Jermaine Samuels

Last updated

Jermaine Samuels
Jermaine Samuels 2 (cropped).jpg
Samuels with Villanova in 2021
No. 00Houston Rockets
Position Small forward
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1998-11-13) November 13, 1998 (age 25)
Franklin, Massachusetts, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school Rivers School
(Weston, Massachusetts)
College Villanova (2017–2022)
NBA draft 2022: undrafted
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–2023 Fort Wayne Mad Ants
2023–present Houston Rockets
2023–presentRio Grande Valley Vipers
Career highlights and awards
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at NBA.com
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Pan American Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2019 Lima Team

Jermaine Samuels Jr. (born November 13, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats.

Contents

Early life and high school career

Samuels is the son of Taihish and Jermaine Samuels Sr. and grew up in Franklin, Massachusetts. He began dunking the basketball at age 13 after growing from 5'9 to 6'3. Samuels attended The Rivers School, where he was coached by Andrew Mirken, as well as playing basketball in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) for Expressions Elite. In his freshman season, he averaged 19 points per game for The Rivers School. [1] As a sophomore, he had a knee injury which required surgery and six months recovery. [2] Samuels averaged 17.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game as a senior and was named First team All-USA Massachusetts by USA Today . [3] Samuels committed to playing college basketball for Villanova in November 2016, turning down offers from Indiana, Duke, Kansas, UConn, Georgetown, Arizona State and California. [2] ESPN ranked him the 52nd best recruit in his class. [4] He picked Villanova after visiting the campus in August 2016 and feeling very comfortable around the campus and coaches. [5] He is now considered the top athlete out of Franklin, MA, taking the top spot from Alex Breitmaier.

College career

Samuels in 2021 Jermaine Samuels.jpg
Samuels in 2021

Samuels had a season-high 11 points in a 103–85 win against DePaul on December 27, 2017. However, he fractured his left hand in the game and missed several weeks of playing time. [6] He rejoined the rotation in February 2018 but struggled to receive consistent minutes and did not play in NCAA Tournament victories over West Virginia and Texas Tech. [4] Samuels averaged 1.1 points and 1.2 rebounds per game as a freshman on a team that won the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game. [7]

On February 27, 2019, Samuels scored a season-high 29 points in a 67–61 win against Marquette. [8] He had 12 points and seven rebounds in an NCAA Tournament win over Saint Mary's. Samuels helped Villanova achieve a 26–10 record and win the Big East Conference. [9] He averaged 6.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a sophomore. [10]

Coming into his junior season, Samuels was named to the Preseason Second Team All-Big East alongside teammate Collin Gillespie. [11] Samuels scored 15 points in a 56–55 win against top-ranked Kansas on December 21, 2019, including a three-pointer with 20.5 seconds remaining. [12] On January 18, Samuels scored 19 points including a crucial three-point play in a 61–55 win against UConn. [13] He had 20 points in a 76–61 win over Butler on January 21. [14] On January 28, 2020, Samuels missed a game against St. John's with a sprained foot. [15] Samuels made the game winning three-point play in a 70–69 win over Georgetown on March 7, finishing with 13 points. [16] As a junior, Samuels averaged 10.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. [17] He was named to the Second Team All-Big 5. [18]

During the 2020 offseason, Samuels worked on his decision-making and three-point shooting, while struggle to find practice space due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [19] He was named to the preseason Julius Erving Award watchlist. [20] On February 7, 2021, Samuels scored a career-high 32 points and had six rebounds, five assists and three steals in an 84–74 win against Georgetown. [21] As a senior, Samuels averaged 12 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, earning All-Big East Honorable Mention recognition. Following the season, he announced he was returning for a fifth season of eligibility. [22]

On December 21, 2021, Samuels surpassed the 1,000 point threshold in a 84–74 win against Xavier. [23]

Professional career

Fort Wayne Mad Ants (2022–2023)

After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, Samuels signed with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on October 24, 2022. [24]

Houston Rockets (2023–present)

On August 2, 2023, Samuels signed a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets of the NBA and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. [25]

National team career

In July and August 2019, Samuels was a part of the United States national team who competed at the Pan American Games in Peru. The team won the bronze medal, defeating the Dominican Republic with nine points from Samuels. He averaged 9.4 points per game during the tournament. [26]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage 3P%  3-point field goal percentage FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high

College

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2017–18 Villanova 2506.1.250.188.6251.2.3.0.11.1
2018–19 Villanova 352222.0.448.347.6225.41.0.4.86.4
2019–20 Villanova 303030.3.464.276.7275.52.0.9.710.7
2020–21 Villanova 252429.3.481.371.8286.42.5.6.312.0
2021–22 Villanova 383729.6.472.276.7706.51.4.8.711.1
Career15311324.1.461.306.7405.21.4.6.58.5

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References

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