Men’s Basketball Welcomes Kalifa Sakho for 2025-26 Season

HOUSTON – Center Kalifa Sakho will join the University of Houston Men's Basketball program for the 2025-26 season after signing a scholarship agreement, Head Coach Kelvin Sampson announced Monday.

Sakho will compete as a graduate student and have one season of eligibility

"I like that Kalifa is a veteran and comes from a successful program with a really good coach," Sampson said. "He gives us great size in the frontcourt and is a tough player. He can rebound the ball and protect the paint and has a game that fits well with how we play. We're excited to have Kalifa as part of our family."

Standing 6-foot-11 and weighing 230 points, Sakho competed for Sam Houston during the 2024-25 season and was one of only two Bearkats to start all 32 games. He averaged 7.9 points per game with team bests of 6.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots per contest.

A native of Rouen, France, Sakho scored a season-high 22 points at Lamar (Nov, 17, 2024). It was one of 10 games in which he scored double-digit points.

Sakho – whose name is pronounced Kuh-Leef-Uh Sah-ko – grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds at New Mexico State (Jan. 2) and swatted four shots at Middle Tennessee (Feb. 22).

Before competing for the Bearkats, Sakho played in 33 games for Utah State during its Mountain West Conference regular-season championship season in 2023-24. Playing in 33 games, he shot 66.0 percent (35-of-53) from the field while averaging 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.

In addition, he received Academic All-Mountain West honors for his work in the classroom.

Sakho played for two seasons at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, competing in 62 games with 16 starts. He averaged 5.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 59.8 percent (137-of-229) from the field and scored double-digit points 13 times with three double-doubles.

UP NEXT
Sampson and the Cougars will hold a celebration event presented by H-E-B at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 23, inside Fertitta Center.

All fans are invited, and admission is FREE with FREE parking inside the Stadium Garage off Holman Street. Seating will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The 2024-25 Cougars will be introduced for the last time with various speakers, including Sampson and Vice President for Athletics Eddie Nuñez, scheduled to address the crowd inside Fertitta Center.

In addition, the Team Shop near the Holman Street lobby will be open for fans to purchase merchandise

BUY TICKETS
Current season-ticket holders can renew their season tickets now through April 30 by clicking here and logging into their accounts.

Non-season ticket holders interested in purchasing season tickets are invited to place their names on the Season Ticket Wait List by clicking here.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Men's Basketball by supporting Linking Coogs – UH's NIL collective – and by joining the 50-50 Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Men's Basketball for needs beyond its operating budget.

Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on X and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.

– UHCougars.com –

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