Playing time for Samson

[Chosen]

Is Samson going to start at 3 spot or is he going to be the backup to Alex Karaban? It looks like Samson is staying at uconn. Go UConn

 

[Mooch82]

He’ll back up the 4 and the 5. Pigs will fly before Samson plays the 3 at UConn.

 

[UCfor3]

Is Samson going to start at 3 spot or is he going to be the backup to Alex Karaban? It looks like Samson is staying at uconn. Go UConn

Samson is not a 3. He will play backup at 4/5 for us next year.

 

[husky429]

Johnson is not going to play the 3. Literally 0% chance. He can't defend a college 3, and doesn't have a 3s skill set offensively.

I have a feeling he'll be the primary backup for Clingan. He'll back up Karaban more or less depending on how well Stewart adjusts to the college game.

At this point, I don't think anyone but our coaching staff (and maybe not even them) can really guess what Samson will be able to do. During freshman year, he was totally unplayable. Last year, he didn't get much of a shot due to injury but didn't seem to play even after he was cleared. So there is a non-zero chance that he is on the Richie Springs plan. I certainly hope that's not the case though--we need him.

 

[Waquoit]

Small sample size but I thought he looked liked he belonged before he got hurt last year. I was impressed, because like 429, I hadn't seen anything the year before. I think he could be a piece of the puzzle. And wasn't there some talk about his improved 3 point shooting?

 

[CL82]

I have a feeling he'll be the primary backup for Clingan

Sounds like you feel that Singare won't materially contribute?

 

[Chin Diesel]

There is 20 mpg available at the 4 and 5. Samson should have inside track at most of those minutes.
There are players competing and if he esrns them he will get 20 mpg.

 

[businesslawyer]

Johnson is not going to play the 3. Literally 0% chance. He can't defend a college 3, and doesn't have a 3s skill set offensively.

I have a feeling he'll be the primary backup for Clingan. He'll back up Karaban more or less depending on how well Stewart adjusts to the college game.

At this point, I don't think anyone but our coaching staff (and maybe not even them) can really guess what Samson will be able to do. During freshman year, he was totally unplayable. Last year, he didn't get much of a shot due to injury but didn't seem to play even after he was cleared. So there is a non-zero chance that he is on the Richie Springs plan. I certainly hope that's not the case though--we need him.

Well, he's not on the Richie Springs plan because the coaches clearly want to give him a shot. Whether he can take advantage of it in his third year in the program, however, is still unknown.

 

[Waquoit]

Whether he can take advantage of it in his third year in the program, however, is still unknown.

He went from no time as a freshman to starting as a sophomore before he got hurt. That's not unknown.

 

[Chin Diesel]

He went from no time as a freshman to starting as a sophomore before he got hurt. That's not unknown.

I thought the "starting as sophomore" was somewhat debunked because he only was in there because Karaban was nursing an injury. Yes, he started. Someone has to start at the position. But he wasn't starting because of his skill; it was based on the planned starter recovering from injury.

Regardless, he did show improvement for a bit last year and if he has improved any since then, he becomes a serviceable back up for some minutes.

 

[7774]

Small sample size but I thought he looked liked he belonged before he got hurt last year. I was impressed, because like 429, I hadn't seen anything the year before. I think he could be a piece of the puzzle. And wasn't there some talk about his improved 3 point shooting?

He looked lost and fouled all the time. That's why he didn't play.

 

[RipCity]

Johnson is not going to play the 3. Literally 0% chance. He can't defend a college 3, and doesn't have a 3s skill set offensively.

I have a feeling he'll be the primary backup for Clingan. He'll back up Karaban more or less depending on how well Stewart adjusts to the college game.

At this point, I don't think anyone but our coaching staff (and maybe not even them) can really guess what Samson will be able to do. During freshman year, he was totally unplayable. Last year, he didn't get much of a shot due to injury but didn't seem to play even after he was cleared. So there is a non-zero chance that he is on the Richie Springs plan. I certainly hope that's not the case though--we need him.

I was about to say Johnson isn’t even a 4 let alone a 3.

 

[Waquoit]

and if he has improved any since then, he becomes a serviceable back up for some minutes.

I'm telling you Chin, you sound like those guys that predicted Joey California would get crushed in the Big East here.

He looked lost and fouled all the time. That's why he didn't play.

I'm drawing a line through his post-injury performance. He had lost too much ground and the team was a machine. Let's see what a fresh start brings. Even Azzi Fudd was lousy when she came back from an in-season injury.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I'm telling you Chin, you sound like those guys that predicted Joey California would get crushed in the Big East here.

I'm drawing a line through his post-injury performance. He had lost too much ground and the team was a machine. Let's see what a fresh start brings. Even Azzi Fudd was lousy when she came back from an in-season injury.

Do a search of my name and "Calcaterra" and you'll see I was pretty fair to him going back to Aug 2022.

 

[FreeKlaiber]

. So there is a non-zero chance that he is on the Richie Springs plan. I certainly hope that's not the case though--we need him.

Hurley was very happy with him publically after early season secret scrimmage.

Wouldve been starting at 4, presumably ahead of Karaban. Pre-injury. Then he got Wally Pipped. Looked super lost when gave him minutes late

With his athleticism, if he can show confidence and ability to hit 3 at tumes he will find time.

Hurley talked about this guy having name on wall banner at one point. He publicly said that he hoped samson gives US (coaching staff) patience when he didnt get back in post injury.

I think he has chance to be major contributor with a chance of flashing into the draft. Hurley clearly said something to him to make him want to stay. Im all in on Samson. (& Clingan who is gonna show some Jokic/walton iq and passing next yr)

 

[yungdowork]

Sounds like you feel that Singare won't materially contribute?

Singare has shown a lot of potential as a rim runner, and has put up pretty admirable numbers, but he's just got a ways to go to become a finished product. Really, really difficult to project guys like that making a jump to the next level. I think he's actually similar to Samson in the sense that both are still learning a lot about basketball and could take a major leap forward if things start to click.

One of the big appeals of Samson when we landed him was the idea that he could develop into more than a rim runner, but I haven't seen that materialize yet. If Samson doesn't showcase that he's been developing over the last 2 years, it's not unreasonable to think Singare could leapfrog him as a more sort of "straightforward" back up 5 option.

 

[Kenny11]

The fact that Samson didn’t transfer speaks loudly for the program, coach Hurley and also that they want him to stay. Most kids who were highly ranked recruits would not stay if they didn’t play their first 2 seasons. Most would leave after 1 season, actually.

 

[Son of Robert]

No doubt Samson will be an impact player this year. Not from my eyes, but just trusting the coaches to have him ready to go. They kept him on the roster for good reason. I agree with @Waquoit , that last season he lost too much game time, we were cranking along, and he just didn't fit into the flow. This year, stronger, a better ball player, it's on.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

My guess is that the plan is for him to play roughly 10 minutes per game at the both the four and the five. I believe this had been discussed at length with the staff as I doubt he would have returned if there wasn't a path for him to log at least 20 minutes a game and I seriously doubt the staff would have misled him just to keep another body.

Obviously the amount of time the incoming freshman earn may alter the end results but this is something everyone realizes is inherent with successful programs.

While need may dictate different numbers, my belief is that Hurley would prefer Clingan logging 26-28 minutes a game and Karaban logging 28-30 minutes a game.

 

[husky429]

Hurley was very happy with him publically after early season secret scrimmage.

Wouldve been starting at 4, presumably ahead of Karaban. Pre-injury. Then he got Wally Pipped. Looked super lost when gave him minutes late

With his athleticism, if he can show confidence and ability to hit 3 at tumes he will find time.

Hurley talked about this guy having name on wall banner at one point. He publicly said that he hoped samson gives US (coaching staff) patience when he didnt get back in post injury.

I think he has chance to be major contributor with a chance of flashing into the draft. Hurley clearly said something to him to make him want to stay. Im all in on Samson. (& Clingan who is gonna show some Jokic/walton iq and passing next

He wasn't ahead of Karaban. Karaban was injured.

 

[FreeKlaiber]

they were competing for the spot. Samson DID get more minutes during secret scrimmage BECAUSE of Karaban ankle sprain, that is true. During media breakfast Hurley singled out Samson and Hawkins for why he was so happy after the scrimmages.

from courant " After Monday’s Connecticut Basketball Coaches Breakfast at the Golf Club of Avon that supported the Jimmy V Foundation, Hurley said Jordan Hawkins and Samson Johnson were the “winners of the weekend.”
“Generally, you can’t put too much stock into the results of the scrimmages because we’re all working on things; different rotations and not playing people the amount of minutes they may play — experimentation is a big part of it,” Hurley said. “Yeah, you walked out of there, from the week itself and where things are going into today’s practice just feeling great about those two guys in particular.”

Johnson got some extra action in the scrimmage as Alex Karaban, another who is competing for the four spot in the starting lineup, sprained an ankle Thursday. Hurley hopes Karaban can be back to get live reps before the Nov. 7 season opener against Stonehill."

 

[Tenspro2002]

Johnson is not going to play the 3. Literally 0% chance. He can't defend a college 3, and doesn't have a 3s skill set offensively.

I have a feeling he'll be the primary backup for Clingan. He'll back up Karaban more or less depending on how well Stewart adjusts to the college game.

At this point, I don't think anyone but our coaching staff (and maybe not even them) can really guess what Samson will be able to do. During freshman year, he was totally unplayable. Last year, he didn't get much of a shot due to injury but didn't seem to play even after he was cleared. So there is a non-zero chance that he is on the Richie Springs plan. I certainly hope that's not the case though--we need him.

He's more talented than Springs, but has yet to demonstrate that his skills translate to a winning 5-on-5 team concept.

Maybe last year Hurley just didn't want to disrupt rotations and felt he got enough out of the frontcourt without Johnson. Or maybe he's still not playable in the rotation. We'll find out pretty quickly.

I expect him to carve out a 15-20 mpg backup role at the 5 (~12 mpg) and the 4 (~5 mpg).

 

[husky429]

He's more talented than Springs, but has yet to demonstrate that his skills translate to a winning 5-on-5 team concept.

Maybe last year Hurley just didn't want to disrupt rotations and felt he got enough out of the frontcourt without Johnson. Or maybe he's still not playable in the rotation. We'll find out pretty quickly.

I expect him to carve out a 15-20 mpg backup role at the 5 (~12 mpg) and the 4 (~5 mpg).

He's more athletic than Springs and has a better frame. He does not have more skill other than a mediocre 3 point shot--of that I am certain. Does that mean he's more talented? Probably, but who knows. Again, I don't think we can really know. He hasn't played enough for ANYONE on this board to know how good he is. It's 100% speculation on our part.

 

[husky429]

they were competing for the spot. Samson DID get more minutes during secret scrimmage BECAUSE of Karaban ankle sprain, that is true. During media breakfast Hurley singled out Samson and Hawkins for why he was so happy after the scrimmages.

from courant " After Monday’s Connecticut Basketball Coaches Breakfast at the Golf Club of Avon that supported the Jimmy V Foundation, Hurley said Jordan Hawkins and Samson Johnson were the “winners of the weekend.”
“Generally, you can’t put too much stock into the results of the scrimmages because we’re all working on things; different rotations and not playing people the amount of minutes they may play — experimentation is a big part of it,” Hurley said. “Yeah, you walked out of there, from the week itself and where things are going into today’s practice just feeling great about those two guys in particular.”

Johnson got some extra action in the scrimmage as Alex Karaban, another who is competing for the four spot in the starting lineup, sprained an ankle Thursday. Hurley hopes Karaban can be back to get live reps before the Nov. 7 season opener against Stonehill."

Trying to read into coach-speak is a fool's errand. Look at the product on the court. Samson was unplayable freshman year and didn't show us anything last year because of the injury. You suggesting he might go in the draft is, at this point, laughable.

 

[jibsey]

Johnson stayed with the team so we have to assume Hurley gave him some assurances, but he wasn’t able to get more than garbage time last year post injury. He could be good we just don’t know but I think we’ll find out pretty quick.