Meet The Advocate’s Star of Stars boys coach of the year: ‘I’m in a good place’

Decades after playing for the legendary Ben Jobe during his career at Southern University, the words of his iconic coach never left Carlos Sample.

With each passing year of the dynasty Sample built at Scotlandville High, Jobe’s words began to resonate louder than ever.

“We used to talk a little about everything. He had so much wisdom,” Sample said of Jobe, who coached a total of 12 seasons at Southern. “He said the only thing worse than ‘losing, losing’ is ‘winning, winning, winning.’ I didn’t understand that at the time, but now I get that. You never got tired of winning. But sometimes you have expectations. People want you to meet those expectations every single year regardless.”

Sample turned Scotlandville into one of the state’s powerhouses. Following this season, he decided his work with the Hornets was done. After 16 years at the school, including a Division I select runner-up finish to conclude a 32-4 season, the 54-year-old Sample announced his resignation.

Hard-nosed, disciplined teams were the byproduct of Sample’s philosophy. As a result, his teams won 77% of their games, going 676-198, and Sample never had a losing season in 26 years of coaching. (He also coached for one season at Livonia before moving to his alma mater, Istrouma, for nine seasons.)

Sample’s string of 14 straight state championship appearances at the LHSAA’s highest level — Class 5A or Division I — remains an unparalleled accomplishment among boys coaches.

“I feel I went out on top, in a sense, with the ride that I’ve been on and taken people on,” Sample said. “It’s been remarkable what we have done at Scotlandville. It’s fun, but I’m in a good place with my decision. I’m happy that I was able to touch a lot of lives, win a lot of games and championships.”