Ralph Sampson III is serious about a pro career and he's hired one of the top trainers in the game to help him reach the next level.
He's currently working out in Chicago with Tim Grover, who trained Michael Jordan during the prime of his All-Star career. He currently trains NBA stars Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade. Grover's Attack Athletics is a hub for future and current NBA players.
Keith Kreiter, an agent who represents former Gophers forward Paul Carter, said both Carter and Sampson recently endured intense workouts at Grover's Attack Athletics facility in Chicago under Grover's watch.
Sampson can toy with the idea of keeping his name in the NBA draft until Sunday, when early entrants must withdraw from the draft to preserve their collegiate eligibility. That's assuming he hasn't hired an agent.
Will he stay? Who knows? Seriously, those connected to Sampson and the Gophers don't have any definitive answers at this point. And Sampson hasn't made any public statements about his draft status.
Grover refused to talk about Sampson when I contacted him Tuesday.
"I'm not doing any interviews on Ralph at this point. Thank you," he told me.
His former AAU coach, Norman Parker, said Sampson may not return to school.
