and) he said, 'Yo, man, I heard your shtick—(at) postgame press conferences, you gotta learn not to say certain things. But I did get that you don't have very much, so here's a dollar.'”

— Kelvin Sampson, Houston Cougars Head Coach (The Field of 68)

What’s next

No. 2 Houston will face No. 4 Arizona on Saturday, February 21 at 3pm EST on ABC. This will be Houston's third straight game against a top 10 ranked opponent.

The takeaway

The lighthearted exchange between Cronin and Sampson shows the competitive spirit and camaraderie that exists between top college basketball coaches, even as they poke fun at each other's public comments about their programs' financial situations.