Sampson takes pride in being Native American

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Sampson takes pride in being Native American
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609290428#> By Mark Alesia
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09290428
<http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060929/SPORTS0601/\
609290428> Speaking on Thursday at a Native American conference at
IUPUI, Kelvin Sampson talked about a question he has heard often in his
life.
"People would look at me, and they'd go, 'What are you?' " Sampson
said. "I can't tell you how many times I've been asked that." Sampson, a
Lumbee Indian and the men's basketball coach at Indiana University, said
he was offended by the question at first. Then he decided to have fun
with it. "I started asking back, 'What are you?' " Sampson said. "But
that's why it's important to have a strong identity and know who you
are." Sampson spoke of having pride in his heritage at the Indiana
Native American Education Conference, which presented the coach with a
Native American robe. Sampson told the audience that even if they aren't
in the public eye, as he is, they are role models. "It's important for
kids to see people who look like them succeed," Sampson said. Sampson
said his biggest influences in coaching were John Thompson of
Georgetown, Nolan Richardson of Arkansas and John Chaney of Temple. "I
related to those guys early and often, because they looked more like me
than the other guys," Sampson said. " . . . Now it's important that I do
well, the right way."