Evaluating Robert Sampson to Georgia Tech

From an outsiders perspective, it appeared that Paul Hewitt tried to build Georgia Tech's program the wrong way. He seemed to value talent over everything else, including fit, intangibles, and character. His replacement – Brian Gregory – (again, from an outsiders perspective) appears to be more of a system guy. Georgia is full of talent, so he'll get some guys. The key is getting the right guys.

The most recent addition is Robert Sampson, who is transferring from East Carolina. The 6-8 junior, the son of Naismith Hall of Famer Ralph Sampson, helped his team win this year's CollegeInsider.com post season tournament. He averaged 9.1 points and 9.2 boards on the season.

After a quiet first two seasons, Sampson blossomed as a junior. He played 70% of the team's minutes, and made 60% of his 2s. He was the 2nd best defensive rebounder in Conference USA, and the 8th best on the offensive glass. He was also the 7th best shot blocker.

The downside is that he was low volume, only attempting 17% of the shots when he was on the floor. And his assist rate was almost non existent. He was also a bad free throw shooter (55%).

The other part of his game he's trying to develop is the ability to be a stretch-4. He's taken 176 3s in his career, but only made 56 (31.8%).

What this means for Georgia Tech is that Sampson is going to be a role player. He needs to rebound. He needs to defend. The offense won't flow through him very often, but it won't need to. He'll clean up. He'll benefit when slashers break down the defense. His job will be the boards.

Sampson will sit out this season, and then have one year to play one.

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