Villanova’s Samuels and Bey getting offensive at right time
RADNOR » The growth of Villanova sophomore Jermaine Samuels is visible. It can be seen in the shot attempts category on the stat sheet.
There was a one-month period, from Jan. 22 to Feb. 24 where he attempted one shot six times in that 10-game stretch. He tried two shots twice, did not take a shot in a loss at Georgetown and had a high of six attempts in the first game against Marquette.
Samuels did shoot 50 percent from the field (8-for-16), but only averaged two points and went scoreless four times. The 6-7 forward appeared to be reluctant to shoot, though he denied that. But he regularly passed up open shots, much to the chagrin of the coaching staff.
Against Marquette, all that changed. Samuels shot 10-for-19 from the field including 5-for-13 from 3-point range and scored a career-high 29 points to lead the Wildcats to a 67-61 victory over the Golden Eagles.
Since that game Samuels has attempted five, nine, five, 14 and six shots and is averaging 14.1 points over the last six games. He really came of age in New York at the Big East tournament, averaging 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds in the three games.
His production grew the more comfortable he grew in his role as a starter, and the more encouragement he received from his teammates.
“They gave me the confidence to go out and start shooting,” Samuels said. “They told me that they believed in me. They trusted me and that they saw me grow as a player and it was time for me to take that next step.” It came at the right time. “This is where we wanted to get him to, actually we hoped he would have been there earlier,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “He makes us a completely different team when he’s consistent offensively. In the Big East tournament he was consistent. You can’t be consistent unless you get a lot of games to do it, right? So he did it and we’re going to need him going into the tournament.
Samuels isn’t the only player whose offensive game is on the uptick. Saddiq Bey has become a more consistent scorer, too. The 6-8 freshmen forward has scored in double figures in four of his last five games and is averaging 10 points over the stretch.
Bey did air-ball his first shot in the Big East tournament and went scoreless in his first conference tournament game, but he bounced back to average 13 points and 8.5 rebounds over the next two games to pace the Wildcats to their third straight Big East tournament title.
“Early on, I was just trying to figure out the offense and how Villanova basketball is played,” Bey said. “Once you get the concepts it helps you play with a free mind. And I’m more comfortable now and that comes from Phil (Booth) and Eric (Paschall) and the coaches. They encourage you to be aggressive. t If you miss, you keep shooting.”
For a team still looking for a consistent third scorer to compliment fifth-year seniors Booth and Paschall heading into Thursday’s NCAA opener against Saint Mary’s (Cal.) at the XL Center (7:20 p.m. TBS), the increased offensive production from Samuels and Bey is a welcomed sight.
They have become more productive on offense without shirking their duties on defense or on the glass. Samuels is averaging 8.5 rebounds and has blocked five shots over the last six games and routinely gets paired on defense with players several inches taller. Bey has pulled down an average of six boards in the last five games and has been assigned to guard Marquette’s Markus Howard and Myles Powell of Seton Hall, two of the top scorers in the Big East.
Samuels and Bey are relative newcomers to this NCAA tournament thing. Samuels played just over 11 minutes in four of the six games during Villanova’s run to the national championship. This is Bey’s first appearance in the Big Dance.
“As a kid you dream about playing in the NCAA tournament,” Bey said. “And now I get to play in the tournament. It’s a blessing, but I also know I still have a lot of work to do and I’m going to do everything in my power to keep getting better every day.”