J’Wan Roberts and Kelvin Sampson’s Tearful Senior Night Hug Captures Hearts
J’Wan Roberts and University of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson’s bond is next level. And forever. (Photo by F. Carter Smith)
Ramon Walker and The Dive
Ramon Walker Jr. has his own emotional moment with his family on his possible first Senior Night. “My grandmother’s down here,” he says. My sister, my brother. My mom, dad. That’s where the emotions come from. And they’re going to get to see me graduate.
“So just thinking about that stuff too.”
Walker is set to graduate and walk across the stage to get his diploma May 10.
From Bench to Heart and Soul
Ramon Walker Jr. didn’t think about how J’Wan Roberts definitely played his last game at Fertitta as he watched the other night.
“You just think about what he did and how he did it,” Walker says. “I feel like that’s where your emotions come from. When I got here my freshman year, J’Wan was just like (getting) 10 minutes here, 11 minutes there. Now he’s turned into the heart stone piece of our team.
“We depend on him to win games. And he wills us to win games. He stayed down. He was patient. And I really applaud that. Anybody would have left if they were in the situation he was. But he didn’t. He just stayed down. Now he’s reaping the benefits.”
A Big 12 First Team Nod for J’Wan Roberts?
Those benefits should include a Big 12 First Team nod for Roberts when the conference awards are revealed on Monday — if there’s justice in college basketball awards. But that full tears hug from Sampson, with some of those close to Houston’s coach saying that they’ve never seen him get quite that emotional before a game, is its own priceless award too.
Ramon Walker’s Emotional Moment
Ramon Walker Jr. has to wear a wrap cast for a while after breaking his hand at first. (Photo by F. Carter Smith)
He already has something big hanging in UH’s basketball facility. That’d be the giant framed photo of Walker diving on the floor in the Wichita State game in that remarkable 2021-2022 Elite Eight season, the first game after both Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark were lost to freakish season-ending injuries.
Kelvin Sampson’s Elite Program
“We always talk about never losing our chip,” Kelvin Sampson says. “That’s a big deal internally here. But the picture that defines that is Ramon diving on that floor for that ball at Wichita State. Shovels it to Kyler (Edwards). Kyler dishes it off to Josh (Carlton). Kyler gets an assist. Josh gets a credit with a made basket.
“But Ramon got his picture on the wall.”
In Kelvin Sampson’s elite program, that may be the biggest award of all.
“It just shows me how much that play means to him and the program,” Walker tells PaperCity. “That was a crazy game to play and we had to find a way to win.” Ramon Walker’s grandmother Linda Stinson is happy that picture is on the wall too. Truth is you could put some of the plays Walker made late in that wild overtime NCAA Tournament win over Texas A&M last March in pictures on the wall too. They’re certainly framable.
A Culture Setter’s Legacy
Ramon Walker watches UH’s games in sweats on the bench these days, his surgically repaired hand still not ready to take any hits. He waits and tries to make the most of seeing the game from a different perspective. Kelvin Sampson doesn’t forget him though. You don’t forget about a culture setter like Ramon Walker.
You get the idea that Houston’s coach doesn’t want to ever see Walker play for any other college program either.
Conclusion
Ramon Walker Jr.’s Senior Night moment could mean even more to next season’s UH team. His emotional connection to the program and its players, as well as his potential return, make him a crucial piece to the puzzle. As he prepares to graduate and walk across the stage, Walker’s legacy as a culture setter and key contributor to the team’s success will be remembered for years to come.
