Big Game Jermaine. It’s been quite a journey for Jermaine Samuels at Villanova.
From setbacks and frustrations to breakouts and indispensable performances, it’s been a roller coaster ride. There were times where Samuels was seemingly invisible and others where he looked like the best player on the floor playing huge roles in Villanova wins. And that’s where we stand heading into Samuels’ senior season. The question we face when looking ahead to that senior season is this: Will it be another season of ups and downs or will it be one in which the flashes we’ve seen from Samuels become the norm?
It started in an injury-disrupted freshman campaign. It took a while for Samuels to get going. Through 11 games, he hadn’t scored more than three points and didn’t score at all in seven of the 11 contests. Then, in game 12 on December 27, 2017, against DePaul, an outburst: 11 points and three rebounds on a perfect shooting night (3-3 overall, 1-1 from three, 4-4 from the line). Samuels finally looked comfortable, and it appeared that things were starting to click for him.
And then he got hurt. He would score just eight points the rest of the season.
The trend continued in his sophomore season. He opened the season with 12 points and six rebounds against Morgan State and followed it up with a seven-point, seven-rebound showing against Quinnipiac. Then something bizarre happened. After taking a combined 17 shots over the first two games of the season, Samuels all but disappeared from the offense. Over the next six games, he would score just five total points, going scoreless four times. More concerning, he took just 13 shots over that span. It was obvious, even to the most casual of observers, that Samuels was passing on good looks. He appeared hesitant and unsure. The promise of the first two games of the season was replaced by confusion and concern.
Then, another breakout. Samuels scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a win over Temple, playing a key role in the victory. He took six shots, hitting four, including 3-3 from beyond the arc. He also was a perfect 4-4 from the foul line. He followed that up with 11 points and eight rebounds against St. Joe’s, hitting 4-of-8 field goals. It seemed he had turned a corner, but then he reverted to what we had seen in that six-game stretch prior to the Temple game. This time it was a five-game stretch in which he took 15 shots and scored 23 points and an 11-game stretch in which he took 20 shots and scored 33 points sandwiched around a 13-point, six rebound game against Creighton. The second 11-game stretch was particularly concerning, and it was becoming obvious that the situation was impacting Villanova’s offense.
But then, Samuels roared to life again during a magical night against Marquette on February 27, 2019. The Golden Eagles had noticed the same things we just discussed and more or less decided not to cover Samuels at all. And he took advantage. Samuels took a whopping 19 shots, hitting 10 including 5-of-6 from three, on the way to 29 points and nine rebounds. By the time Marquette adjusted, it was too late. Samuels had it going, and he would power the Wildcats to the win. It wasn't just the hot three-point shooting, either. Samuels did a wonderful job attacking closeouts and getting to the rim as well as working to find open space. He played an engaged, aggressive offensive game and the results speak for themselves. The performance sparked Samuels, who would score in double figures in five of the final seven games of the season.
With things finally clicking for Samuels he put forth a steady junior season in which he averaged 10.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and two assists. He shot a career-high 46.4% from the field on 7.8 attempts per game. He scored in double figures in six-straight games from December 7, 2019, to January 7, 2020, and had a wonderful three-game stretch from January 14 to January 21 with 15 points and six rebounds against DePaul, 19 points and five rebounds against UConn, and 20 points and seven rebounds against Creighton.
Samuels has been an excellent role player for the Wildcats and has shown flashes that he can be more than that. And as a senior in 2020-21, he will be leaned upon to be more, especially with the early departure of Saddiq Bey.
His junior season seems to have laid the groundwork for him to be able to do just that. The more consistent scoring was encouraging, but perhaps the biggest takeaway was the jump in field goal attempts from 4.7 as a sophomore to 7.8 as a junior. Villanova’s offense is better when everyone is being aggressive, and Samuels is better when he is being aggressive. That aggression, combined with consistency, will be the key for Samuels in 2020-21.
