If you hadn't ever seen Ralph Sampson play, you would know exactly what kind of player he is by looking at his bio and statistics.
He's 6-11.
He rarely gets to the foul line (he has just 33 free throw attempts this season.)
He can shoot well for a big man (.88 free-throw percentage, .525 from the field this season.)
He can block shots (193 on his career) but doesn't rebound well (4.7 per game as a senior.)
Those statistics paint a picture of a big man who plays like a small man, who shies away from contact, who is wasting his talent.
Ralph's last four game rebound totals: 2, 3, 3, 3. Has just two blocks in his last five games.
He's made 9 of his 16 shots the last two games, but often refuses to join the battle.
I could say I'm interested in seeing how he performs tonight against Wisconsin, an arch-rival in a key home game with an NCAA berth on the line, but don't we already know? (I'm writing a column on the game for the Friday paper. I'll be on 1500espn tomorrow at 2:05. Please follow me on Twitter at @Souhanstrib.)
