
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, May 28, 1993                   TAG: 9305280031
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: HARRISONBURG                                LENGTH: Short

SAMPSON LEAVES JMU JOB

Ralph Sampson will not return as an assistant basketball coach at James Madison University in the fall, school officials said Thursday.

Sampson, a former University of Virginia All-American and an NBA player, joined the James Madison staff part time in September.

Sampson, 32, earned $16,000 a year, the maximum allowed for part-time coaches under NCAA rules. Last November, the Sacramento Kings bought out his contract for a reported $2.24 million a year over two years.

Sampson is exploring other opportunities in his playing and coaching careers, according to a statement from James Madison.

"We appreciate what Ralph did for us last season," said coach Lefty Driesell, whose Dukes were 21-9. "His position was a restricted-earnings coach and we knew that he would be interested in other opportunities."

The 7-foot-4 Sampson, a Harrisonburg native, was the first selection in the 1983 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets.

He later played for Golden State, Sacramento and Washington.

by CNB