He casts his mind back to his high school days when Junior Murray became the first player from Grenada to represent the Windies.
"When he came back the government piled up all the gifts for him. He got the contracts and all the financial rewards he got for playing West Indies.
"Young guys like me said, 'Man, imagine if one of us becomes the first from St Lucia to play for West Indies. How good would that be?'
"I saw it as a way out for me," says the allrounder who fulfilled that dream from St Lucia.
Regional parochialism gives way to a bigger picture once West Indies duties kick in.
"For a long time we were watching West Indies cricket because we were West Indians so it's good to have a St Lucian boy representing the country and the region.
"It's a wonderful feeling. I'm proud to be a St Lucian but cricket is about the entire region so once you start playing for West Indies it's not your country any more because you represent the entire Caribbean people.
"That's something very dear to my heart. Whenever I step on to the cricket field I have the fans at heart."
He doesn't let all the emotion cloud his judgement, swallowing a pill of realism in relation to where the current crop of Windies cricketers is under coach Stuart Williams.
In fact, in the past decade or two they haven't emulated the feat of their heroes from the glory days of Richards, Sir Clive Lloyd and Curtly Ambrose, who is the bowling consultant with the cup team and his role model.
"To be here with him [Ambrose] now is amazing but growing up with cricket was the No 1 spot. As far as I can remember I always wanted to play it."
His parents, Wilson and Clara, were in their early 20s when he was born and before they knew they had three more mouths to feed.
"I saw them working tirelessly," he says of his parents who toiled in a modest banana plantation where Sammy often rolled up his sleeves to help.
"I didn't want to be that person and I didn't see that as my future so I always thought cricket was my way out and gave it my all."
An affable Sammy grins, revealing his school work suffered at times.
"I thank God everyday that he gave me that opportunity because at one time I wanted to be a pastor as well," says the man who comes from a devout Christian family.
Sammy believes he has a "wonderful testimony" to share with people.
"I still practise my Christianity and I still have an impact to make in the word of God when I'm finished here."
He'll be the first to attest to the fact that life as an elite sportsman takes its toll on the family.
"I haven't been home since October last year so it's tough been a family man and travelling all this time, especially when you have young kids."
Finding a balance between family and occupation becomes a futile exercise, he feels, at the frequency with which cricket is played now.
"Probably in my next life I won't be a cricketer. I'll find another way of earning my money so I can stay home to raise my kids," he says with a smile
Sammy salutes his wife, Cathy, for her devotion to raising their family.
"In my absence, she's a tremendous woman so you've got to give her credit and prayers. To me she's the rock of the family.
"I bring the financial rewards but she keeps the family together so I really like to acknowledge her right now."
Before arriving for the World Cup in New Zealand and Australia, Sammy says no one gave Windies a chance of making the cut let alone winning.
"To be honest, we've not played the best cricket but we're still in with a chance.
"Once we get to the knockout stages, we'll be just two games away from the final."
Tomorrow's match is their last opportunity o they'll be lugging their coffins back home.
Relinquishing his captaincy from the test arena and ODIs last year, wasn't an acrimonious exercise. He is still enjoying his professional career.
"Whether I'm captain or not, this is the same Darren Sammy you'll see."
The mantle of captaincy in the Windies matrix is tough and he feels for his young successor, Jason Holder.
"He's young but he's learning very quickly so we senior players have to give him all our support."
Ironically he still sees himself as a leader, someone who brings energy and motivates whether by his performance or by word of mouth in the way he carries himself.
His love and respect for the game is unquestionable. "In a simple way, I'm somebody who just keeps on trying."
He didn't see himself becoming Windies skipper, despite captaining St Lucia, Windward Islands.
"I never dreamt of that at all. If you look back all the way to the first black captain Sir Frank Worrall [1960-61 v Australia; 1962-63 v India] to [Sir Gary] Sobers ... to Sir Clive [Lloyd], [Sir] Richie Richardson, Brian Lara, Chris Gayle - you know, that's a lot of legacy there.
"For me to be part of that ... "
When Sammy was a boy he dared to dream of becoming a Windies cricketer so captaincy "was just a bonus".
"I've enjoyed every single part of my career so I took the ups and the downs because they come hand in hand."
Learning from his mistakes made gave him a much stronger constitution and the ability to deal with issues with some conviction.
