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NCAA OKs request by Houston coach for aid to Harvey victims

FILE - Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson directs his players from the bench in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Cincinnati, Thursday, March 2, 2017. In a tweet posted on Aug. 28, Sampson asked high school, college and pro coaches to send 20 school or team T-shirts and 10 pairs of shoes for the storm victims. (John Minchillo / Associated Press)
Associated Press

The NCAA is signing off on a request for aid for Hurricane Harvey victims that began with a tweet from Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson.

Sampson sent a tweet Aug. 28 asking high school, college and pro coaches to send 20 school or team T-shirts and 10 pairs of shoes for the storm victims. Sampson’s team plays in the American Athletic Conference, and on Thursday the NCAA gave its OK to the league, allowing the school to send donations.

The university says it has more than 1,300 commitments via Twitter, including more than 330 from Division I sports programs, and donations from all but one state.

Sampson has been overwhelmed by the response. The school says the tweet has been viewed more than 2.5 million times. He is also urging donations to the Red Cross (redcross.org.donate/donation ) and the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund (ghcf.org ).