June 24, 2013
THE FLATS – Robert Sampson, a 6-8 forward who started 51 games the last two years for East Carolina’s basketball team, will transfer to Georgia Tech, Yellow Jackets’ head coach Brian Gregory said Monday.
Sampson played in 96 games for the Pirates over the last three seasons, starting 51. He must sit out the 2013-14 season at Tech under NCAA transfer rules and will have one year of eligibility remaining. He is on campus and began classes in summer session Monday.
“We’re excited about Robert joining our program,” said Tech coach Brian Gregory. “His size, length and proven rebounding ability fits in well with our style of play. The fact that he comes from a successful basketball family that values education makes Georgia Tech a great fit.”
As a junior this past season, Sampson started all 33 games in which he played, averaging a career-best 9.1 points, including 16 double-digit games, and 9.2 rebounds per game. He led the team in rebounds, ranking 36th nationally, and blocks per game (1.8) while hitting 49 percent of his shots from the floor during the 2012-13 campaign.
Sampson earned all-tournament honors in helping East Carolina win last season’s CollegeInsider.com Tournament, the Pirates’ first-ever post-season championship. He helped ECU tie a school record for victories with a 23-12 overall record and finish fourth in the Conference USA standings at 9-7.
Robert Sampson is the younger of two sons of Naismith Hall of Famer Ralph Sampson who have played college basketball. His older brother, Ralph III, was a four-year letterwinner at Minnesota. Robert attended Northview High School in suburban Atlanta for his freshman and sophomore years.
