We need Samson back ASAP

[David 76]

Except, coming out of practices as
and training, he was one of three players his Coach listed as a starter. That means something.
You are right, we can't know for sure. We also can't rule it out for sure. But he will be another option

 

[Palatine]

Why does anyone think Samson will come back at all?

 

[ToolzieFan]

Is there a reason he types like this?

not for everyone, but the only time i wear a helmet is in and around the tree cutting process. no bike, no board or ski lid, nuthin, no where. i guess i was lucky when i was aboot four as my first formal training in sport was
how to fall by a very wise military man in a kids class. since then, i've fallen a lot, with the vast majority of outcomes amounting to nothing, tho some were humdingers, whatever that means. prolly means 'ouch and now ur out of action for a bit.' i wonder if hawks butt is sore, as that's where the force vector was greatest. the head bounce seemed a bit nonlinear as usually your upper body/shoulders/neck instantly freeze to prevent/diminish that.

My best guess is that this explains it.

I kid, I kid, Clif.

 

[Billy Jack]

AK is struggling defensively. Badly. Its causing a domino effect thats hurting the teams defense which has not been good recently. That being said its not all on him because our guards also cant stop the dribble drive. Its either a score or a foul. It seems the only guy that doesnt get burned is Diarra. Everyone else its a blow by and teams know this because X, Prov and now Crayton has done it. luckily they stink this year because we`d be looking up at 3 Ls in a row. This team is not in a good place right now.

Did you not see Saturday’s game? That’s about as “right now” as it gets.

 

[Billy Jack]

AK is struggling defensively. Badly. Its causing a domino effect thats hurting the teams defense which has not been good recently.

So, the team’s defense has not been good lately??? Let’s see . . .

They just held Creighton to 16 points below their average by shutting down their perimeter game (12% on 3’s) and getting them to shoot 40% on 2’s when they normally hit 54% on 2’s.

Defense wasn’t the main problem against Providence either. They’re a high scoring team that normally goes for 80 ppg but only got 73 against us on 36% shooting. The problem against Providence was that we couldn’t get our offense going - especially from 3 (22%). We were held to 19 points below our season scoring average and shot only 36%.

You can make a legitimate case that our defense failed us against Xavier. But let’s be clear about something. Xavier is the 3rd best shooting team in the country and they were playing at home. Their 83 points and 53% shooting are an average game for them. It’s not like we got torched by Xavier.

We won every game before Xavier, so the defense was good enough. Even conceding that the D wasn’t good enough against Xavier, that’s one game. On the road. And one game is not a trend.

 

[alphasigko]

But he’s a better shooter and ball handler than Clingan or Sanogo.

Where is your evidence of this in a real game scenario?

 

[HuskyHawk]

This post really made reviews of Samson hit home. NO ONE knows anything about him in college. He has played 80 minutes TOTAL. Clearly any positive, negative, or middle ground comments are pure conjecture

Ok. Do we know anything about Castle? Or do we just assume that nothing he did in high school translates? Last year was an aberration. Two guys who shouldn’t have been in college took his minutes (Whaley, Polley). So take what he did in HS, add what improvement you’d expect from a year practicing at UConn, add a multiplier because he’s an African kid new to the game and will improve faster = projection.

 

[Huskybass]

Ok. Do we know anything about Castle? Or do we just assume that nothing he did in high school translates? Last year was an aberration. Two guys who shouldn’t have been in college took his minutes (Whaley, Polley). So take what he did in HS, add what improvement you’d expect from a year practicing at UConn, add a multiplier because he’s an African kid new to the game and will improve faster = projection.

Ok. That's all well and good. However, every other player is in mid season form and Samson is just coming back from an injury after missing 16 straight games. Expecting much from him this season seems like a stretch.

 

[RichCTBB]

Ok. That's all well and good. However, every other player is in mid season form and Samson is just coming back from an injury after missing 16 straight games. Expecting much from him this season seems like a stretch.

THIS. You can’t get better at playing basketball games without playing basketball games. SJ hasn’t played many basketball games in a Husky uniform.

 

[NJHusky]

Why does anyone think Samson will come back at all?

Not sure it matters but The Athletic article said expected back in about 2 weeks…is that Hurley’s equivalent of 20 minutes?

 

[HuskyHawk]

THIS. You can’t get better at playing basketball games without playing basketball games. SJ hasn’t played many basketball games in a Husky uniform.

Nonsense. This is about Hawkins, from the new Athletic article. You think this doesn't matter? You don't see how he's coming around screens and elevating too fast for the defense to respond? He never did that last year. He learned that in the offseason.

Today, Jordan Hawkins is immersed in the UConn ecosystem. After a strong freshman season, he spent much of last summer working out in Los Angeles. He logged hours with Richard Hamilton, learning methods for coming off pin-downs and staggers. How to get open. How to shake a chaser on defense. Making reads off screens.

Hawkins is UConn’s second-leading scorer, averaging about 15 points on 39 percent 3-point shooting.

 

[Sphinx]

Back on Jan 6, Hurley was quoted as saying that Samson was "running around" and "should be back at full practice next week." We are now two days into "next week." Isn't it possible to know whether Samson is back at "full practice?"

 

[scotty0330]

I know the conventional wisdom is that Johnson is exactly what we need to provide a more physical presence at the 4, but is there any evidence that he actually has what it takes -- in a 5-on-5 setting, not based on measurables, athleticism, or potential -- to reliably do this?

no there is not. Not even a small bit of evidence. But if you have been coming to this board long enough the missing piece to us breaking through is the one guy on the bench or hurt. That person will turn the tide of our season and help us make a deep run. It won't be long before there will be a thread on Richie Springs needs to beef up our post defense...

 

[UCSouth]

Is there a reason he types like this?

Because he can.

 

[ctchamps]

This post really made reviews of Samson hit home. NO ONE knows anything about him in college. He has played 80 minutes TOTAL. Clearly any positive, negative, or middle ground comments are pure conjecture

This post should be used as an endorsement for getting a degree at UConn.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

You are correct. I, for one, am not convinced that Johnson will be a contributor at this level. I know some people on this board don't want to here it (and I really hope I'm wrong)... but I worry he's going to end up on the Springs plan.

Springs has never sniffed meaningful minutes. Samson started the first game of the year. I don’t think their situations are super comparable.

 

[UCFan1513]

From the Athletic article, not sure if this is based on new or old information:

"Sophomore forward Samson Johnson has pro upside, but has spent the season dealing with a foot injury. He’s slated to return in roughly two weeks, bringing some needed defense and rebounding."

That would be Jan 25 against Xavier, a game where his presence would be particularly valuable. If we could sneak him in on Jan 22 vs. Butler first that would be nice.

 

[RichCTBB]

Nonsense. This is about Hawkins, from the new Athletic article. You think this doesn't matter? You don't see how he's coming around screens and elevating too fast for the defense to respond? He never did that last year. He learned that in the offseason.

You are saying that based on high school stats and Jordan Hawkins developmental trajectory that Samson will have an almost immediate positive impact. Jordan had almost a full season last year before getting concussed. Also you are unwilling to accept that the amount of time that he missed will have had an impact on his development. OK. I really hope you're right, but let’s agree to disagree.

 

[Coach J]

Samson is another blade in the Swiss Army knife.

He isn't a be all, end all solution but he will give Karaban much needed rest and give Hurkey some mire room to tinker with lineup.

No fault of his own, but Karaban as a 6'8" 210lbs frosh can't physically match up against best 4's in BE.

So in reality instead of using Karaban for extended minutes that dilute his effectiveness Hurley should be/have been trying Springs to spell him. He obviously has the size and from the little that we have seen he clearly can rebound and finish at the hoop. The big question would be if he can guard 4s on the perimeter which we should have found out during the LIU, Georgetown, etc portion of our schedule.

 

[UCfor3]

So in reality instead of using Karaban for extended minutes that dilute his effectiveness Hurley should be/have been trying Springs to spell him. He obviously has the size and from the little that we have seen he clearly can rebound and finish at the hoop. The big question would be if he can guard 4s on the perimeter which we should have found out during the LIU, Georgetown, etc portion of our schedule.

It's the Diggins argument all over again. We have seen that Diggins is playing like 14 minutes a game at UMass and averaging 2.7 points per game. Hurley knew he wasn't a good option last year. We should probably assume he knows what Springs would offer us better than anyone on here as well.