T here are some gasps from the crowd when Magic Johnson’s familiar smile pops up on the Fertitta Center’s giant video board because he’s Magic, one of the most famous people in the world. But to Kelvin Sampson he’s Earvin or more often just EJ. “The cameos for Big Samps are something else,” former Sampson player turned talent agent Landon Goesling laughs.

This is how Kelvin Sampson became the 17th coach in Division I men’s college basketball history to win 800 games, by touching people’s lives, making an impact on them and staying connected. All the way back to when Sampson first met Magic as a wide-eyed graduate assistant who helped coach Michigan State’s JV team (a staple of college basketball at the time) and seized any chance he could to watch Magic work.

“I’d be up at practice with

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