A note for college basketball fans everywhere: Do not mispronounce the name of an opponent in front of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson.
"Didn't you try to get a game with Gonzaga in 2021?" a reporter asked Sampson during a press conference Friday, pronouncing the university Gon-zawg-ah.
Uh oh.
"Gonzaga," Sampson said in response to correct the pronounciation. "It always burns me up when people say that. It's like calling me Kevin. My name is not Kevin. ... People used to see my name and say 'Hey, Kevin.' And [my mom] would say, 'Don't let people call you Kevin. Your name is Kelvin. Make sure they pronounce your name right.
"So that's why my antennas go up with that. Same with Gonzaga. They were our neighbors [in Spokane, Wash.]. It's not Spo-cane, and it's not Gon-zawg-ah. It's Gonzaga and it's Spo-can.
Do NOT mispronounce Gonzaga in front of KeLvin Sampson pic.twitter.com/5040iiQ7qD
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 21, 2025
Well said, coach.
Sampson and the No. 1 seed Houston Cougars will play those Gonzaga Bulldogs on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Houston took care of business in the first round, crushing No. 16 seed SIU Edwardsville 78–40 on Thursday. But Gonzaga looked impressive as well, punching its ticket to the round of 32 with an 89–68 victory over No. 9 seed Georgia.
That game between Houston and Gonzaga—again, not Gon-zawg-ah—is set to tip off at 8:40 p.m. ET from Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kelvin Sampson Goes on Epic Rant After Reporter Mispronounces 'Gonzaga'.
