Valuable UH Big Man Kalifa Sakho Returns From a Surgical Procedure On His Back, Giving Kelvin Sampson a Healthy Roster For First Time — a PaperCity Exclusive
Reigning Big 12 Defensive Player Of the Year JoJo Tugler Is Also Now 100 Percent
BY Chris Baldwin //
Kalifa Sakho brings plenty of size and hops to Kelvin Sampson's University of Houston front court. And after successful back surgery, he's feeling healthier than ever.
KANSAS CITY — Kalifa Sakho, the 6-foot-11 transfer center who is being counted on to be a key player in No. 2 Houston’s front-court rotation, quietly underwent a surgical procedure on his back in August, PaperCity has learned. But Sakho is already back practicing and playing without the pain that forced him to sit out practices throughout the summer and early fall.
“He just got it bothering him in June,” University of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson tells PaperCity when I ask about the procedure. “But he’d be two days on, day off. Two days on, day off. We finally we shut him down to see if shutting him down would help. Then we realized, you know what — we just need to go in and do the procedure.
“So now he’s back to 100 percent.”
Sampson is also now declaring reigning Big 12 Defensive Player Of the Year JoJo Tugler “100 percent” for the first time since Tugler’s offseason foot surgery. In fact, heading into Sunday night’s exhibition game against Mississippi State at the Fort Bend Epicenter — part of the The Preview CBB Exhibition — Sampson feels like he has a full healthy roster for the first time.
“Just this week was probably our first week where everybody’s on the floor,” Sampson tells PaperCity.
The coach who’s one win from 800 for his career has been buoyed by seeing how well Sakho is moving and using his long frame in his return to practice.
“He’s been awesome.” Sampson says. “We’ve had three practices this week, he’s practiced every minute of every practice. You’d never know he’d even had a procedure. It just had to heal. And we’ve been really, really, really slow with him and JoJo. We just needed to get through (last) Saturday (a scrimmage against Ole Miss) so we could get to this week.
“. . . Sunday will be more like a dress rehearsal.”
Tugler and Sakho both did not play many minutes in the scrimmage against Ole Miss, with Sakho sitting out the entire second half. Sampson tells PaperCity that Tugler will play twentysomething minutes in Sunday night’s exhibition game, marking his real ramp-up for the season which begins Monday, November 3 against Lehigh.
“He’s been awesome. We’ve had three practices this week, he’s practiced every minute of every practice. You’d never know he’d even had a procedure.” — UH coach Kelvin Sampson on center Kalifa Sakho
Much like point guard Milos Uzan having to miss three weeks of practice with a broken nose last offseason, Sakho’s extended time off the court is bound to affect a player attempting to acclimate to a new program, one of the most demanding programs in the entire country. But Sampson isn’t sweating that reality, having long ago learned to take the long view of a college basketball season.
“Of course it will,” Sampson says on the back procedure setting Sahko’s development back a little. “But I don’t worry about it. I don’t worry about things I can’t control.”
Sakho dealt with back issues last season at Sam Houston State, but still managed to start all 31 games for Bearkats coach Chris Mudge, who raves about him. Now that Sakho is feeling healthier than he has in a long time, his UH teammates have noticed the difference in just this week of practice.
“He’s ultra athletic for his size,” UH senior forward Ramon Walker Jr. tells PaperCity at Big 12 Media Day. “It’s crazy. When he jumps up and dunks, his head’s at the rim. On offense, he’s a major lob threat. He has good footwork down in the low post. He has good touch. He can finish.
“On defense, he’s going to be a problem. He takes up space. His arms are long. He blocks shots. He can be a really good rebounder. Once he gets back into the flow of things coming back from that injury, he’s going to be a real elite rebounder. Just being able to go up there and just grab them over everybody. He can be that good.”
With five star true freshman Chris Cenac Jr. expected to start in the front court alongside Tugler, Kalifa Sakho’s importance is magnified by 7-foot center Jacob McFarland undergoing a second surgery on his once horrifically broken leg (McFarland tells PaperCity that he hopes to be cleared to return to practicing some in December, but he will need to slowly work back to have a chance to contribute). Experienced Cougar reserve center Cedric Lath will also be part of UH’s revamped big man mix.
Then again, Sakho is used to making quick leaps. Born in Rouen, France, this big man did not start playing basketball until age 17, having concentrated on soccer his whole life before then. Since arriving at UH, Sakho’s been binging JoJo Tugler film, trying to pick up some of his new teammate’s skills.
“I was watching highlights of JoJo and he’s got like a crazy impact on the game,” Sakho says. “I’m trying to like do the same thing. Just to help the team. JoJo’s a great defender. And I’m trying to do the same thing.”
Kalifa Sakho is now back and in some ways really here for the first time, determined to find his own inner JoJo.
No outlet covers UH basketball throughout the entire calendar year with more consistency and focus than PaperCity Houston. For more of Chris Baldwin’s extensive, detailed and unique insider coverage of UH sports — stories you cannot read anywhere else, stay tuned. Follow Baldwin on the platform formerly known as Twitter here.