Houston’s Kelvin Sampson sends defiant Joseph Tugler message after beating Baylor

Houston took out Baylor, 77-64, on Wednesday night. It was senior night for Houston, as Kalifa Sakho, Emanuel Sharp, Milos Uzan, and Ramon Walker Jr. all took to their home court for the final time.

After the game, head coach Kelvin Sampson spoke about a different player, praising Joseph Tugler, according to Chris Baldwin of PaperCity Magazine.

“I don’t know if you guys realize this, but JoJo’s not perfect. But in my 37 years as a head coach, I’ve never coached a perfect player..But he is a a hell of a player,” Sampson said after the game.

Tugler played 30 minutes in the game, coming in off the bench with the four seniors starting. He played 30 minutes with 14 points, six rebounds, two steals, and a block. Meanwhile, he had just one foul in the 30 minutes of play. Meanwhile, Sharp and Uzan had big games in their last home game. Sharp scored 19 points with three steals, while Uzan put up 12 points.

Prior to the game, an emotional Sampson spoke about his seniors and spending time with his players, per Aaron Raley of Sports Illustrated.

“These kids spend more time with me than they do their parents over the course of time they’re enrolled at school here,” Sampson said. “So, you get a closeness with them that nobody else has, and when they get to this point in their careers, you’re just proud.”

Sampson also understands the role he plays in the lives of his players.

“I’m not their father, but in a lot of ways I am a father figure, a mentor,” said the head coach. “And as a mentor and father figure, you just bust your buttons, you stick your chest out, and you look at them and your mind races back and you think about his lowest moments, his toughest days, and then how he came through all of that and made it into the person you are.”

Now, Houston is looking for their first national championship after being a runner-up in 1983, 1984, and last season. They finish the regular season on the road against Oklahoma State on Saturday.

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