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Kyle Sample taking over as head coach at Washington

10/13/2015, 5:45pm EDT
By Ari Rosenfeld

Ari Rosenfeld (@realA_rosenfeld) &
Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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One of the more respected young figures in the Philadelphia basketball community now has a program of his own.

In a transitional year after the graduation of star wing Charlie Brown and their three other leading scorers, the George Washington Eagles will also have a fresh face manning the sidelines. Kyle Sample announced on Twitter on Tuesday night that he will be taking over the reigns of the program, with former head coach John Creighton now the Athletic Director at Cheltenham High School.

The former Constitution assistant had been set to return to his old program for his second season when he found out about the opportunity two weeks back, and interviewed just a few days after that. He found out he got the job on Tuesday morning.

“I didn’t even know the job was available, and it was kind of late in the game and I think they already started interviewing and I got a chance late and just tried to present myself as best as I can be,” he said. “I thought it was a long shot, and I went into the whole summer basically preparing to be at Constitution, and it was kind of last-minute, but it worked out in my favor and I’m happy about it.”

In addition to his high school coaching, Sample has spent the past few years as the assistant director of the highly-regarded Team Philly AAU program, now a member of the Adidas circuit.

Sample, a 2009 graduate of West Chester, can also frequently be seen over the summer coaching many local pros in events such as The Basketball Tournament and the Danny Rumph Classic.

After spending a few years away from the high school ranks, he returned last year when Constitution coach Rob Moore gave him an opportunity to join a deep and talented Generals squad.

“It felt like a good fit and I was there last year and that team was just amazing,” he said of the 2015 PIAA Class A champions. “Rob told me first and foremost that it would be a great team to coach, a great program to have, so endorsed it first and foremost and it felt like the right thing to do for me and my family.”

With the departure of Brown, who will do a post-graduate year at St. Thomas More (Conn.) before heading to Saint Joseph’s, along with leading scorers Elmange Watson, Jerome Blume, and Asante Ali, Sample will have a very young group to work with, as only one returning senior saw extended minutes last season.

With a young and inexperienced group, Sample is hoping to take one crucial lesson he learned at Constitution and apply it to his new program.

“Handling budgets and things like that, setting up a good schedule, managing time and practice and facilities, having backup gyms for holidays, things like that, you can’t learn from someone writing on a piece of paper,” he said. “You’ve got to see it. Hopefully at Washington, I can bring a sense of organization the same way Rob did at Constitution.”

The Eagles will also face a more challenging slate this year, moving up the Public League’s A division after sweeping the B division with a 12-0 record last season under the direction of Creighton.

Despite losing a few key players, Sample is confident that he’ll have Washington competing with the likes of Constitution, Imhotep and the rest before long.

“It’s just putting the team together and making sure the chemistry is there and making sure everyone plays together,” he said. “Once you have the structure I think the program pretty much runs itself, you have to have the right group of players and group of guys to play together.”

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