Samson Johnson

[caw]

I will say Samson is a fairly good passer also, not as good as DC but he did a good job of hitting cutters last year.

 

[jdb50]

The breakout player for this season is Stewart. Period. Samson gets off the floor faster than any player I have seen at UConn. He gets up and down the court way faster than opponents bigger players can. He passes well. He is a team player. Fans here may under rate him but opposing coaches don't.

 

[Drame]

We'll see how quickly Reed gets coached up to Uconn's standards. He's got a lot to learn. Samson is going to be the starter, but unless he gets his fouling under control, Reed will be playing huge minutes.

 

[TheChamps990411]

BIG development if true

Lets hope the weight gain is a positive and not an issue like it quickly became for DC last season. If he put on that weight and its mostly muscle and hes still the explosive athlete hes shown he could have a huge breakout next season and end up a first round pick. Lets hope he ends up the latter because we all love that kid. I think besides making this team yet another ridiculous power house its safe to say we would just be happy that such a hardworking and loyal kid puts himself in a position to take care of his family for many years to come. Hurley did say he had insane upside when he first stepped on campus.

 

[AllHusky]

How fast can Reed get close to his potential? I think he is a big talent, not a matter of if, but when. He has alot to do, but he can do it.

Samson going to bring it, my question is how much can he bring? I think we’ve seen his limitations(and I love SJ!!)

 

[jibsey]

The breakout player for this season is Stewart. Period. Samson gets off the floor faster than any player I have seen at UConn. He gets up and down the court way faster than opponents bigger players can. He passes well. He is a team player. Fans here may under rate him but opposing coaches don't.

Stew is intriguing. We saw him explode from 3 in that game last year, and we also saw him defend pretty big players. Can’t wait.

 

[Waquoit]

Stew is intriguing. We saw him explode from 3 in that game last year, and we also saw him defend pretty big players. Can’t wait.

He looked like he belonged whenever he got in there. He's going to be really good this year.

 

[FreeKlaiber]

Still think Samson continues to be overlooked and underappreciated by the board. While he has areas to improve, his positives are taken for granted. By the end of this year most will be surprised by his break out season, while others of us saw it coming.

 

[ctchamps]

How fast can Reed get close to his potential? I think he is a big talent, not a matter of if, but when. He has alot to do, but he can do it.

Samson going to bring it, my question is how much can he bring? I think we’ve seen his limitations(and I love SJ!!)

Samson had three limitations last year.

Moving when setting screens resulting in a foul.
Reaching for the ball playing the high hedge resulting in a foul.
Using his arms instead of his body when an opposing five was backing him down near the basket resulting in a foul.

Samson’s problem was staying on the court because of foul trouble. I believe he had the best offensive efficiency on the team in his limited minutes.

The majority of his fouls were the result of those first two reasons with the exception of the times he was defending against really strong centers.

More important than weight gain is increasing his lower body strength and core. That will help with the third foul issue. If that is not possible that’s where Reed will be utilized . But for many if not most games he has to overcome his reflexive bad habits that result in fouls in the first two situations I listed.

I would love to see what Samson could do if he could play 25-30 minutes a game.

 

[uh-no]

johnson had good court vision, which is why he was able to pick up so many easy slams. he's gotta work on fouls and strength though to really get major minutes. He was a critical sub last year, but still has to show more to be 1/1a kind of option.

 

[DMIL]

I think folks on this board under estimate Samson's talent and upside. He still has plenty of head room. Remember, going into the 2022 Season when DC was a freshman, he was a starter until he got hurt. That Summer he was flashing a toolkit of skills. Given the structure and strengths of that team, Hurley and staff adjusted accordingly. It gets to a point where once a team develops a certain level of chemistry, Samson was only asked to do a few things the team needed at the time once he came back. That particular year he lost a lot of opportunity to develop real game experience with that foot injury.

Last year was a regrouping year for Samson and coming into this year I think he will be in a position to flourish and showcase some other skills that he has. I will be looking for his mindset to shift to that upper classmen leader, 2 time champion mindset and trust that Hurley and staff will put him in a position to take that next step.

Hurley as always said that Samson has the raw talent to be on that wall. One thing that I come to recognize from Coach Hurley, is that when he states these kinds of things about a player, he's been 100% spot on.

I'm going to continue to trust the process.

 

[jibsey]

I think folks on this board under estimate Samson's talent and upside. He still has plenty of head room. Remember, going into the 2022 Season when DC was a freshman, he was a starter until he got hurt. That Summer he was flashing a toolkit of skills. Given the structure and strengths of that team, Hurley and staff adjusted accordingly. It gets to a point where once a team develops a certain level of chemistry, Samson was only asked to do a few things the team needed at the time once he came back. That particular year he lost a lot of opportunity to develop real game experience with that foot injury.

Last year was a regrouping year for Samson and coming into this year I think he will be in a position to flourish and showcase some other skills that he has. I will be looking for his mindset to shift to that upper classmen leader, 2 time champion mindset and trust that Hurley and staff will put him in a position to take that next step.

Hurley as always said that Samson has the raw talent to be on that wall. One thing that I come to recognize from Coach Hurley, is that when he states these kinds of things about a player, he's been 100% spot on.

I'm going to continue to trust the process.

Does he have those skills? Does he have an inside game other than flushes? It wasn’t asked of him but I hope he does.

 

[CL82]

Who can stop him on a pick and roll slam?

Not Edey, apparently.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I would love to see practices and scrimmages between Johnson and Reed.

 

[uconnfan68]

That’s a leap too big for me. This coaching staff has too many success stories for us to say that. What I will say is this: Samson often times shows very low b-ball IQ defensively. Even if he improves on that aspect, it would make him invaluable.

To be fair, the high hedge often put him out of position. He wasn’t Whaley out there, but he was usually good. I’m hoping for better rebounding, and shot blocking. He’s capable of both.

 

[my2cents]

The interesting thing about Samson is that 12 ft. off the ground he catches the ball easily.
When his two feet are on the ground, he fumbles it and gets it poked away.

 

[imno1]

I believe Samson will cut down on the handsie fouls and moving screens. Rebounding is where he really needs to show improvement. Even with his slight frame he should be a better rebounder with how quick he can get off the ground. I think we‘ll see a much improved Johnson as a senior.

 

[mauconnfan]

How do we know hes that far behind offensively? Hurley doesn't always let players show their full repertoire i.e. Castle running the offense, Clingan taking threes. And that could just be because they haven't coached and practiced those things for the offense they want to run. It may not be because they don't have those skills or potential for those skills. I still see Samson doing more, like at the T pick and pops and one dribble drives. We'll see.

I don’t think anyone is underestimating what Samson brings to the table. He made great strides last year to become a very key component to another NC team, his leaps were noticeable. But so were his weaknesses that still exist. There were a few games DC got in foul trouble and so did he which created some issues. He is an awful rebounder and doesn’t box out well at all. He can’t shoot despite the early reports that he can, maybe he proves us wrong one can hope.

Having said that, he is athletic as hell. He can run the court like a gazelle and creates havoc off the pick and roll. He can guard a little but needs to get better against the physical bigs.

He’s a fantastic 2nd option Big off the bench and I think Reed and he will be a nice 1-2.

 

[dennismenace]

Lets hope the weight gain is a positive and not an issue like it quickly became for DC last season. If he put on that weight and its mostly muscle and hes still the explosive athlete hes shown he could have a huge breakout next season and end up a first round pick. Lets hope he ends up the latter because we all love that kid. I think besides making this team yet another ridiculous power house its safe to say we would just be happy that such a hardworking and loyal kid puts himself in a position to take care of his family for many years to come. Hurley did say he had insane upside when he first stepped on campus.

I am confident that the weight gain will be for the much better. Staff and S & C coach keep a close eye on him and no one wants him to succeed more than them. I hope he has a great season and surprises everyone.
Tons of raw talent there and really looking forward to his contributions next year.
He already is a highlight film maker with his athleticism.

 

[UConnSwag11]

 

[Palatine]

Anyone can put on weight. Can SJ put on weight and retain his quickness and athletism? If he can, he becomes a more dangerous player. If not, he becomes the same player only slower.

 

[JesusAllen11]

I’m excited for Samson next year. I believe him and Reed will both look improved and be impact players.
We will have a 40 page thread in mid November agrueing about the starter.
we will have another 2head monster center rotation again.
Which feels like 3 peat material.

 

[Palatine]

Ask Purdue fans what they thought of SJ.

 

[uh-no]

Ask Purdue fans what they thought of SJ.

or donovan clingan. or even AK at the 5. Didn't we come out ahead with all 3 looks?

 

[AllHusky]

Ask Purdue fans what they thought of SJ.

The one play where SJ did his thing on offense leaving Edey looking flummoxed and exhausted had me screaming.