Orlando Magic are still looking for a head coach after parting ways with Frank Vogel in April. It now looks like they could be close to a solution with ESPN‘s Marc Stein reporting that Magic have former Houston Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson as their main target. Sampson has been serving as the Houston Cougars men’s basketball head coach since 2014.
No team has kept its coaching search quieter than Orlando, but there is a growing belief among league insiders gathered in Chicago this week that University of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson has emerged as the Magic's prime target
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 16, 2018
After coaching on the college level for the better part of his career, Kelvin Sampson joined the Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant in 2008. In 2011, Sampson joined the Houston Rockets and served as an assistant under Kevin McHale. He got a chance to serve as an interim coach for a brief period of time in 2013, making a good impression and securing himself interviews with several NBA teams after that. Still, Sampson didn’t manage to get a head coaching job in NBA and decided to take the job with the University of Houston.
Orlando Magic decided to fire Frank Vogel after he led the team to 25-57 record, which was second-worst in the Eastern Conference. Magic have now missed the playoffs for the sixth straight season and will look to find a coach who will be able to change their luck. Besides Kelvin Sampson, Orlando Magic will reportedly interview Portland Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool and G League’s Raptors 905 coach Jerry Stackhouse.
