A recent tournament victory has been seized by some skillful youngsters, said Dwight Miller, coach of the Sampson County All star Boys Basketball team. Playing in the local Amateur Athletic Union, Miller and his 15-and-under team have received the nod for national play.

“In July we will play in Hampton, Va.,” said coach Miller. “We lost the championship but still got qualified for the nationals.”

Of the approximate 200 teams that showed up for the basketball showdown, the Sampson County All-Star Boys Basketball team was one of 25 that will be moving on, said Miller. The team has been seeded in third place for North Carolina.

“We were able to put together an All-County team, even from Harrells Christian Academy. We have somebody from all the high schools in Sampson County,” Miller said.

And that, said the coach, is the “biggest thing.”

“We focus a lot on conditioning, attitude and discipline. We practice every Monday and Wednesday.”

The win was a shot in the arm for the team’s confidence, Miller emphasized. The group he coaches faced opponents who had been playing together for 10 years, as opposed to Sampson’s two-year team.

Another hurdle the team has been able to jump is that of funding. For an average year of play the cost for a team is about $10,000 said Miller. So far Sampson has been able to raise two thirds of that.

“It was just unbelievable that we could play some of those teams that went to the nationals last year. I was really really proud of our team.”