HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- In the summer of 2004, Chris Paul played on the USA Basketball Under-21 team that won all five of its games in Halifax, Nova Scotia. That team was coached by Kelvin Sampson, and for Paul, one thing really stood out about playing for the current University of Houston coach.
"Coach Sampson fiery, man," Paul said Wednesday.
That declaration shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that has watched Sampson roam the sidelines for five seasons at Houston, but while some "fiery" college coaches are closer to crazy, much to the detriment of the players they're coaching, Paul says playing for Sampson made him a better player.
"The way he coached us, it was after my freshman year of college, I’ll never forget it cause he pushes you and if you can’t be better because of that then that’s on you.”
On Friday in Kansas City, Sampson and the Cougars will take on Kentucky in the second Midwest Regional Semifinal, and his team will have plenty of fans in the Rockets locker room.
"I was texting with Coach (Sampson) (Tuesday)," Paul said. "That’s better for the city, and those guys play hard. They play the right way."
Rockets forward P.J. Tucker was part of that team with Paul and has the same positive memories of the experience.
"That was one of the best teams I played on," Tucker said Thursday. "Kelvin is one of the better coaches I played for. He’s a good friend, and he’s a great basketball mind."
Tucker played for the then-Oklahoma coach after playing against him for two seasons at Texas, but Tucker says that rivalry was put on hold that summer.
"I always had a great deal of respect for him even when he was at OU. We always talked. He always told me how much he admired me and me the same, so we’ve always had a great relationship."
James Harden did not play on Team USA that summer, he had just completed his freshman year at Artesia High School, but Sampson was the Rockets lead assistant when he was dealt from Oklahoma City to Houston in October 2013. Sampson was the Rockets coach tasked with putting Harden through his pregame routine up until leaving to go back to the college game near the end of the 2013-14 season. Harden attended Sampson's introductory press conference at Hofheinz Pavilion, and has been a fixture at games over the last five seasons.
"He’s done an unbelievable job since he took the job," Harden said Thursday.
It's been five years since Kelvin Sampson coached Harden, and 15 since Tucker and Paul briefly played for him, but it's clear he left a mark on all three players and continues to do so. On Friday, the Cougars have a chance to continue their longest NCAA Tournament run since 1984, and for Harden it's quite simple why Sampson has had the success the coaches between him and Guy V. Lewis didn't have.
“He’s just a vet in the game," Harden said. "He’s a real player’s coach, and I think that’s why they’re so successful there. He doesn’t just let them do whatever they want. He teaches them, he coaches them, and he can relate to them, and that’s the biggest thing nowadays. He’s done an unbelievable job, and i can’t wait to see them keep going.”