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Well-respected Houston associate head coach Quannas White was named head coach at Louisiana on Monday.

White, 44, has been preparing to be a head man for the past eight seasons under Houston’s Kelvin Sampson, one of the top coaches in the sport.

“This is an opportunity I do not take lightly, and I am fully committed to building a championship culture that reflects the pride, passion, and relentless work ethic of this great university and community,” White said in a news release.

Louisiana went 12-21 this season. Coach Bob Marlin was fired after a 3-9 start and Derrick Zimmerman finished the season in an interim role.

Dr. Bryan Maggard, vice president for intercollegiate athletics, feels he landed a solid coach in White.

“A proven winner, both as a player and coach, Quannas is a man of high integrity, character and faith,” Maggard said. “He’s an elite recruiter and regarded as one of the best player development coaches in the industry.”

White played two seasons at Oklahoma — when Sampson was the Sooners’ coach — and helped Oklahoma reach the 2002 Final Four and 2003 Elite Eight.

As an assistant coach, White spent two seasons at Tulane (2014-16) and one at Western Kentucky (2016-17) before joining Sampson’s staff at Houston. During his time with the Cougars, the program reached the 2021 Final Four, the 2022 Elite Eight and three Sweet Sixteens.

Houston (27-4) is ranked No. 2 in the country this season and appears on its way to being a No. 1 seed for the third straight season.

Sampson was pleased to see that White was hired and getting the opportunity to lead a program.

“That’s what you want to happen, that they leave you and they run their programs,” Sampson said. “It’s a dream come true for Quannas and I could not be happier.”

White plans to bring that winning formula to Lafayette in hopes of making the Ragin’ Cajuns a force in the Sun Belt.

“To the players, fans, alumni, and Ragin’ Cajun family — get ready,” White said. “We will play with toughness, discipline, and heart. We will compete at the highest level and find a way to WIN! Together, we will create something special, something lasting, and something that makes all of Louisiana proud.”

Marlin was in his 14th season when he was dismissed. He led Louisiana to the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and 2023.

–Field Level Media