No. 35–UConn Huskies | |
---|---|
Position | Power forward / center |
League | Big East Conference |
Personal information | |
Born | Lomé, Togo | July 28, 2002
Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | The Patrick School (Hillside, New Jersey) |
College | UConn (2021–present) |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Samson Roosevelt Faical Kuessi Johnson (born July 28, 2002) is a Togolese college basketball player for the UConn Huskies of the Big East Conference.
He was considered as the top incoming basketball recruit in UConn’s 2021 class. [1]
At The Patrick School, he played under coach Chris Chavannes who praised Johnson’s work ethic. He led his team to a 14–1 overall record. Johnson showed improvement as a junior as a role player on a team led by Adama Sanogo, who later completed an exceptional freshman season on the 2020–21 UConn Huskies men's basketball team. In October 2020, at a Slam16 all-star game at Gauchos Gym in The Bronx, Johnson wound up with 12 points, eight rebounds and six blocks to notch Co-Most Valuable Players honors for the game. He worked out with the Northeast Basketball Club, a program in northern New Jersey that often featured some of the state’s top committed prospects and current collegiate players. [1]
In November 2020, Johnson signed his national letter of intent to play for UConn Huskies men's basketball program. [2] A week after his recruitment, Johnson was rated as No. 39 in the nation (according to ESPN — ahead of both fellow UConn commits Rahsool Diggins and Jordan Hawkins, No.’s 56 and 57, respectively). Johnson moved up in the 247Sports recruiting site’s composite rankings, as well, from No. 76 back in November to No. 63. [1]
Johnson’s former coach Chavannes reported, “you see a guy that can just dominate a game on both ends of the floor, in a matter of seconds. He can shoot the 3 in transition, follow-up dunks, clean up the boards, block shots. He can literally just dominate a game.” [1]
Jay David, Johnson’s coach at the youth basketball program NY Jayhawks AAU stated “..he can guard multiple positions.” Yet, in May 2021, David stressed that Johnson needed to add more strength to compete better in the very physical Big East Conference. [1]
Luigi "Geno" Auriemma is an American basketball coach who is the head coach of the UConn Huskies women's basketball team. Since becoming head coach in 1985, he has led UConn to 17 undefeated conference seasons, of which six were undefeated overall seasons, with 11 NCAA Division I national championships, the most in women's college basketball history, and has won eight national Naismith College Coach of the Year awards. Auriemma was the head coach of the United States women's national basketball team from 2009 through 2016, during which time his teams won the 2010 and 2014 World Championships, and gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics, going undefeated in all four tournaments. Auriemma was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
James A. Calhoun is a retired college basketball coach. He is best known for his tenure as head coach of the University of Connecticut (UConn) men's basketball team. His teams won three NCAA national championships, played in four Final Fours, won the 1988 NIT title, and won seventeen Big East Championships, which include 7 Big East tournament championships and 10 Big East regular season. With his team's 2011 NCAA title win, the 68-year-old Calhoun became the oldest coach to win a Division I men's basketball title. He won his 800th game in 2009 and finished his NCAA Division I career with 873 victories, ranking 11th all time as of February 2019. From 2018–21, he served as head coach of the University of Saint Joseph men's basketball team. Calhoun is one of only six coaches in NCAA Division I history to win three or more championships, and he is widely considered one of the greatest coaches of all time. In 2005, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
The UConn Huskies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, with its main campus located in Storrs-Mansfield, Connecticut. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference.
The UConn Huskies football team is a college football team that represents the University of Connecticut in the sport of American football. The team competes in NCAA Division I FBS as an independent. Connecticut first fielded a team in 1896, and participated in Division I-AA until 1999. The Huskies began their two-year Division I-A transition period in 2000, and became a full-fledged Division I-A team in 2002. From 2000 to 2003, the team played as an independent. The school's football team then joined the conference of its other sport teams, the Big East, taking effect in 2004, through 2019. In 2019, the UConn football team left the American to again play as an independent, as the school's current primary conference, the current Big East, does not sponsor the sport. The Huskies currently are coached by Jim Mora.
The UConn Huskies men's basketball program is the NCAA Division I men's college basketball team of the University of Connecticut in Storrs-Mansfield, Connecticut. They currently play in the Big East Conference and are coached by Dan Hurley. With six national championships and 45 conference titles, the program is considered one of the blue bloods of college basketball.
The UConn Huskies women's basketball team is the college basketball program representing the University of Connecticut in Storrs-Mansfield, Connecticut, in NCAA Division I women's basketball competition. They currently play in the Big East Conference.
Shea Sydney Ralph is a former collegiate basketball player and current head coach for the Vanderbilt Commodores women's basketball team. She was previously an assistant coach at UConn from 2008 to 2021. Ralph was proficient in multiple sports, set state high school records in basketball, and earned multiple national player of the year awards in high school and college. She helped win a national championship as a player at the University of Connecticut in 2000 and won numerous individual awards, including the Sports Illustrated for Women Player of the Year and the Honda Sports Award for the best collegiate female athlete in basketball. She suffered five ACL injuries in her career, two of which led to sitting out the 1997–98 season. Ralph was drafted by the WNBA Utah Starzz, but recurring knee problems prevented her from embarking on a professional career. Ralph started her coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh in 2003.
The 2012–13 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2012–13 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Huskies, coached by Geno Auriemma, played their home games at two different venues—the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs-Mansfield, Connecticut. Connecticut was a member of the Big East Conference in the league's final season before its split along football lines into the football-sponsoring American Athletic Conference and the new, non-football Big East. Connecticut, as an FBS football school, became a member of The American, which retained the charter of the original Big East.
R. J. Cole is an American professional basketball player for Rytas Vilnius of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the BCL. He played college basketball for the Howard Bison and the UConn Huskies.
Paige Madison Bueckers is an American college basketball player for the UConn Huskies of the Big East Conference.
Adama Sanogo is a Malian professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Windy City Bulls of the NBA G League. In 2023 he won the national championship with the UConn Huskies and was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa is an American professional basketball player for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at UConn.
The 2021–22 UConn Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut (UConn) during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Huskies, led by Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma in his 37th season at UConn, split their home games between Harry A. Gampel Pavilion and the XL Center and were members of the Big East Conference, which they joined for women's basketball the previous season. UConn was a member of the original Big East Conference from 1979 through 2013, and one of the original women's basketball teams in that conference in 1982.
The 2021–22 UConn Huskies men's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Huskies were led by fourth-year head coach Dan Hurley in the team's second season since their return to the Big East Conference. The Huskies played their home games at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut and the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. They finished the season 23–10, 13–6 in Big East play to finish in third place. They defeated Seton Hall in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals of the Big East tournament where they lost to Villanova. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the West Region, where they were upset in the First Round by New Mexico State.
Joshua Euria Carlton is an American professional basketball player who plays for Hong Kong Bulls of the National Basketball League. He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies and the Houston Cougars.
Nika Mühl is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball as a point guard for the UConn Huskies. Twice named Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year while in college, Mühl is UConn's all-time leader in career assists, with 686, and also holds the program records for most assists in a single season and in a single game. She was selected 14th overall by Seattle in the 2024 WNBA draft.
Jordan Dorrell Hawkins is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies.
Donovan John Clingan is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies, winning two consecutive national championships from 2023 to 2024.
Alex Karaban is an American college basketball player for the UConn Huskies of the Big East Conference.
The 2023–24 UConn Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut (UConn) during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Huskies, led by Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma in his 39th season at UConn, split their home games between Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on their campus in Storrs-Mansfield, and the XL Center in Hartford. UConn is a member of the Big East Conference, which it rejoined in the 2020–21 season; it had been a member of the original Big East Conference from 1979 through 2013, and one of the original women's basketball teams in that conference in 1982.