Georgia Tech Basketball: Robert Sampson Producing in Paint
By Nate Miller
For Georgia Tech senior forward Robert Sampson, bashing around the boards runs in the blood.
His father, Ralph Sampson Jr., was a two-time Wooden Award winner (1982, 1983) while at the the University of Virginia, a four-time NBA All-Star and 2012 Hall-of-Fame inductee.
Feb 7, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets forward Robert Sampson (13) grabs a rebound against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the first half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Robert’s brother, Ralph Sampson III, averaged 8.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks across 125 games for the University of Minnesota from 2008-12.
Now, after playing three seasons at East Carolina (2010-13) then taking a transfer redshirt in 2013-14, Robert Sampson is currently pronouncing his presence in the paint for Georgia Tech.
During the past eight games, the last five of which he has started, Sampson has received a steady flow of 17-22 minutes per game. With that playing time, he has become a solid complement in the post to teammates Demarco Cox and Charles Mitchell, averaging 6.0 points, 7.0 rebounds (1.8 ORPG) and 0.9 blocks.
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Obviously, those are not eye-popping statistics, but Sampson’s contributions, especially with his length on defense (6’8”) and ability on the offensive glass, definitely make a difference for the Yellow Jackets up front. If he can continue this recent level of play, it will go a long way toward Coach Brian Gregory’s squad building off of Saturday’s 73-59 win over Wake Forest.
Given the upcoming schedule, which includes a bout at Virginia Tech along with home games against Florida State (2/14) and Clemson (2/16), a nice little winning streak for the Yellow Jackets should not be too difficult to envision. In any such development, Robert Sampson will almost certainly play a pivotal role.