If you’re going to ask Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson a question, you had better make sure your pronunciation is on point.
During a Friday press conference, a reporter asked Sampson a question about Gonzaga, who Houston will face on Saturday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It prompted an interesting reply and a bit of a rant.
“Didn’t you try to get a game with Gonzaga in 2021,” the reporter questioned, pronouncing it “Gon-zawg-ah.”
“Gonzaga,” Sampson snapped back, correcting him.
The reporter acknowledged his mistake but it still wasn’t enough for Sampson.
“It always burns me up when people say that. It’s like calling me Kevin. My name is not Kevin,” he said. “People used to see my name and say ‘Hey, Kevin.’ And [my mom] would say, ‘Don’t let people call you Kevin. Your name is Kelvin. Make sure they pronounce your name right.’
“So that’s why my antennas go up with that. Same with Gonzaga. They were our neighbors [in Spokane, Wash.]. It’s not Spo-cane, and it’s not Gon-zawg-ah. It’s Gonzaga and it’s Spo-can.“
After his rant, Sampson permitted the reporter to continue but wanted to ensure he had it correct.
Sampson and Houston will tip off again Gonzaga — not Gon-zawg-ah — on Saturday night at 8:40 p.m. EDT at the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas
