Mick Cronin has a joke.
After Cronin became aware of comments made by UCLA men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson earlier this month lamenting his program’s lack of funding compared to other power conference schools, Cronin sent a $1 transfer on the online payment platform Venmo to express sympathy and take a playful jab at Sampson.
“Mick Cronin had the best line,” Sampson told college basketball writer Jeff Goodman in an interview published Sunday. “He asked me for a dollar…(and) he said, ‘Hey, I heard you badmouth — you’ve got to learn not to say certain things in the postgame press conference. But I know you don’t have much, so here’s the dollar.’
Kelvin Sampson revealed that Mick Cronin Venmo gave him a dollar after making comments about Houston’s athletic department last week:
“He said, Hey, I heard the press. I want to help you, so I’ll give you a dollar.” 😂😂
🎥: https://t.co/Zdh8RLR44i pic.twitter.com/5J×NIEWG5w
— Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 16, 2026
Given the Bruins coach’s reputation for candidly berating his players in postgame media sessions, Cronin’s advice in the news conference may have been delivered with irony. After UCLA Lost by 30 points against Michigan On Saturday, Cronin called his team’s second-half effort “terrible.” After last season’s home loss to the Wolverines, Cronin called his players “soft” and “delusional.”
Sampson’s postgame frustration came after the Cougars’ 79-55 win over UCF on Feb. 4.
“Our athletic department is very poor. We are poor,” Sampson said. “We were poor when I came here, and we are still poor.”
At 23-2, the Cougars are ranked No. 2 in the nation and have been one of the preeminent programs in college basketball since Sampson took over as head coach in 2014. Under Sampson, Houston has made seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and reached the Final Four twice.
However, Houston’s athletic department has the lowest budget of all power conference programs. The university will spend $99 million on sports in fiscal year 2025, and schools like Texas, Ohio State, Georgia and Michigan each have annual athletic budgets of more than $200 million. Despite Houston’s basketball success, Sampson said he worries about whether his program can remain competitive in an era of name, image and likeness payments and revenue sharing.
“The teams with the best recruiting classes usually have the most money,” Sampson said after the UCF game. “That’s where we are today. It’s not about who we want to sign. It’s about who we can afford to sign.”
Despite Sampson’s concerns, Houston has signed the nation’s No. 3 rookies for this season, including projected first-round NBA draft picks Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr., according to the 247Sports Composite. The Cougars also acquired seniors Milos Uzan and Emmanuel Sharp, both of whom have opted to spend one more season in Houston, either turning pro or entering the transfer portal.
“We participate in NIL just like everyone else,” Sampson said. “We know the market value of our kids. Trust me, they’re not starving here. They’re getting exactly the market value for them.”
So far this season, it’s been good enough to keep the Cougars a contender for the 2026 national championship. Perhaps Cronin’s $1 donation will help the Cougars remain in title contention for years to come.