Sampson Named National Coach of the Year

Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson will be presented with the Chevrolet Coach of the Year award on March 28th in Atlanta. The Chevrolet Coach of the Year is selected by CBS Sports production staff and talent.

Sampson, in his eighth year with the Sooners, has Oklahoma ranked third in the country. They are 27-4 this seaon and finished in second place in the Big Twelve during the regular season and upset #1 Kansas in the Big Twelve Tournament. They are #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament's West Region.

The Sooners were picked to finish in fourth place in the Big 12 race by both conference coaches and media prior to the season.

This marks the second time that Sampson has won national coach-of-the-year honors. He also earned Coach of the Year honors from the Associated Press, the United States Basketball Writers Association and Basketball Times in 1994-95, his first season at Oklahoma. That Sooner squad finished 23-9 overall and earned a No. 4 NCAA Tournament seeding.

Duke senior guard Jason Williams will be honored as the Chevrolet Player of the Year during the same March 28 ceremony.

Sampson will coach Oklahoma against No. 15 seed Illinois-Chicago Friday at 11:30 a.m. CST at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. If the Soners wins its first-round game it will play the winner of Friday's Xavier (No. 7 seed) vs. Hawaii (No. 10 seed) contest on Sunday at approximately 3:45 p.m. CST.