Quotes from Kelvin Sampson

There were a lot of things that happened at Indiana that I was proud of.

Indiana basketball is bigger than one person.

I have made the very difficult decision to leave my position as head coach of the men's basketball team at Indiana University.

It was never my intent to come back to college.

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.

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.

Racism was a big part of our community. I'm not going to revisit history, and I'm not going to call out those communities, but the communities we grew up around, we were treated like second- or third-class citizens.

With federal recognition, the Lumbee Tribe would become a full player in Indian country, no longer second class Indians in the eyes of the federal government. As such, we would employ our substantial skills and abilities to help correct problems faced by Indian country and make significant contributions.

I'm saying when young men get to the NCAA Tournament, let's find a way to get their parents and their brothers and sisters a plane ticket and a hotel room. I don't think that's asking too much.

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

K-State is a dangerous team. Those are the kind of teams you don't want to see in the tournament.

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.

One of the ways to use your depth is to play with speed.

Being Native American, we were different than everybody else, but I never felt like I was different.

I liked coaching in an underdog situation.

Scott Skiles was a master tactician - they're all masters, but he is elite. He knew how to manipulate his team from an X's-and-O's standpoint.

My dad was a high school coach for 30-plus years in North Carolina, and he was inducted into the North Carolina High School Coaches Hall of Fame. He's the best coach I've known, in every way, all the way around - relationships, motivation, going the extra mile, always putting his kids first and foremost.

In my formative years, when I was a little kid, I'd get out of elementary school, and because my mother worked as a nurse, I'd have to find a way to get a ride to the high school and watch my dad's team practice.

Scott Skiles is one of the best coaches in the NBA, someone I observe and learn from on a day-to-day basis.

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.

When I first got to Oklahoma, it was really a blessing that coach Sutton was at Oklahoma State. He made me a better coach.

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.

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

As an outsider, when you think of Indiana, you think about a place that not only has championships but a championship tradition.