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DEL.ICIO.USSampson a big reminder of famous father
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
He has the look of his dad, and not just in height. The thick eyebrows. The narrow shoulders. The No. 50 on his back. Yes, Ralph Sampson III is a chip off the old lamp post.
It does not stop there, however. The young Sampson — Northview’s 6-foot-10 junior — has a game that cannot help but remind one of his dad, who was perhaps the most fervently recruited high school player of all time.
At 7 feet 4 with a wingspan that seemed to stretch the width of the court, the elder Sampson was a three-time college National Player of the Year at the University of Virginia and had a nine-year NBA career that started smartly but was undone by knee troubles.
Barring a quantum growth in his skills, the younger son will be less ballyhooed than his dad. But then, who is not? Still, colleges have been blowing up his phone with the hope/expectation that his talent and genes will produce another giant star.
Tuesday night was Sampson III’s moment of arrival. Against perhaps the state’s best big man, Wheeler’s J.J. Hickson, Sampson had an affirming performance. It was not so much the 22 points he scored, but more than that, he was unfazed by the challenge of going up against the talented Hickson.
“He’s very physical,” Sampson said afterward. “Great player. It was a good test for me.”
A test his father deemed a success. Watching from his standard seat on the baseline, it was almost as if Sampson’s chest expanded with every play his son made.
“I love to see him play,” he said. “Having been there, I know what it’s like to enjoy high school basketball. But what he did tonight, it shows the development of his skills. He can be one of the best big men in the country.”
Indeed, Sampson made a strong account of himself, as did coach Steve Bombard, who took over about a month ago after the coach quit. Bombard showed admirable acumen in utilizing his talent and timeouts and in devising keen strategy. He was as much the reason Northview hung in with Wheeler as anyone — and the Titans could have won had Sampson’s hurried 3-pointer at the buzzer fallen.
Yes, Sampson is his father’s child, a behemoth with skills of smaller men.
Daddy Sampson both amazed and aggravated with his desire to play some sort of point forward and, to a lesser degree, point guard at his towering height.
“In today’s game, you have to do both,” Bombard said. “And Ralph works very hard on his shooting.”
So hard, the father said he has to pull his son out of the gym. “He loves to play and has a great desire to get better,” dad said. “His dedication to the game is there.”
You have to like this about the Sampson kid: Nothing seems to faze him.
After Hickson dunked over him on the baseline, Sampson responded immediately with a 3-point jump shot over Hickson. When he missed a dunk on one end, Sampson hustled back for a spectacular block on the other.
In between, he dunked off an alley-oop pass, was a reliable outlet against Wheeler’s vaunted press and generally showed a strong understanding of the game.
At home recovering from a cold was Sampson III’s little brother, Robert, a 6-foot-5 left-handed-shooting ninth-grader with a tough disposition. “To have a daughter at Stanford [Rachel] making all A’s and two sons playing ball, it’s just great for me,” Sampson said. “I’m having a blast. And so are they. It should be a fun run for all of us.”
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