Sampson Named USA World Championship Team Assistant Coach

Dec. 13, 2001

NORMAN, Okla. - University of Oklahoma men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson was announced today as one of three assistant coaches of USA Basketball's 2002 World Championship Team that will compete in the 2002 FIBA World Basketball Championship for Men that is being held in Indianapolis, Ind., Aug. 29-Sept. 8, 2002. San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and Stanford mentor Mike Montgomery will also serve as assistants for head coach George Karl. The assistant coach selections were made by the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team Committee and approved by USA Basketball's Executive Committee.

Karl, the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, was announced on Oct. 9 as head coach of USA Basketball's 2002 World Championship Team. The first seven players of the World Championship squad were announced on Nov. 1 and included Olympic gold medalists Ray Allen (Milwaukee Bucks), Jason Kidd (New Jersey Nets) and Reggie Miller (Indiana Pacers), and 2001 NBA All-Star Antonio Davis (Toronto Raptors); Dallas Mavericks perennial All-Star Michael Finley; Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns), the USA's leading scorer and rebounder at the 2001 Goodwill Games and Jermaine O'Neal (Indiana Pacers), the USA's second leading scorer and rebounder at the 2001 Goodwill Games. Five additional players will be named at a later date.

"Winning the World Championship is a major responsibility, and we've just inherited three winners in Gregg, Mike and Kelvin, all of whom have shown the ability to create an environment of sustained success in their respective programs," said Karl. "One of the most stimulating parts of coaching is the opportunity to exchange basketball information with smart people, so although I've never worked directly with any of them, I look forward to the sharing of concepts and ideas. I think it will make us all better coaches.

"The most intriguing aspect, from my standpoint, is the opportunity to share philosophies and bridge the best of the college game and pro game, which I enjoy. I think the players on Team USA will directly benefit from the three men the Selection Committee has chosen to assist me," added Karl.

No stranger to USA Basketball, Sampson was the head coach of the USA Junior World Championship Team that participated in the FIBA Junior World Championship in Athens, Greece, in the summer of 1995. His team of college freshmen and high schoolers finished 4-4 and in seventh place. In the summer of 1994, Sampson was selected to serve as an assistant to former Southern California head coach George Raveling at the Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia. The USA team earned a bronze medal and then following the games competed in an exhibition game against a USA Basketball Senior National Team made up of NBA standouts who were preparing for the 1994 FIBA World Championships. In 1993, Sampson was selected head coach of the West team at the U.S. Olympic Festival in San Antonio, Texas, and his squad won the silver medal.

Additionally, from 1997 to 2000, Sampson was a member of USA Basketball Men's Collegiate Committee that was responsible for the selection of coaches and players who represented USA Basketball at various collegiate level international competitions like the Goodwill Games, FIBA 22 and Under World Championships, World University Games, FIBA Junior World Championships and others.

"To be named a USA Basketball World Championship Team staff member is such a privilege and honor," said Sampson. "There are so many great and deserving coaches across the country who could have been selected. I represent the University of Oklahoma and our basketball program and this is a great honor for myself, our school and our basketball program."

Now in his eighth season at Oklahoma, Sampson has led the Sooners to a 161-70 (.697) record and seven NCAA Tournament appearances. The past two seasons, OU recorded a combined .791 winning percentage (53-14), the seventh best in NCAA Division I over the span. The Sooners won the Big 12 Conference Tournament last March and finished 13th in the final AP poll. Oklahoma finished 12th in the final 2000 AP poll.

"When you think of Kelvin Sampson, you think of a coach that historically has brought out the most from his players," said Chair of USA Basketball's Senior Men's National Team Committee and NBA Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson. "He's proven that he can win in every situation and he'll be a real plus to the staff. We're very happy to have him represent USA Basketball as we prepare for the World Championship."

Teams competing in the 2002 FIBA World Basketball Championship for Men were required to qualify through zone qualifying tournaments. The 16 teams that will compete in Indianapolis include the United States (Host Country); Angola (Africa Zone #1); Algeria (Africa Zone #2); Argentina (Americas Zone #1); Brazil (Americas Zone #2); Canada (Americas Zone #3); Puerto Rico (Americas Zone #4); Venezuela (Americas Zone #5); China (Asia Zone #1); Lebanon (Asia Zone #2); Yugoslavia (European Zone #1); Turkey (European Zone #2); Spain (European Zone #3); Germany (European Zone #4); Russia (European Zone #5); New Zealand (Oceania Zone #1).

The USA owns a 91-23 overall record in World Championship play and has won three gold, three silver and three bronze medals in the 13 previous FIBA World Championships that were first played in 1950. The USA finished 7-2 and in possession of the bronze medal in the 1998 World Championship in Greece after fielding a team comprised of collegians and professional players who were either competing overseas or in the Continental Basketball Association. The United States in 1994, featuring a squad of NBA stars, won the gold in Toronto, Canada, finishing with an unblemished 8-0 record.

The USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team Committee consists of nine members and a non-voting chair. Jackson, NBA Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations, serves as chair of the Committee, and the Committee also includes Bryan Colangelo, President and General Manager of the Phoenix Suns; Billy King, General Manager of the Philadelphia 76ers; Mitch Kupchak, General Manager of the Los Angeles Lakers; C.M. Newton, former athletic director at the University of Kentucky; Kevin O'Connor, Vice President of Basketball Operations of the Utah Jazz; Garry St. Jean, General Manager of the Golden State Warriors; Rod Thorn, President of the New Jersey Nets; and athlete representatives Joe Dumars, a member of the gold medalist 1994 USA World Championship Team, and Steve Smith, a member of the gold medalist 1994 USA World Championship and 2000 U.S. Olympic teams.

2002 USA Basketball Men's World Championship Team

NAME POS HGT WGT PRO TEAM/COLLEGE Ray Allen G 6-5 205 Milwaukee Bucks/Connecticut '96 Antonio Davis C 6-9 230 Toronto Raptors/Texas-El Paso '90 Michael Finley G 6-7 215 Dallas Mavericks/Wisconsin '95 Jason Kidd G 6-4 212 New Jersey Nets/California '94 Shawn Marion F 6-7 215 Phoenix Suns/UNLV '99 Reggie Miller G 6-7 190 Indiana Pacers/UCLA '87 Jermaine O'Neal C/F 6-11 230 Indiana Pacers/Eau Claire High School (SC) '96

Five additional players to be named at a later date.

Head Coach: George Karl, Milwaukee Bucks Assistant Coach: Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs Assistant Coach: Mike Montgomery, Stanford University Assistant Coach: Kelvin Sampson, University of Oklahoma

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sampson Named USA World Championship Team Assistant Coach

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