Villanova Basketball 2019-20 Player Preview: Jermaine Samuels

VUHoops continues our coverage of Villanova Basketball’s 100th Season by previewing the entire Wildcat roster. Be sure to check out all of our coverage including Top 10’s, event coverage, and schedule previews. Check back over the coming weeks as we begin the celebration of 100 years of Villanova Basketball!

Jermaine Samuels (Junior)

Hometown: Franklin, MA

High School: The Rivers School

Height: 6’7”

Weight: 220 lbs

Player Preview

Jermaine Samuels came into the 2017-18 season as the highest ranked recruit of the incoming class, but both Collin Gillespie and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree made the regular rotation, while Samuels played in only 25 games and averaged six minutes. Samuels looked to have broken out in December game against DePaul, scoring eleven points without missing a shot, but broke his hand in practice that week and missed six weeks as a result.

In his sophomore year, Samuels came off the bench again to start the year, but quickly seized a starter’s role and didn’t let go. In a crucial top 25 matchup against Marquette, Samuels had perhaps his finest game as a Wildcat, scoring 29 points and snagging 9 rebounds, dominating the Golden Eagle frontcourt with devil-may-care reckless abandon. This game seemed to give Samuels a much-needed boost of confidence, scoring 10 points or more in six of the team’s last eight games, with only five such performances coming in the 27 prior games.

Samuels also represented the US in the Pan-Am games alongside Gillespie, averaging 9.4 points per game on the way to a bronze medal. Samuels is hoping to continue his hot streak into this season, and during the scrimmage against USC Samuels seemed to be a completely different player from the one we saw in his first year and a half. He looked confident in his shot, even though it wasn’t falling, and got to the line consistently while showcasing his tremendous athleticism. For Samuels to take the next step and become the next great Villanova forward in the mold of Mikal Bridges and JayVaughn Pinkston, he needs to keep his confidence up so that his mechanics and athleticism will do the rest.

Best Case Scenario

Samuels leads the team in scoring and rebounding, shooting about ~37% from 3 on 5-7 attempts per game, while continuing to play his hard-nosed brand of defense and acting as the emotional heart and soul of the team, leading the team to another Big East title.

Worst Case Scenario

After a cold start to the season, Samuels loses confidence in his shot again. His rebounding and defense are still very good, great even, but this added dimension being gone from his play makes it difficult to play Samuels with Cosby-Roundtree, limiting the team to just very good instead of a potential title contender.

The Wisdom of the Crowds

We are pleased to bring back our Wisdom of Crowds experiment for the 2019-20 season. In this series, we ask that you consider the points covered in our player preview to supplement your own personal insights and instincts to predict the points per game each scholarship player on the roster we score in the upcoming season.