Mick Cronin knows how to land a punchline - even when it’s digital.
After hearing Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson’s recent comments about the Cougars’ limited athletic budget, Cronin couldn’t resist chiming in. The UCLA coach sent Sampson a single dollar on Venmo, offering a tongue-in-cheek show of support - and a little friendly ribbing.
“He Venmos me a dollar,” Sampson said in a recent interview. “He said, ‘Yo, man, I heard your shtick - 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.’”
It’s the kind of playful exchange that reminds us college basketball’s top coaches aren’t just competitors - they’re characters. And in Cronin’s case, the advice may have come with a wink, considering his own reputation for fiery postgame commentary.
After UCLA’s 30-point loss at Michigan on Saturday, Cronin didn’t hold back, calling his team’s second-half effort “god-awful.” That followed last season’s postgame remarks after a home loss to the Wolverines, when he labeled his players “soft” and “delusional.”
But the spotlight here is on Sampson, whose postgame comments after a dominant 79-55 win over UCF earlier this month pulled back the curtain on the financial realities facing his program.
“We have a very poor athletic department. We’re poor,” Sampson said. “We were poor when I got here, and we’re still poor.”
It’s a striking statement coming from the head of one of the most successful programs in college basketball over the past decade. Since Sampson took over in 2014, Houston has become a fixture in March, making seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances and reaching the Final Four twice. This season, the Cougars are 23-2 and ranked No. 2 in the country - a legitimate national title contender.
Yet behind that success is a program operating on a fraction of the budget of its peers. Houston’s athletic department spent $99 million in fiscal year 2025 - the lowest among all power conference schools. By comparison, schools like Texas, Michigan, Georgia, and Ohio State all boast athletic budgets north of $200 million.
That financial gap becomes even more significant in the NIL era, where talent acquisition isn’t just about recruiting - it’s about resources.
“Teams that have the best recruiting classes usually have the most money,” Sampson said. “That’s the way it is today.
It’s not about who we want to sign. It’s, ‘Who can we afford to sign?’”
Still, Houston has found a way to punch above its financial weight. The Cougars landed the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation heading into this season, per the 247Sports Composite rankings. That group includes projected NBA first-rounders Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr., two elite talents who could be game-changers come March.
Equally impressive is the program’s ability to retain key veterans. Guards Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp chose to return for another season rather than test the pro waters or enter the transfer portal - a testament to the culture Sampson has built and the value players see in staying at Houston.
“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.”
In other words, while Houston may not have the deepest pockets, it’s making every dollar count - even Cronin’s.
And if that Venmo dollar was meant as a joke, it also underscores something real: In today’s college basketball landscape, financial firepower matters. But so does savvy. And right now, Sampson’s Cougars are proving they’ve got both.