Indiana University men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson signs a basketball for Paula Potts of Washington prior to his speech at the Washington Community Building on Wednesday---Photo By Mike Myers
Posted on 09/22/2007 8:27:50 AM PDT by InvisibleChurch
— Indiana head basketball coach Kelvin Sampson might be a former National Coach of the Year and might have Assembly Hall rocking with an undefeated record at home, but the coach had to admit a small setback Wednesday.
He doesn’t know the Indiana University fight song and had to resort to a crib note to sing it. “I actually know the words now,” Sampson joked. “I got the Indiana part, but the rest of the words are a little bit garbled.”
His opener was an example of Sampson’s humor that lightened up the benefit dinner at the Washington Community Building. An Evening With Kelvin Sampson was the second coach’s dinner to benefit Senior and Family Services Inc.
Sampson spoke to a crowd of 225 IU alumni, fans and high school boys basketball players. He entertained the crowd not only with jokes, but inspirational stories about former players and his time in Kuwait.
“The more you can go out in the communities and help them, that’s a way of saying thank you for supporting us,” Sampson said.
Sampson went to Kuwait with seven other big school coaches in a trip called “Operation Hardwood” to meet soldiers currently serving and to coach a team of soldiers in a friendly game. He called the trip one of the best experiences in his life.
“I had three moments there that really, really touched me,” Sampson said. “During the national anthem, you always see our players touch their heart and see the flag. That’s our way of saying thank you to our troops.” Besides touching moments like meeting the troops in Kuwait, the coach remembered getting an extra pair of shoes for his team. He didn’t know why they needed another pair, but the team’s assistant coach put the shoes under a chair before a game. He later found out the shoes were to remember a teammate who was killed before he had a chance to play.
“That’s where you realize how lucky we all are,” Sampson said. “Sometimes we just don’t realize what we really do have. I didn’t know his name. Didn’t ask. Sometimes you don’t have to say what you feel.” Sampson remembered a story that he said helps him in difficult times — the story of Eduardo Najera. Najera, of Chihuahua, Mexico, couldn’t speak English when Sampson recruited him at Oklahoma.
Because of Najera’s difficulty with the language and a learning disability, he could not join the Oklahoma basketball program as a full-time student. He had to take part-time English classes and pass the ACT to become full-time.
After taking the test and failing 12 times, Najera passed on the 13th and last chance he could take the test.
“Eduardo looks at me and I say ‘Congratulations, you passed.’” Sampson said. “He said ‘Coach, I be first Hispanic to play in the NBA.’”
Four years later, he was the first Hispanic in the NBA, selected in the first round by Dallas. He later signed a contract extension for five years at $26 million. “When I first met this man, he couldn’t speak English,” Sampson said. “I started thinking about how as human beings at any age we start thinking about destinations, where we would like to be, and we don’t think about the journey.
“Eduardo Najera hit every step on that ladder. Most people said he was a failure every time. But what most people thought was a failure, Eduardo thought was an opportunity.”
Sampson said the story is about handling adversity and enjoying the journey.
“Don’t sit and worry all the time about your destination,” Sampson said. “Enjoy the journey. The destination will be here soon enough.”
The destination Wednesday for SAFS was a sold-out crowd and the almost $10,000 raised for the center. Because the center recently received a grant from the state Department of Rural Affairs, proceeds from the Sampson dinner will be used for matching grant funds, according to Director Sharon Bybee.
Sampson was given a quilt donated by Lucille Dillon, and before the event, he signed autographs for those who brought their own basketballs.
Sampson was asked about the differences between regular basketball fans and Indiana fans. He said his family lives and works in Bloomington, and the difference was easy to spot.
“It’s fun to be at Indiana because they love the product,” Sampson said. “My Indiana moment was when we played Chicago State last November at Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. When I walked out of the locker room and looked out at the overhang, that Tyrannosaurus Rex thing that hangs over the balcony, that thing was packed.
“I thought, ‘Sunday afternoon against Chicago State and we have 17,000 people watching this team play.’ It’s fun to coach at a place like that.”
Indiana University men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson signs a basketball for Paula Potts of Washington prior to his speech at the Washington Community Building on Wednesday---Photo By Mike Myers
efwefbump
“He doesn’t know the Indiana University fight song and had to resort
to a crib note to sing it. “
As a modestly-passionate OKIE (1956-1995)...please give Coach Sampson a break.
He’s probably got enough on his mind at IU, trying to improve on his
fairly decent record at OU.
And Kudos to him for making time to go to Kuwait!
thanks for posting...
Maybe Sampson isn’t (yet) a legend of coaching...
But he always seemed to be a modestly decent guy at OU.
(OU’s loss? IU’s gain?...that’s a real possibility)
thanks for posting...
Maybe Sampson isn’t (yet) a legend of coaching...
But he always seemed to be a modestly decent guy at OU.
(OU’s loss? IU’s gain?...that’s a real possibility)
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