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Once pariahs, now winners, Final Four coaches Pearl, Sampson a reflection of a changing game

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NCAA Tennessee Houston Basketball

Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson celebrates his team's victory over Tennessee in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A decade ago, Bruce Pearl of Auburn and Kelvin Sampson of Houston were emerging from exile — two coaches who had been handed the harshest sanction imaginable by the NCAA and were looking to resurrect their once-successful careers.

This week, they're both coaching at the Final Four, the “show-cause” penalties that once stood as a scarlet letter in college sports now barely visible in their rearview mirrors.