Samson Johnson

[Iluvsuebird]

Whatever limitations SJ had last year, I'll always remember that couple of minutes when he made Edey dizzy.

Yes, his four minutes did it, not the 34 minutes that Edey had to wrestle DC.

 

[Iluvsuebird]

I have never seen Reed play a full game. But with all the centers available in the portal, we go and get him over the rest, pretty early in the process. Does that tell you something about Reed? I think it does. And I think that he will be the starter come Big East play.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Yes, his four minutes did it, not the 34 minutes that Edey had to wrestle DC.

I'm guessing you haven't been chasing Clingan up and down a court yet this AM.

Stand up, spin around a few times. Then, report back to the BY and let us know if you felt dizzy at all.

 

[HooperScooper]

I'm guessing you haven't been chasing Clingan up and down a court yet this AM.

Reminds me of this scene in Airplane with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. "Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes." Classic.

 

[aceboon]

I thought Samson showed decent passing instincts last year, not as good as DC but DC is arguably the best passing C we've had so not fair to compare him to that standard.

 

[BGesus4]

This board is obsessed with Johnson’s girth

 

[husky429]

I thought Samson showed decent passing instincts last year, not as good as DC but DC is arguably the best passing C we've had so not fair to compare him to that standard.

I'd call it neither an asset nor a deficit. He's servicable passing it, which is all we need from him. Right around where we saw Carlton per-40, but not where Whaley, Adama or Clingan was.

Johnson: 1.2 per-40
Clingan: 2.7
Sanogo: 1.9
Carlton: 1.3

We didn't recruit him to be a playmaker from the post. We recruited him to jump over people's heads and insult their genealogical history. I'm sure he'll work on passing this summer, but it's not his primary point for improvement IMO.

 

[Tenspro2002]

This kinda went off the rails but... Samson kind is what he is at this point.

Pros

• Incredibly bouncy rim runner that has massive lob gravity on offense
• Covers insane amount of space with mobility and length on defense - great help D
• Speed/athleticism gives opposing bigs fits with conditioning and focus
• Incredible change of pace

Cons

• very poor rebounder for height
• Cannot anchor against strength at all, causes major foul problems
• Limited offensive skillset (pass, dribble, etc)

Looking forward and hoping that an extra 20-25 lbs will allow him to at least not get pushed around as much underneath and possibly with rebounding - thought much of rebounding is instinct and Sam hasn't show that.

Both sides were on display in the championship game. He bamboozled Edey for back to back pick-and-roll dunks, but also committed 5 fouls in 5 minutes.

If he can gain weight and maintain his explosiveness and quick-twitch leaping ability and become a capable fundamentally sound defender in the post, he has a chance to start. If he ends up in between where his quickness and vertical suffer, but he still can't defend opposing bigs, he'll be unplayable. Hopefully at the very least he can be a 15 minute bench big, though that puts a lot of pressure on Reed.

 

[Umami Zen]

Samson knows his role per Dan. Use your quickness and verticality as a change of pace from Reed's strength and athleticism. Should be a great 1-2 punch as we've had the last two years

 

[BGesus4]

Exactly. How big he’s gotten doesn’t matter, it’s how we use him.

 

[Palatine]

I don't care if he gets bigger. But he does need to get stronger to be a better defender. Some guys can do that without adding much weight. He will get naturally bigger as he ages. Happens to us all. Force feeding weight doesn't always produce the desired results.

Clingan got bigger and it hurt his game.

 

[uh-no]

I don't care if he gets bigger. But he does need to get stronger to be a better defender. Some guys can do that without adding much weight. He will get naturally bigger as he ages. Happens to us all. Force feeding weight doesn't always produce the desired results.

Clingan got bigger and it hurt his game.

clingan didn't put on good weight...

 

[Palatine]

clingan didn't put on good weight...

exactly

 

[Huskyforlife]

Getting larger is necessary for Johnsons pro prospects. He's not going to have a long career at a high euro level if he doesn't play at a heavier weight. Physical euro post centric bigs would eat him alive.

He can survive in college at least years weight in the same role if that's all he wants. But I imagine he prefers playing pro ball for solid money after college.

 

[jibsey]

Reed will play more than Samson who is a foul machine. But it’s still a great duo that will get the job done.

 

[uconnfan68]

Both sides were on display in the championship game. He bamboozled Edey for back to back pick-and-roll dunks, but also committed 5 fouls in 5 minutes.

If he can gain weight and maintain his explosiveness and quick-twitch leaping ability and become a capable fundamentally sound defender in the post, he has a chance to start. If he ends up in between where his quickness and vertical suffer, but he still can't defend opposing bigs, he'll be unplayable. Hopefully at the very least he can be a 15 minute bench big, though that puts a lot of pressure on Reed.

He's gaining MUSCLE, not fat.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

He's gaining MUSCLE, not fat.

It’s still weight and the coaching staff will still have to balance gaining muscle and strength to make sure it doesn’t cut down on his explosiveness.

 

[IllinoisHuskie]

At my heaviest, 230, I was slow. Now at 170 I move much faster. At least falling down. I can be on the ground in lightning speed which is expected for a guy approaching 66.

 

[Chasm64]

At my heaviest, 230, I was slow. Now at 170 I move much faster. At least falling down. I can be on the ground in lightning speed which is expected for a guy approaching 66.

Damn kids !