Samson Johnson looks to make major leap in new role for UConn men’s basketball
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The college basketball season didn’t exactly go the way Samson Johnson expected it to.
Named a starter before what was supposed to be a breakout sophomore campaign, Johnson played 17 minutes in UConn’s season-opener, scored seven points and grabbed three rebounds, but injured his foot. The next game he was in a boot and, by the time he was healthy enough to return, the eventual national champions found their flow and it was too late to make such a significant adjustment.
After the NCAA Tournament, in which he was a garbage-time entrant in all six games, Johnson could’ve gone shopping for another opportunity in the transfer portal.
Instead, after deciding to stick with Dan Hurley and the Huskies, Johnson will be one of the longest-tenured players on next year’s roster – second only to Hurley’s son, Andrew.
Jessica Hill/AP
Connecticut’s Samson Johnson leaps over the Husky mascot to dunk during First Night events for the UConn men’s and women’s NCAA college basketball teams Friday, Oct. 14, 2022, in Storrs, Conn. Johnson won the dunk contest. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
“When you talk about loyalty, when you talk about being a gentleman, being a citizen or whatever, those things totally epitomize Samson, that’s who he is first and foremost,” Johnson’s former coach and mentor at The Patrick School in New Jersey, Chris Chavannes, told The Courant. “And in today’s world, people were calling him, calling me, (about entering the portal) and he never blinked.”
Chavannes went up to UConn to watch the second game of the season, against Boston University at Gampel Pavilion, hoping to surprise Johnson with his visit. He didn’t know about the boot.
“When I watched the UConn team play, I knew immediately he was not recovering from that injury,” Chavannes said. “Because that team was so good at the time, they were rolling early and the depth of that team, they were so impressive… That team was just that good and that deep and that well-coached.”
When Johnson committed to UConn in August of 2020, the Sports Illustrated headline read: “Elite Forward Samson Johnson Commits to Connecticut.”
He saw little time as a freshman, but was one of the “biggest winners,” according to Hurley, after a pair of preseason “secret” scrimmages ahead of what everyone in the program expected to be a stellar season.
Jessica Hill/AP
With Donovan Clingan, center, and Alex Karaban, right, returning to lead UConn in 2023-24, Andre Jackson says the Huskies are in good hands whether he returns or not. Samson Johnson, left, who went through an injury-plagued season, is also coming back. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
“He’s a stretch guy, he can shoot the ball from the outside, put it on the floor and go by you,” Chavannes said. “He’s as athletic of a player as I’ve ever coached or been around as far as vertical and horizontal – he is just a deer up and down the floor.”
In Johnson’s junior year at The Patrick…
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