Science Hill High School

Albert Sams

Elvin Little hated to quit coaching basketball at Science Hill when he did in 1979.

One reason he quit was that he thought it best with his son Tommy's varsity career arriving; one big reason he hated to was Albert Sams varsity career arriving.

Sams was a lanky 6-foot-3, and had the mid-range game that complemented an ability to slash to the basket.  "I had Albert in my camps when he was coming up," Little said. "I knew he was going to be a heck of a player."  Sams poured in 1,525 points for the Hilltoppers despite having 6-foot-8 Herbie Bullock to share the stats with. (Bullock scored 1,184 points).  Sams said he and Bullock were like brothers, but no one was going to keep Sams from getting his shots. He laughs when discussing a 37-point performance.

"I shot it 30 times," Sams said, "but I did shoot 50 percent. It was against a team from around Knoxville -- Holston, I believe."

Sams sank Sullivan North with a 15-foot buzzer-beater in the region his senior season. The Granville Arnold-led Raiders and 'Toppers had many battles in the 1981-82 season.

"You know Sullivan North was good if they had Granville Arnold," Sams said. "He was one of the best I ever played against. That's why it was so important we had Herbie. He is probably the best big man to ever play at Science Hill."

Sams said Bullock was crucial in the Hilltoppers' substate victory against George Pitts' Bearden that season.  "I scored like eight points before fouling out," Sams said. "Herbie basically took over."  Science Hill went on to lose 50-44 to Memphis Central in the state quarterfinals. Sams scored 18, including a personal 8-0 run that put Science Hill up 26-16 in the second quarter. Sams had made his mark, enhancing the 'Toppers rich tradition as the catalyst in a 31-5 season.

"If we didn't have Albert we would have never gotten past Sullivan North that year," Billy Patton said. "We had ten seniors on that '82 team; I would say Albert was our leader. He was, without a doubt, our best player.

"Though we weren't a one-man team, when he got going, we were pretty unstoppable. Him and Herbie Bullock underneath was a very good combination."

Dobyns-Bennett coach Charlie Morgan, then an assistant under Greenwell, remembers Sams and Bullock being a rather dynamic duo off the court as well.

"He and Herbie Bullock were always together," Morgan said. "I think Albert probably guided Herbie. I remember one day Herbie wasn't at practice. We were pretty sure Albert knew where he was, but he wouldn't tell.

"Albert had a fun-loving attitude. But he came to practice every day ready to work and took it seriously."

Sams had an eventful career at ETSU, which included a crash landing on a charter flight that was en route from Birmingham, Ala., to Oxford, Miss., in December of '84. The plane burned up a few minutes after hitting the ground and spinning 2 1/2 times.  "I saw that smoke coming out of the wing,” Sams said, “and then I saw us start going down and I thought ‘Oh lord, I’m going to die.’ I remember I was so happy to see my mother and sisters and grandmother when I got back to Johnson City."  Sams wound up his ETSU career with a favorite moment, beating Marshall at the Southern Conference tournament the year after the Thundering Herd had won it. Sams and Wes Stallings were also the two players on the committee when Les Robinson was hired -- after Sonny Smith turned the job down.

"Les Robinson was real straightforward," Sams said. "You could tell he would do well."  As for Sams, he preferred Freedom Hall to the Mini-Dome.

"I was more of a defensive player at ETSU," he said. "And I loved Coach Greenwell -- him and his whole family. He was a good man.

"It was wonderful playing at Science Hill. It seemed like every game Freedom Hall was just packed."  Albert was a pretty good rebounder and a pretty good jumper, and he ran well out on the break.

Albert always seemed to play awfully well against the good teams. Sullivan North had some really good teams back then, and it seems like Albert always showed up in those type of matchups.