Kelvin Sampson winner of 2018-19 Clarence "Big House" Gaines College Basketball Coach of the Year Award

POSTED: April 27, 2019 -- 12:08 p.m. CT

Friday night, the National Sports Media Association named Houston Cougars men's basketball Head Coach Kelvin Sampson the 2018-'19 winner of the NMSA's Clarence "Big House" Gaines Division I Coach of the Year Award. Virginia State Head Coach Lonnie Blow Jr. is the winner of the Division 2 Coach of the Year.

Sampson guided the Coogs to a 33-4 record to set a school record for wins, the program's first outright regular-season conference championship since 1984, Top-10 rankings in both national polls and a place in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

The NSMA has presented the Clarence "Big House" Gaines College Basketball Coach of the Year Award to a head coach in NCAA Division I and Division II, bestowing recognition on the coaches, who may not receive it from mainstream outlets.

The Gaines Awards will be presented during the 60th annual NSMA Awards Banquet on June 24, 2019, at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC.

Tickets and sponsorships can be purchased here.

"Big House" Gaines was the legendary basketball coach at Winston-Salem (N.C.) State University. In 47 seasons as head coach, his teams won 828 games, including the 1967 NCAA Division II National Championship. Earl 'The Pearl' Monroe was the leader of that 1967 team.

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