Kelvin Sampson is an adhesive for correct pronunciation.
The Houston Basketball coach corrected a reporter who mispronounced the Cougars' second round opponent Gonzaga in March 2025.
“Did you try to play a match against Gonzaga in 2021?” the reporter asked, pronounced “Ganzaga” to the school.
Sampson intervened before the reporters were finished.
“Gonzaaga,” Sampson said. “When people say it, it always burns me. It's like calling me Kevin. My name isn't Kevin. My mother looked at my name and said, 'Hey Kevin.' So my antenna is the same as Gon Zaa Ga.
The Sampson Cougars, the number one seed in the tournament, set a clash with the eighth seed Bulldog on Saturday, past 16-seeded Siu Edwardsville, aged 78-40, on Thursday.
Milos Uzan led with 16 points, while LJ Kryer poured with 15 points.
“Our defense and rebound are two things we really emphasized, and I thought today was good,” Sampson said after the game. “Shot selection was really good starting the game. I knocked down a few shots and got off to a good start.”
Meanwhile, Gonzaga hit ninth seed Georgia (89-68) in the first round.
Khalif Battle scored the team with 24 points, while Braden Huff and Nolan Hickman each chipped with 18 points.
Tom McCarthy, Deb Antonelli, Steve Smith and AJ Ross will be TNT's broadcast teams in Saturday's match.
Hopefully they get their pronunciation right.
