SAMPSON FINDS NEW LIFE IN NBA

No worries about controversies regarding the NCAA. No worries about his job being on the line. Just pure coaching.

Kelvin Sampson, dogged by controversy after stints at Oklahoma and Indiana, has served as the Bucks' Summer League coach, leading them to a 3-1 record so far. Milwaukee hired him as an assistant to head coach Scott Skiles.

"I'm just excited about this opportunity, but out here it has nothing to do with me," Sampson said. "It's all about this team we're coaching. That's all I'm focusing on."

One advantage Sampson enjoys is he gets to learn the NBA game as an assistant. Many college head coaches have tried the same position at the NBA level and failed spectacularly because the games are so different. Larry Brown can't stay in the same city more than five minutes, but he is the rare coach who succeeded at both levels.

"There's just a lot to learn," Sampson said. "Being around a veteran guy like Scott and a GM like John (Hammond), these guys know the NBA. Just being out here every day, you learn something new every day. Being able to coach this team is like an internship. I coached a lot of games, but I never coached an NBA game. You can tell there's a little difference to it, but coaching is coaching at the end of the day."

Coaching in the NBA, though, has given Sampson a new life. The old one — which ended in February with a forced resignation as Indiana's coach for allegedly making more than 100 impermissible phone calls — was pretty difficult, and one Sampson didn't care to address.

"I don't even know how to answer that," he said.
 
BUCKS PULL AWAY FOR WIN OVER T-WOLVES

Darius Washington's 19 points helped the Bucks pull away from the Timberwolves in the second half and go on to win, 81-67.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu led Minnesota with 13 points, and T-Wolves lottery pick Kevin Love totaled 10 points and nine rebounds in 18 minutes. Love was limited in the second half because a sore right Achilles.