April 4, 1980
CELTICS, SAMPSONS WILL TALK
The Celtics have made no secret of the fact that they'd love to use the No. 1 pick in this year's college draft - which they obtained through a fortuitous coin flip against the Utah Jazz - on Virginia's 7-foot-4 center, Ralph Sampson. The only problem, of course, is that as a freshman, Sampson would have to declare himself a hardship case to be eligible for the 1980 draft.
Now there could be some substance to the Celtics' fervent hopes. Or is there? Sampson's college coach, Terry Holland, revealed last night that he, Sampson's parents and the prodigy's high school coach, Roger Bergey, will meet Tuesday with Celtic officials. The meeting at Sampson's home in Harrisonburg, Va., is being held at the request of Celtics' president Red Auerbach. Sampson will not be present.
Holland conceded that "Ralph is flattered by the Celtics' interest in him." However, he cautioned, "At the present time, he is planning to be back at Virginia. Our meeting with the Celtics is intended to get things out in the open. "If Boston is serious about drafting Ralph, we want to be sure there are no behind-the-scenes dealings that could jeopardize his eligibility at Virginia."
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