Terrence Samuel given release from Penn St

[WrenchFan69]

Oz said T-Sam is gauging intrest from the staff on if theyd have him back for 1 more yr

Is this a joke? If we have nobody else to fill that scholarship I don't hate it I guess.

 

[Matrim55]

Oz said T-Sam is gauging intrest from the staff on if theyd have him back for 1 more yr

God we could've used him this year. Not sure he's what we need for next year, but I hope we'd at least consider him.

 

[JSM1970]

If he primarily wants to be a practice player and maybe gets a few mins here and there in non-blowouts

He's as bad as an offensive player as there is anywhere

It would be more about his longer term goals

Is this a joke? If we have nobody else to fill that scholarship I don't hate it I guess.

 

[metsfan2323]

Let's not forget his best position was in the 3 spot in the 3 guard line up. He was an effective point forward. He would provide insurance against Jackson or Larrier getting injured.

 

[awfuldan]

Personally I'd love to have Terrance Samuel back, so long as there aren't much better options out there,

Dude is gonna work hard and should understand that there won't be much out there in terms of playing time. He is a National Champion and he obviously bleeds blue. Plus we don't have any seniors next year and could use a little experience.

 

[husky429]

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.

 

[boog204]

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.

 

[Jerry1714]

He was DNP in 5 of his last 10 games at Penn State, that is not what we are looking for

 

[navery12]

Assuming we've explored every other option and he knows he's a 12/13 man I wouldn't hate it. Better than giving a scholarship to a walk on who won't play

 

[NEforceUConn]

Hate to say it but 5 DNP at PSU is not good. Wonder if it was performance or something else.

 

[Matrim55]

He was DNP in 5 of his last 10 games at Penn State, that is not what we are looking for

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.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

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.

 

[UCweCONN]

TSam is in rare company - three schools as an undergrad. Sterling Gibbs had three schools but that came as a grad transfer.

 

[Matrim55]

TSam is in rare company - three schools as an undergrad. Sterling Gibbs had three schools but that came as a grad transfer.

TSam is on course to graduate and would come as a grad transfer.

 

[Walker11]

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.

 

[dennismenace]

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.

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.

 

[Jerry1714]

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.

You want me to think about that? And ruin my evening? No thanks.

 

[champs99and04]

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.

 

[JSM1970]

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.

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.

 

[Northbound]

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.

 

[johnhuskies95]

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.

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.

 

[UCweCONN]

He was DNP in 5 of his last 10 games at Penn State, that is not what we are looking for

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.

 

[Tenspro2002]

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.

 

[mauconnfan]

No thanks appreciate the impact years back but way too many needs!

 

[Fishy]

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.