"The nomination practically wrote itself," Parker wrote in a statement to The State News on Vincent’s nomination. "Sam is a terrific example of a Spartan who continuously seeks to better himself and others while remaining humble and connected to those he meets along the way."

As a student from 1981-1985, Vincent played for MSU basketball and studied theater with a focus in broadcasting. In 1985, he was drafted into the NBA to play for the Boston Celtics. After playing professionally he became a coach and has coached basketball all over the world.

Now he is returning to Lansing, not only as an MSU alumnus, but as a Lansing native. 

"For me, being from Lansing, that's where it all started, and a chance to come back in a meaningful role to connect with the campus and talk to people about what I'm doing and share some of my stories and experiences, that means a lot," Vincent said. 

As a high school basketball player in Lansing, Vincent’s ultimate goal was to play in the NBA.  

In 1980 Vincent got his first taste of championship basketball when, alongside his Lansing Eastern High School teammates, they won the state championship. In 1981, Vincent was the first recipient of Michigan’s "Mr. Basketball" award. 

When Vincent was offered a spot on MSU’s basketball team it was a no brainer. Head coach Jud Heathcote had just won a national championship with players like Magic Johnson and Vincent’s brother, Jay, on his roster in 1979. 

"I knew that was going to be an opportunity to play with a coach that was going to improve my game and give me a chance to reach my ultimate goal, which was to become an NBA basketball player," Vincent said. 

Not only that, Vincent was given the chance to stay in his community. 

"I really wanted to stay close to home," Vincent said. "Making the decision to go to MSU and stay in my community with family and friends was probably the most important part that I really enjoyed about going to Michigan State."

From Lansing Eastern to MSU, Vincent was able to build on the foundational principles that defined his game. Everything eventually came full circle in 1985, where Vincent was selected 20th overall in the NBA draft.

Vincent went on to win the NBA national championship with the Celtics in his rookie season. He then played for the Seattle Supersonics, the Chicago Bulls and ended his NBA career in 1992 with the Orlando Magic. 

From the beginning of his basketball career to the end, Vincent credits his coaches and the leaders on his team for building him into the player and leader he grew to be. After his career in the NBA was over, Vincent went on to be a coach himself. 

"When you have an opportunity to learn from a high level coaching staff and players… you feel a little bit of a responsibility to share some of those experiences, to give back some of what you learned, because the quality of the experience that I was able to get from the level of coaches I had is sometimes rare," Vincent said.

Coaching was a natural fit for Vincent. After the NBA, he went overseas, coaching teams in Nigeria, South Africa, the Netherlands and a few other countries. He also coached within the NBA, spending a year with the Charlotte Bobcats. 

Throughout his time as a player and a coach, Vincent has built a nine element philosophy for coaching that he has coined the "championship principles." Each element is one he observed in the teammates that he played with through college and the NBA. 

The three most important elements, he said, are passion, communication and respect. These are three that he believes were cultivated during his time at MSU through the leadership of Magic Johnson.

The other principles are preparation, confidence, appreciation, work ethic, competitive spirit and sacrifice. He noticed each of these principles were foundational elements for legends he shared the court with, such as Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. 

"In combining those nine examples from three of the game’s greatest players in most championship winning teams, I kind of harnessed that into a little bit of a practice plan, and that's how I approach my teams," he said. 

Now Vincent is continuing to coach and since 2022 has been the head coach of Beacon College basketball team. Beacon College is an institution in Leesburg, Florida that has been developed to serve students with learning disabilities.

Since becoming a coach at Beacon, Vincent’s passion for inclusivity in sports has grown significantly as he advocates for his athletes.

"Even if you have a learning difference that doesn't stop you from being successful, you can go on and do anything you want to do, and sports is just a great way to exemplify that," Vincent said.

In order to further his advocacy for athletes with learning disabilities in the grand marshal role, Vincent is working with the fundraising arm of the Alumni Association in order to raise money for both students and athletes at MSU, through Champions Edge, and the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities.

"It's very rewarding to have a chance to come back… and to put together the meaningful programs moving forward that can somehow benefit this population of kids that I work with, or something else that's a fundraising initiative for for the campus," Vincent said.

Alongside his fundraising efforts on campus, Vincent hopes to have meaningful conversations about sports at the high school level in the Lansing school district.

"Having a chance to get back and and just really have some open discussion around, what can we do to really give those young student athletes, more opportunities to be successful," Vincent said. "(We) already know all the positives that come from kids being in sports and keeping their attention focused versus when they're not."