ESPN’s Jay Williams gives high praise to UH men’s basketball program: ‘It’s an honor to come here’

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — ESPN’s bright red GameDay bus pulled up to Fertitta Center.

Transmission trucks line up on the other side of the University of Houston men’s basketball home. For two hours on Saturday morning, college basketball’s premier pregame show will put the spotlight on Kelvin Sampson and what he’s built in Houston. GameDay will set the table for one of the games of the season in the Big 12 with No. 5 UH against No. 8 Iowa State.

SEE ALSO: ESPN College GameDay returns to UH as men’s basketball takes on Big 12 rival Iowa State on Saturday

ESPN’s veteran analyst Seth Greenberg calls the job that Sampson has done at UH “miraculous.” Greenberg was a longtime coach at South Florida and Virginia Tech, and that gives him a keen appreciation for what Sampson has accomplished.

“He took a worn-out program that lost its identity and its tradition. He’s built a model program,” Greenberg said.

Every program in America would love to welcome the GameDay broadcast and the national attention that comes with it. ESPN’s Jay Williams earned Naismith College Player of the Year honors under Mike Krzyzewski at Duke. His remarkable career frames his praise for Sampson and the Cougars.

“When I watch the sustained excellence over his time period here, that needs to be appreciated,” Williams said. “I think it’s an honor to come here.”

Disney is the parent company of ESPN and ABC13.

For more on this story, follow Greg Bailey on Facebook, X and Instagram.