Kelvin Sampson on Bishop Boswell: 'He's tough and he's a winner'

LAS VEGAS — Kelvin Sampson had just watched it play out right in front of him over the previous two hours. So before his postgame press conference was over Tuesday night, the Houston head coach went out of his way to say it. 

He wasn’t asked, but it was obvious. 

No. 17 Tennessee rallying from down 11 points to win 76-73 over No. 3 Houston in the second round of the Players Era Festival came down to Bishop Boswell. 

It was his defense. It was his offense. It was his intensity and effort. It was all of it.

“He impacted that game,” Sampson said. “No idea what his future holds in this game, but that kid is a winner. He was the toughest guy on the floor tonight.”

Boswell scored 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting. He added four rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block in an overly efficient and effective 32 minutes.

“A lot of respect for that young man,” Sampson said. “He’s tough and he’s a winner. Every coach in America would love to have Boswell.”

Up Next: No. 17 Tennessee vs. Kansas, Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET, TNT

Rick Barnes loves Boswell because of what he was, what he’s becoming and what’s still ahead for the physical, pesky sophomore guard. 

“I think he’s becoming one of the best defensive guards in the country,” Barnes said, “and there’s no doubt that it’s a hard role to put a player to want to buy into, to want to do it, but he’s all about team. 

“He wants to win more than anything else, and we knew during the whole recruiting process he was a winner and he would do whatever it would takes.”

Boswell, a former four-star recruit, was a state championship-winning football player at Myers Park High School in Charlotte, N.C. 

Barnes said Monday night that Boswell plays basketball with a football mindset. He also said he spent his freshman season learning from Jahmai Mashack, who had the same game-changing defensive mentality and physicality that Boswell is quickly growing into. 

“Obviously last year we had a bunch of senior guards,” Boswell said, “really good players. So I think my mindset last year was if the roles were reversed I would want them to cheer me on and not have a bad attitude.”

Boswell had plenty of time to cheer on his teammates as a freshman, appearing in 28 games but averaging just 3.8 minutes per game. 

“Last year I supported the team any way I could,” Boswell said, “and coming into this year (Barnes) talked about that role I needed to fill (as) a defensive stopper, because we lost some really good defenders last year. So it’s just having that mindset.”

‘We’re asking him to fill a major role and he’s embraced it’

On Tuesday night, against an elite opponent in a possession game, Tennessee couldn’t afford to have Boswell off the floor because of that mindset.

He scored in transition. He turned a deflection into a dive for a loose ball, and the loose ball into transition points for his team. He poked balls loose while avoiding fouls.

He delivered the assist, too, on the go-ahead bucket from JP Estrella in the second half, when Tennessee was in the midst of a 10-0 to take a lead the Vols wouldn’t give up.

“We’re asking him to fill a major role and he’s embraced it,” Barnes said, “and I’m obviously proud of him.”

So proud he had to point out the two free throws Boswell hit with 25 seconds left to get Tennessee’s lead back to four.  

“Those free throws were huge,” Barnes said, “and while he was shooting them, I said, if anybody deserves to make these it’s him, because of how hard he’s worked even through his rehab.”

In the 85-60 win over Rutgers on Monday, Boswell returned from injury after missing three games, dealing first with a foot injury, then a hamstring injury. 

He has looked more than healthy in Las Vegas.

“He’s going to just continue to get better and better,” Barnes said, “but we need him to keep that focus.”