Mick Cronin’s got jokes.
After the UCLA men’s basketball coach became aware of comments Kelvin Sampson made earlier this month, in which the Houston men’s basketball coach lamented his program’s lack of funding in comparison to other power conference schools, Cronin sent Sampson $1 on the online payment platform Venmo to express his sympathy and deliver a playful jab.
“Mick Cronin had the best line,” Sampson told college basketball reporter Jeff Goodman in an interview released Sunday. “He Venmos 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 reveals that after his comments about Houston’s athletic department last week, Mick Cronin Venmo’d him $1:
“He said yo man, I heard your presser. I’d like to help, so here’s one dollar” 😂😂
🎥: https://t.co/Zdh8RLR44i pic.twitter.com/5JxNIEWG5w
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 16, 2026
Cronin’s news conference advice might have been delivered with a hint of sarcasm, given the Bruins coach’s reputation for bluntly calling out his players at postgame media sessions. After UCLA’s 30-point loss at Michigan Saturday, Cronin called his team’s second-half effort “god-awful.” After a home loss to the Wolverines last season, Cronin called his players “soft” and “delusional.”
Sampson’s postgame gripe came after the Cougars’ 79-55 win over UCF on Feb. 4.
“We have a very poor athletic department. We’re poor,” Sampson said. “We were poor when I got here, and we’re still poor.”
The 23-2 Cougars are ranked second in the nation and have been one of college basketball’s standout programs since Sampson was named head coach in 2014. Under Sampson, Houston has made seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances, with two trips to the Final Four.
Houston’s athletic department, however, has the lowest budget among all power conference programs. The university spent $99 million on sports in fiscal year 2025, while schools such as Texas, Ohio State, Georgia and Michigan each have annual athletics budgets of greater than $200 million. Despite Houston’s basketball success, Sampson said he worried about his program’s ability to remain competitive in the era of name, image and likeness payments and revenue sharing.
“Teams that have the best recruiting classes usually have the most money,” Sampson said after the UCF game. “That’s the way it is today. It’s not about who we want to sign. It’s, ‘Who can we afford to sign?’”
Despite Sampson’s concerns, Houston managed to sign the No. 3 recruiting class in the country heading into this season, according to the 247Sports Composite, including projected NBA first-round draft picks Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr. The Cougars also managed to hold onto upperclassmen Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp, who both opted for another season in Houston over turning pro or entering the transfer portal.
“We participate in the NIL just like everybody else,” Sampson said. “We know what our kids’ market value is. Trust me, they’re not starving here. They’re getting exactly what the market is for them.”
So far this season, that has been enough to keep the Cougars among the favorites to win a national championship in 2026 — and maybe Cronin’s $1 donation will help them remain in the title mix for years to come.
