KELVIN SAMPSON

The bad teams in our league are the ones who don't pass the ball well.

When I was at Oklahoma, I always felt like I had to control the game because we didn't have great scorers. So, I had to figure a way to win.

Iowa State's a great team; I know how tough they are in Ames.

I learned quickly in the NBA that you keep one eye open at all times and one ear closed. You can't react to everything you hear or see.

You just have to be secure and understand what your beliefs are and how determined you are.

It was never my intent to come back to college.

Getting to the NBA really helped me personally on a lot of levels. I liked it so much that I wanted to stay there.

I was comfortable in Pullman; I really was.

There's some things assistant coaches aren't ready to do. They're not the head coach.

One of the things I enjoy most about what I do is I can give my father joy.

What's an easier way to say 'bad?' Let's go with 'abysmal.'

Leaving Oklahoma for Illinois is not the no-brainer some think it is.

Tim is old school. He plays that way. That's why a lot of fans identify more with a Tim Heskett than with someone who is more dynamic. The more dynamic guy might be more pleasing to the eye, but he doesn't contribute any more to his team winning than Tim does.

I was not real good at anything. I was just OK at everything.

My personality is more like my mother's. She was fiery. She had more of a temper. I always thought she had enough determination that she could do anything. She could fix anything. I think all children need that feeling from their parents.

I like that there is a lot of work to be done.

One of the first things people think of when they think of Native Americans is reservations. We didn't have any idea what that was. We were just young kids growing up in normal blue-collar America.

The one thing about Lumbee people is that there's so many stereotypes about Native Americans, especially reservation Native Americans, and we all tend to get lumped under that umbrella. But the Lumbee are non-reservation. I grew up no different than anybody would in normal American communities.

In this business, a lot of coaches are running around thinking they're the reason their teams are winning.

I came to Indiana for one reason: I think you can win championships at Indiana.

I've been taking off my tie for a lot of years. When I take it off, I usually throw it down.

No one would have ever thought College GameDay would be coming to the University of Houston, I know that.

I didn't realize the difference between coaching college and coaching the NBA. It's a totally different animal.

I'm 50 years old and been a college coach for 23 years, but after 12 years, no matter where you are, there are ups and downs.

In basketball, there are no trap games. If you walk out on that court and lose a game, it's because the other team beat you. You played poorly. But there's no trap game.