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Sampson asks coaches to send shirts and shoes to help city of Houston

Kelvin Sampson

Kelvin Sampson

AP

Hurricane Harvey is currently ravaging Texas. As of Monday afternoon, three people were confirmed to have died due to the storm, and mandatory evacuations were beginning to be ordered by some counties in the state.

One of the places most impacted is Houston and its population of 4.5 million people.

The University of Houston’s basketball program is going to try to help its city.

Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson issued a request Monday, calling for coaches around the country - from all levels - to donate gear to help those affected by the storm.

“I have so many of my friends in the coaching profession tet and call offering prayers and thoughts for All Houstonians,” Sampson wrote. “They all ask what we can do to help.

“Both men’s and women’s (high school), junior college), every level of college D1, D2, D3 and NAIA… if you can please send 20 of your schools t-shirts and 10 pairs of shoes.”

The devastation racking the Texas coast right now is sure to be immense as the hurricane is expected to continue to drop rain on the region. When it’s over, there will be thousands of people needing assistance. The efforts of Sampson and the Houston program will certainly be welcomed - and impactful.

UPDATE: To get an idea of just how far-reaching this effort is already, take a scroll through the twitter feeds of Houston Men’s Basketball and Kelvin Sampson. This project is well beyond just Division I men’s basketball. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say more than a thousand teams could end up donating clothes and shoes.

The University is closed until at least Monday, and at this point, no one is even in the Athletics Complex to pick up the packages if they even can be deliver, Houston spokesman Jeff Conrad told NBC Sports. But when they can get access to the facility, “our coaches, student-athletes and staff will start distributing to charity organizations,” Conrad said. “That initial wave could be pretty overwhelming.”

Overwhelming sounds great.

Keep the donations coming.

Even if you aren’t a member of a team, you can still help by donating clothes and shoes, even if they are just the clothes sitting in the back of your closet or the corner of your attic or children’s hand-me-downs you don’t have anyone to hand down to. The address is:

Guy V Lewis Development Center
3480 Cullen Blvd
Houston, TX 77204