Samson Johnson

[jibsey]

Teardrops showed touch, so next are midrange shots. Sometime when our guards are closed out with the shot clock he will have room from 15 feet or so. It would be devastating to defenses if he can convert those, to say nothing of what it could open up for other players.

 

[Palatine]

Here he is as a junior in high school. The way he moves for guy his size is just great, really fluid. And he makes multiple treys in this video.

 

[jibsey]

Here he is as a junior in high school. The way he moves for guy his size is just great, really fluid. And he makes multiple treys in this video.

So right now he’s needed as a 5 but from that clip (where he doesn’t miss) he has shooting touch of an 4 and we’re just starting to see it now. Injuries have kept him from our eyeballs till now. He just looks like a future NBA player. I’m excited to see what develops.

 

[REB1094]

I posted in another thread, those two shots he made against SJU reminded me a lot of Oso. Obviously not the same stage of development with Samson missing a year and Oso being a senior but that would be a pretty ideal player to model his game after.

Agreed. There was a play where Solo drove to the hoop, drew Soriano over, dropped it off to Samson, and then he hit the floater. That looked a LOT like Kolek/Oso (obviously not saying that Solo is anywhere near Kolek and not saying that Samson is anywhere near Oso)

I thought SJ could shoot but it seems Hurley doesn't want him shooting too many jumpers and wants him exclusively dunking. If defenses can scheme him out of his dunks, being able to pop back and hit the floater would really open up his game

 

[OceanDoggie]

Here he is as a junior in high school. The way he moves for guy his size is just great, really fluid. And he makes multiple treys in this video.

It's too late now and the current Staff has different skills but Samson's highpoint could have been modeled after DeAndre Daniels. He fits that bill more so than Hilton Armstrong.

 

[Kitaman]

If I recall posters were writing his obituary after Seton Hall. Just saying, it's his 3rd year under Hurley, why doubt him now?

 

[AllHusky]

If I recall posters were writing his obituary after Seton Hall. Just saying, it's his 3rd year under Hurley, why doubt him now?

Never saw that video Palatine posted before, holy heck! I was excited about SJ before, now, just waiting for Christmas to begin anew. How soon do Hurley et al find the secret package to unwrap?

 

[AtlantaHusky]

Here he is as a junior in high school. The way he moves for guy his size is just great, really fluid. And he makes multiple treys in this video.

the 70's music really make this video pop.

 

[Iluvsuebird]

He is infinitely better than I though he would be. He stays out of foul trouble much more proficiently than I would expect from a big who hasn't played in years. I love where he is and what he can be.

 

[uconnfan68]

I posted in another thread, those two shots he made against SJU reminded me a lot of Oso. Obviously not the same stage of development with Samson missing a year and Oso being a senior but that would be a pretty ideal player to model his game after.

Best thing about Oso is his bbiq. And the fact he can play.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Best thing about Oso is his bbiq. And the fact he can play.

All you do is dump on UConn players. I’d be stunned if you’ve ever watched a Marquette game.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Samson will be a problem for teams next year..

How many “Singare and Samson on the court together?” Threads will there be?

 

[tomtom80]

How many “Singare and Samson on the court together?” Threads will there be?

Or…
what are Samson and Singare’s favorite Ct Pizza?

 

[Hoophound]

Samson just needs to be told he can shoot the 3. He looks completely uncomfortable with ball out there, which generally means he feels like he’s not supposed to have it. It’s a hot potato at this point. I’d like to see him start looking comfortable out there. He’s not a bulky center, so having him threaten to shoot the 3 would really help open up our offense. He was a competent 3 point shooter in AAU, so it isn’t a stretch.

 

[jibsey]

Samson just needs to be told he can shoot the 3. He looks completely uncomfortable with ball out there, which generally means he feels like he’s not supposed to have it. It’s a hot potato at this point. I’d like to see him start looking comfortable out there. He’s not a bulky center, so having him threaten to shoot the 3 would really help open up our offense. He was a competent 3 point shooter in AAU, so it isn’t a stretch.

And the midrange 2 if he can make it. When open we have good 3 point shooters who are often well covered, so opportunity is there.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Samson just needs to be told he can shoot the 3. He looks completely uncomfortable with ball out there, which generally means he feels like he’s not supposed to have it. It’s a hot potato at this point. I’d like to see him start looking comfortable out there. He’s not a bulky center, so having him threaten to shoot the 3 would really help open up our offense. He was a competent 3 point shooter in AAU, so it isn’t a stretch.

I think the discomfort is the artificial limitation on what he can do by the coach. He knows he can shoot. He knows he could even dribble, but isn‘t supposed to. Last game at one point he did decide to just drive in and I think the D collapsed and he made a good pass out.

I still think Hurley is just saving it, like a hole card he hasn’t played. Once Donovan is back, Johnson needs a few minutes a game spelling Alex. Especially since Dan won’t play our young forwards.

 

[Hunt for 7]

And the midrange 2 if he can make it. When open we have good 3 point shooters who are often well covered, so opportunity is there.

Agreed he should at least try a few when he is wide open. If he takes three and hits one then it makes the defense have to think more when he sets the high screens and hands the ball off. He can fake a cut to the rim the defender will then have to choose what to do. Now there is no decision to make they know there only responsibility is to cover the roll to the rim. It sounds simple but it makes a world of difference. If the defender chooses to play to roll to the rim and SJ steps out then that forces a rotation that could in fact leave a better three point shooter open. Just think about how the floor opened up when Adama hit a few of his open threes. Same effect except I think this is a better passing team so the results could even be better. Bottom line we need to add some wrinkles to the offense while DC is out. I think we would have done it anyway later in the year with DC because we have seen he can make the shot. It is unfortunate that we might have to add the wrinkle earlier than Dan Hurley would have liked.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

And the midrange 2 if he can make it. When open we have good 3 point shooters who are often well covered, so opportunity is there.

He beat the shot clock on the ft line J in the first half

 

[jibsey]

He beat the shot clock on the ft line J in the first half

Since he is the main focus in practice now for awhile I can’t wait to see what he brings next game.

 

[Dabutlerdidit]

His dunks make me happy.

I remember one of Hurley’s earliest criticisms of the UConn team he inherited was that “we don’t dunk the ball” … oh, how far we have come from those days.

 

[imno1]

I remember one of Hurley’s earliest criticisms of the UConn team he inherited was that “we don’t dunk the ball” … oh, how far we have come from those days.

Although I’d like to see Donovan dunk more of his shots

 

[dennismenace]

Samson just needs to be told he can shoot the 3. He looks completely uncomfortable with ball out there, which generally means he feels like he’s not supposed to have it. It’s a hot potato at this point. I’d like to see him start looking comfortable out there. He’s not a bulky center, so having him threaten to shoot the 3 would really help open up our offense. He was a competent 3 point shooter in AAU, so it isn’t a stretch.

LOL exactly!

 

[Conndog]

Although I’d like to see Donovan dunk more of his shots

Me too. Last year, it was no problem for him. Must be due to his foot injury.

 

[Waquoit]

Although I’d like to see Donovan dunk more of his shots

I know I'm a broken record on this but he needs to use the square when he's out of dunking range. It's a stationary target.

 

[uconnfan68]

All you do is dump on UConn players. I’d be stunned if you’ve ever watched a Marquette game.

We weren’t talking about UConn, but whatever. I watched Al McGuire teams play, and win NCs.