Sampson still adjusting to a new normal
Cougars coach notes gravity of virus as players return and workouts start
Through days away from the office that turned to weeks and months and endless videoconference calls to stay connected with players and staff during the coronavirus pandemic, Kelvin Sampson could not shake the feeling.
“I do wake up every morning feeling a little bit lost, like I’m missing something here,” said Sampson, the University of Houston men’s basketball coach. “And that feeling hasn’t gone away.”
Any other year, the Cougars would be close to wrapping up a long summer of preparation for the upcoming season. That was before the ongoing public health crisis brought sports to a standstill in mid-March and kept UH players off campus until June 1.
Even that return was short-lived, lasting 12 days until the school abruptly suspended voluntary workouts for the football and men’s and women’s basketball programs after six student-athletes tested positive for COVID-19.
UH got the clearance to resume basketball workouts Monday. Friday’s fullsquad practice inside the Guy V. Lewis Development Facility marked the first time most of the team had been together since getting off the bus upon returning from the canceled American
Athletic Conference tournament — 134 days ago.
For Sampson, the lengthy time away from his team — rather than hearing the bounce of balls from his third-floor office above the practice court — has left a void.
“What I’m missing is a normal June, a normal July that feeds into a normal August,” Sampson said during a virtual chat with a dozen reporters. “I don’t get to touch my kids. I don’t get to hug them, or fist bump them, or high-five them, especially the freshmen. Zoom is Zoom, but flesh is flesh.”
As Sampson and the Cougars returned to campus this week, they were greeted by a “new normal.”
Masks are as common attire as shorts and sneakers. Temperature readings are more important that scoring averages. And COVID-19 testing and film study go hand in hand.
“It’s a new normal,” Sampson said. “These are unprecedented times. I don’t think you complain about it. I don’t think you go ‘Woe is me.’ It is what it is. I never lose sight (that) people are dying. That’s why I don’t rationalize this thing.
“Had we had a stronger emphasis earlier, we may not be in this position. But because we didn’t take this virus as serious as we should have when it first started, we’re still playing catch-up, and hopefully we can catch up.”
With safety protocols in place, Sampson is confident the Cougars are prepared for what may be ahead. On Wednesday, Sampson had a Zoom call with Dr. Andrew Li, UH’s team physician, and John Houston, assistant athletics director for sports medicine, to go over safety steps. Again.
“Just going over the new guidelines, making sure we are doing everything right and following everything to a ‘T,’ ” Sampson said.
Along with testing, UH players and staff undergo temperature checks upon entering the practice facility. Masks must always be worn, except for when players are on the court. To practice social distancing, each assistant coach is assigned no more than three players to work with.
“Before we do team workouts, we double-check with John to make sure we are doing what we are supposed to be doing,” Sampson said. “Are we allowed to do this, are we allowed to do that?”
UH players were tested for COVID-19 on Thursday.
Sampson said the team opted for a late afternoon practice Friday to allow time for tests results to come back.
The only players to not report for summer workouts: guards Caleb Mills and Cameron Tyson. Mills remains in North Carolina after a couple family members were symptomatic positive for COVID-19. Tyson remains at home in the Seattle area. Both players are not expected to join the team until the fall semester begins Aug. 24.
Sampson is a firm believer in the importance of summer instruction, although he acknowledges “we’re no different than anybody else” in relation to being impacted by COVID-19. The nearly fourmonth closure has prevented Sampson and his staff from instruction time and building relationships with newcomers, among them true freshmen Jamal Shead, Tramon Mark and Kiyron Powell and transfer Reggie Chaney. A moratorium on in-person recruiting forced the Cougars to evaluate prospects virtually.
“In a normal year, when we start in June and get to July, we have a lot of stuff in,” Sampson said. “You try to get stuff in, so you prepare kids for September and October.”
With no definitive answers on the upcoming season, Sampson said he remains in regular contact with Chris Pezman, UH’s vice president for athletics. Until then, Sampson will keep working with his team, a welcome change after months of isolation.
“(Pezman) doesn’t know for sure if we’re gonna have football, and if we do have football when’s it gonna start and what’s it gonna look like,” Sampson said. “I think that will have a lot to do with what we do in basketball. We’re all paying attention to the NBA, with this bubble, and baseball. It just seems like we’re all aliens from outer space right now jumping into something we’ve never seen or done before.”