ShareThisUniversity of Minnesota newcomer Ralph Sampson III has the advantage of having a fabulous personal coach in his father, one of the greatest college basketball players of all time.
The 7-4 Ralph Sampson was a three-time College Player of the Year at Virginia and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1983 NBA draft by Houston. He played 10 NBA seasons with four teams.
Now retired, the elder Sampson watches every Golden Gophers game, either in person or on television, and spends time on the telephone pointing out the good and the bad about his son's performance.
"After the game he always calls me and tells me what I could have done better, or what I did good," Sampson III said of his father. "He tries to give me feedback.
"He'll critique, like, every move. Every post move I did, I should have went baseline this move, I should have gone there, I should have shot this shot or should have pump-faked and drove, shoot a hook shot, that one move I did in that game would be a good move to do and if I keep that up, I'll be a very good player."
Sampson III said his father told him, "I don't realize my potential yet, but he sees it in me, and he'll say that I'll become a good player."
Sampson III, a 6-11 freshman who averages 6.8 points and 4.3 rebounds while playing in all 21 games this season, scored 10 points, including 8-for-10 from the free-throw line, and pulled down seven rebounds in Thursday night's 59-36 victory over No. 19 Illinois. Illini coach Bruce Weber praised Sampson after the game, saying he had a tremendous future.
Naturally, Sampson III's ultimate career goal is to play in the NBA.
While a junior and senior in high school, he worked with his dad a lot, and he plans to do that again next summer.
"I was here last summer and so I didn't really have time to work with him," Sampson III said. "I spent the summer here in summer school and lifting weights. I had to go back home for a little bit, and I was home conditioning myself and lifting weights trying to get ready for the season."
The elder Sampson is often at Williams Arena for home games, and he will continue to do so the rest of the season, his son said.
It was great for the Gophers that coach Tubby Smith was able to out-recruit about 50 schools and land Sampson III, who has unlimited potential and has made tremendous improvement as a freshman.
(Contact Sid Hartman shartman@startribune.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
columnMust credit Minneapolis Star Tribune
