Terrence Samuel given release from Penn St | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Terrence Samuel given release from Penn St

Not sure he's the right fit. But if the coaches have made some calls and know we're not going to snag any of these other grad transfers, why not?

Great PR for the school, help to keep the NYC pipeline going. TSam already knows he won't be playing in any close games with our lineup. If he's asking around the uconn staff, it's because he genuinely loves the program.
 
Eh... I like Samuel and he was obviously huge versus 'Nova, ISU, and Florida down the stretch. But let's be fair, he was pretty pedestrian for the other 39 games of that season including several DNPs. The next season, he was a bad player on a bad team. I like the kid. He worked extremely hard, was tough, and had some huge moments during an incredible run. But those were outlier performances. If he were to come here and be a guy who plays at all, then our guard situation is a mess. He's a distant 5th guard on next years team.
 
Hate to say it but 5 DNP at PSU is not good. Wonder if it was performance or something else.
 
Jerry1714 said:
He was DNP in 5 of his last 10 games at Penn State, that is not what we are looking for
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We need a 5th guy in the backcourt, one who we know can play ball for a good team in 4- or 5-minute bursts. Despite what happened at Penn State I think we should feel pretty confident Samuel can do that.

Just think about it: The day before the season starts, Alterique does his shoulder again, and 5 minutes into the first game Vital gets a concussion. The game after that, Jalen sprains his MCL. Now we're going to that Phil Knight event with just one guard, a freshman.

We all know this sequence of events is possible now, right?

TSam's not a perfect fit because he still can't shoot worth a damn, but he can handle the ball, guard most teams 1-through-3 and he makes his free throws. Wish we'd had him this year, and bringing him back next year is an acceptable call if there's no shooter knocking down our door. We've got to use that scholarship on the back court, and I'd love to do so on a guy who won't be scared of big moments if/when they come.
 
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I think if Samuel were to come it would be spot minutes on rare occasions primarily for defense and ball handling. And that is something that he could do. But I prefer him as a walk on rather than with the last scholarship, and I definitely prefer a team with five offensive threats on the floor.
 
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TSam is in rare company - three schools as an undergrad. Sterling Gibbs had three schools but that came as a grad transfer.
 
I really like T Sam as a person. I would love for him to return if he whiff on all our grad transfers. If it comes down to sitting on an empty ship, or bringing him back, its a no brainer. But realistically, he would not improve the team and would simply be a good practice player and emergency guard. I really want a 6'5ish kid who can shoot lights out and can move a little more laterally than Vance. That kid from Pitt is my favorite target but I imagine he can go wherever he wants, provided he isn't seeking go-to status at the upper echelon schools.
 
jibsey said:
If you remember he used to come in to games, defend, disrupt, cause turnovers, was a real fighter. Sometimes he sparked a run. What about taking him back. A player with a tough edge.
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Gritty player and defender. It was virtually impossible for him to be able to make any shot other than a layup as I remember it.
It got to be sad that he just could not make any outside shot and the defenses just gave it to him. I think it was best for him to move on. Wish him the best and loved the hustle.
 
Matrim55 said:
We need a 5th guy in the backcourt, one who we know can play ball for a good team in 4- or 5-minute bursts. Despite what happened at Penn State I think we should feel pretty confident Samuel can do that.

Just think about it: The day before the season starts, Alterique does his shoulder again, and 5 minutes into the first game Vital gets a concussion. The game after that, Jalen sprains his MCL. Now we're going to that Phil Knight event with just one guard, a freshman.

We all know this sequence of events is possible now, right?

TSam's not a perfect fit because he still can't shoot worth a damn, but he can handle the ball, guard most teams 1-through-3 and he makes his free throws. Wish we'd had him this year, and bringing him back next year is an acceptable call if there's no shooter knocking down our door. We've got to use that scholarship on the back court, and I'd love to do so on a guy who won't be scared of big moments if/when they come.
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You want me to think about that? And ruin my evening? No thanks.
 
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It actually makes some sense for him to return here if we can't find a big man with that 13th scholarship. I'm not sure he's a great defensive player, necessarily, but if you slide him in the right lineup - say, alongside Adams and Vital when Gilbert and MAL are struggling, which will happen since both are essentially freshman - you have the chance to recapture some of that three point-guard magic we had going in 2014. This team has some question marks defensively, and so if he's up to the task of guarding threes and switching onto point guards, I imagine you can squeeze him into some alignments - say, with Adams, Vital, Larrier, and Durham - where he becomes a useful piece.

Off the court, he would be the Beverly to Adams' Kemba, the R.J. Evans to Adams' Shabazz, etc. Plus, it would just be a really great story. Has anybody ever transferred out of a school and then later returned before and is it even possible? If this dude is willing to be a fifth guard having won a championship here it would be pretty tough for anybody else to b itch about minutes and that's a potentially underrated dynamic on a team where a lot of bodies are trying to see the floor.
 
I agree, he was the worst offensive player I ever saw @ UConn.

He has to figure out his goals and make a move then. He could possibly go and work on a Grad degree and play somewhere.

dennismenace said:
Gritty player and defender. It was virtually impossible for him to be able to make any shot other than a layup as I remember it.
It got to be sad that he just could not make any outside shot and the defenses just gave it to him. I think it was best for him to move on. Wish him the best and loved the hustle.
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Take a year at Albany. Brown's a pretty good coach and they are in it every year so you've got a honest shot to make the tourney.
 
Matrim55 said:
We need a 5th guy in the backcourt, one who we know can play ball for a good team in 4- or 5-minute bursts. Despite what happened at Penn State I think we should feel pretty confident Samuel can do that.

Just think about it: The day before the season starts, Alterique does his shoulder again, and 5 minutes into the first game Vital gets a concussion. The game after that, Jalen sprains his MCL. Now we're going to that Phil Knight event with just one guard, a freshman.

We all know this sequence of events is possible now, right?

TSam's not a perfect fit because he still can't shoot worth a damn, but he can handle the ball, guard most teams 1-through-3 and he makes his free throws. Wish we'd had him this year, and bringing him back next year is an acceptable call if there's no shooter knocking down our door. We've got to use that scholarship on the back court, and I'd love to do so on a guy who won't be scared of big moments if/when they come.
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I'd much rather roll the dice that that scenario doesn't come to fruition and get a serviceable big man with our last scholarship.
 
Jerry1714 said:
He was DNP in 5 of his last 10 games at Penn State, that is not what we are looking for
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Are we in a position to throw stones at Penn State at the moment? Are we that much better? At least they're in the BIG10.
 
Surely there's something better we can do with this scholarship than bring in a non-shooting guard. Thanks for the contributions in 2014 (particularly the Villanova game), but he was never a UConn-caliber guard.
 
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1) Yes, we're better than Penn State. Holy crap, the internet is too GD easy to use these day. Jesus.

2) There's no reason to bring Terrence back. The staff is passing on people like Shawn Olden and we're going to be Samuel back? Nope. There's nothing he does that we don't have a player that will do it better. He's not good.
 
Jaker said:
T-Sam would add tremendous value to our practices and lots of wisdom on how to win an NC.
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Terrence scored a few good hoops on drives to the basket that were wide open because opponents were playing off him and concentrating on Bazz. He is at best an average defender and is too slow to defend quicker guards. The kid gives you everything he has and I'm sure he can help some team but Div 2 is a better choice for him.
 
David 76 said:
This is crazy talk. He wasn't talented enough to be here when we had a lot less talent.
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Wait... we were less talented in 2014 when we won the national title than we will be next season when we're coming off a 16-17 record?

I love the guys we have and think we can be very good. I also think we're not beyond the point that we could use a guy who gives us 3/2/1 p/r/a on 56% shooting and great defense for 10 minutes a game, which is what Samuel did when he was a freshman.

I get it – there are other guys we all want more, and we're right to want those guys more. But the kid was the 8th man on a title team, so I don't think he's useless.
 
The real question is does Ollie have it in his heart to say no?
 
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As pointed out above, if he had been on the team this year he would have played 20 minutes a game and made us better. But it's not likely that he helps us next year.

If we fill the 13th scholarship, we really need it to be someone who only has it for one season. So if he's the 13th man, I have no issue with it.
 
There were times when he had a decent mid-range shot going. On anything from 3 point land he was a disaster. Marcus Thomas (remember him?) had more career threes than Samuel. Hell, Hilton Armstrong outdid him with one made 3.
 
Fishy said:
1) Yes, we're better than Penn State. Holy crap, the internet is too GD easy to use these day. Jesus.

2) There's no reason to bring Terrence back. The staff is passing on people like Shawn Olden and we're going to be Samuel back? Nope. There's nothing he does that we don't have a player that will do it better. He's not good.
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Well, Olden would be eating a ship for multiple years. We can't sacrifice that spot for a guy unless he is an impact player. A lot of the Samuel attraction is sentimental, for sure. The only way I would want him back is if we are sitting in late May with our 13th slot looking like its going to a guy like Foxen. In this case, fine. Regardless, apparently Oz got feedback that the staff is not particularly interested. He is no longer our infallible insider after the Diallo fiasco but it appears that this whole conversation is a moot point.
 
Danzz said:
Terrence scored a few good hoops on drives to the basket that were wide open because opponents were playing off him and concentrating on Bazz. He is at best an average defender and is too slow to defend quicker guards. The kid gives you everything he has and I'm sure he can help some team but Div 2 is a better choice for him.
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D-2? Christ, kid helped us win a national championship. He can play at this level.

I would have taken him over Cobb for sure.
 
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