Sports Poets Society

7 Apr 2025 - The Washington Post Jerry Brewer SAN ANTONIO — Like his team, Kelvin Sampson would not stop. He kept talking, sentences on sentences on sentences, answering questions that hadn’t been asked, delivering a most lucid ramble to explain an epic comeback. Nine minutes and 919 words later, he finished his initial thoughts. Yes, that was just his opening statement. As the clock ticked toward midnight, he could have lectured Saturday into Sunday, and he still would have left me wanting more. Time meant nothing while trying to comprehend how Houston pulled off the biggest victory of the 69-year-old coach’s life, a 70-67 triumph over Duke in a Final Four game that seemed lost at least a half-dozen times. “Just proud of these guys for what they accomplished,” Sampson said to end the beginning of his reflections. On Monday, Sampson will lead a team into the NCAA men’s basketball national title game for the first time. He is a 40-minute contest, or however long the dogged Cougars need...

JAMIE SQUIRE/GETTY IMAGES  -  HOUSTON 70, DUKE 67:  Mylik Wilson, left, and J’Wan Roberts helped spearhead Houston’s  comeback  from a 14-point deficit to defeat Duke on Saturday night. Florida has special player in ultimate closer Clayton 6 Apr 2025 - The Washington Post Sunday SAN ANTONIO — No other Florida Gator wanted to shoot the basketball. It was a task for Walter Clayton Jr. — and only him — and his teammates went to hilarious strides to yield to their charismatic leading scorer. On one critical possession, they zipped passes all over the court. Alex Condon was open; he declined to launch. Thomas Haugh said no thanks to a great look . The ball kept swinging until it found Clayton again. He knew what to do with it, and everyone at the Alamodome knew what to anticipate. The Stephen Curry stunt double was about to dash into the paint. He drove left, absorbed a blow from Auburn guard Denver Jones , then banked in a two-foot shot as the referee blew th...

5 Apr 2025 - The Washington Post Jerry Brewer SAN ANTONIO — It’s hard to get past how young Cooper Flagg looks. On a basketball court, he’s precocious beyond belief, a luminous athlete with run-on talent. Seldom has the game seen a player as athletic, skilled, smart, intense, tough, conscientious and unselfish as Flagg. It seems hyperbolic to think of him as boundless. And then you see that baby face. Flagg turned 18 just 3 1/2 months ago. He should be attending prom right now, not leading Duke to the Final Four. But even though youth defines him, it still doesn’t do him justice. If Flagg weren’t 6-foot-9, he could be mistaken for a 12-year-old. “I’m just a regular kid,” he said. “I’m okay at basketball, I guess.” Despite his acne and aw-shucks demeanor, Flagg is the man of the moment. His modesty belies his pro-ready game. Eleven weeks from now, he is expected to don an expensive suit, shake hands with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and pose for pictures as the No. 1 pick of the 2025 dr...