Sampson

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jmag21

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One thing I noticed that troubled me a little bit, was that Sampson seems like a player who might lack a little fire. I was watching him on the bench, and the dude just seemed depressed all game. Maybe it was because he was playing poorly and his dad was there. But all the rest of the team, including KP, and Paul Carter were getting into it, high-fiving players, and generally acting as if they cared. But Ralph would just sit there staring at the court. Maybe that's just his personality, but it kind of bothered me. His body language just suggested that he was so depressed about his own individual performance that he couldn't be bothered to care about how the team was doing. He doesn't have to be Mark Madsen, but at least high-five your teammates, cheer when they do something well, etc.
 

Doesn't mean he doesn't care, not every player is going to be a cheerleader. Just appears to be his personality. He's stoic, a deadpan. Looks to me like he takes after his pops. Mannerisms on the court are similar to his dad's.
 


Ralph just seems to put on a game face.

I think he had the same expression on his face during the entire NDSU game when he played so well.

A vocal leader he probably won't be. :)
 

Maybe I should clarify. I don't expect him to be a vocal leader. I like that he's relatively stolid on the court. I just want to see some camaraderie with his teammates. A game face is one thing. Being the only person sitting with a glum look on your face when your team is just finishing off a big run is another.
 


Assuming a lack of camaraderie based on a lack of smiles is a bit of a leap, isn't it?
 

Hard to read the kid from 600 miles away, but he really didn't look like a happy camper last night.
 

I think Ralph is fine and wouldn't draw anything from last night or any other game. It seems that is just the way he carries himself. Watch him while he is in the game and his shouts every now and then claps his hands while he in on D.

It is just his mannerisms and wouldn't draw that he is unhappy or sad.
 

Ralph's father played with the same kind of demeanor....and he was criticized for it. Still, the senior Ralph was three time NCAA player of the year. Abdul Jabbar and Oden play/played the same way. Not concered.
 



Sampson sure played with some fire after he got dunked on in the first half. He was pushing their center all around the paint and hitting the boards real hard. Seems if we could just keep him fired up we'd have an animal in the post.
 

SelectionSunday said:
Doesn't mean he doesn't care, not every player is going to be a cheerleader. Just appears to be his personality. He's stoic, a deadpan. Looks to me like he takes after his pops. Mannerisms on the court are similar to his dad's.
Click to expand...

he sounds like most of you lutheran minnesotans out there.....you should all love him then! :)
 

If he's playing "depressed," that's obviously not good. If he's playing evenhandedly with his emotions, as in not getting too high or too low, that's a good thing for a young player. Basketball, IMHO, is dominated by mistakes made by guys because they get emotional over the game. Guys feel the surge of the crowd and get a little to physical on defense, or get caught up in a scoring run and launch up a premature shot that clanks hard off the rim. Controlling your emotions can help a player make smart plays on the floor.
 

RSIII had just come off games of 12 pts / 6 rebounds and 9 pts / 7 rebounds. He's a freshman and will have some highs and lows. Unfortunately, he had a low playing against his dad's college team, with his, 3-time college POY, dad maybe getting more screen time than Tubby, on national TV no less. No pressure there.
 



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