Samuels focused on hoops, ready to say yes to UConn football

Prince Samuels didn’t see the offer to play football at UConn coming. That arrived Nov. 29 with a surprise phone call while he was sitting in class.

But Northwest Catholic on Thursday night? East Catholic next Tuesday? Bristol Central and Donovan Clingan at the XL Center on Feb. 10? The league tournament?

Samuels has a Windsor basketball schedule. The 6-foot-4 senior definitely knows what is ahead in the CCC.

“I see us being the best team trying to get to that No. 1 spot,” Samuels said. “I see us going far. I don’t pay too much attention to other teams. I try to stay focused on our team. We love to compete. We’re not going to be scared or back off any competition. For us, it’s fun, an opportunity to (get) better.”

“The CCC has always been good,” coach Ken Smith said. “Just the same. We just battle. We just got to keep grinding. Yeah, we’re the underdog.”

What else do you expect an athlete to say? And, really, what else do you expect a wily coach with four state titles and a zillion wins to say?

The top CCC teams figure to battle all the way to the Division I and Division II state championships at Mohegan Sun in March.

No. 1 Bristol Central, which has 18 of the 19 first-place votes in the latest GameTimeCT poll, beat No. 6 East Catholic last month in Uncasville. Now, we have No. 4 Northwest Catholic at No. 3 Windsor, which has the other first-place vote. Another CCC bellringer.

The good news for Windsor is Samuels, a doubledouble machine, is back playing basketball after resting a sprained shoulder from the football season. He missed his first three basketball games.

“Toughness, leadership, positive attitude,” Smith said. “I was telling the kids during today’s game. He’s diving on the floor for loose balls and he just had a bum shoulder, where you guys are standing up and walking around. We all should be on the floor. Yeah, Prince, he’s a tough kid.”

This already has been a busy week for Samuels. He was on the court Tuesday at Wethersfield as Windsor rolled 107-58. Earlier in the day, Samuels, a two-way threat on the field, was named to the 89th New Haven Register All-State football first team as a defensive end.

And now here he was discussing his college plans.

“I’ve decided to accept the offer,” Samuels said. To go to UConn?

“Yes,” he said.

Samuels was in his first class of the morning in late November when his teacher answered the phone and

asked him to report to the school’s main office.

“It definitely surprised me,” Samuels said.

Thoughts obviously run through a young man’s head. He was a little worried. Was it good? Was it bad?

It was new UConn football coach Jim Mora.

“I wasn’t expecting to see him during my school day,” Samuels said. “It was the first time I had ever spoken to him.”

Had you been in contact with UConn?

“No,” Samuels said.

The two spoke, they spoke a little more and, dang, if Mora didn’t make a scholarship offer right there. Mora clearly has put more focus on in-state talent, both prep and CIAC. Victor Rosa, Clingan’s point guard at Bristol Central, who had committed to UConn under former coach Randy Edsall; Brady Wayburn, Denzel Mountali and Derek Spearman from Loomis Chaffee and Ben Murawski from St. Thomas More signed in December. Mora also has extended an offer to Norwalk’s Cam Edwards. The second signing period begins in February.

Samuels had 14 sacks, four forced fumbles and more than 70 tackles in Windsor’s run that finally ended Dec. 12 with a Class L finals loss to Maloney. As a receiver, he also had six touchdown catches, including two in the stunning come-from-behind upset of St. Joseph in the state semis.

“It was a major upset — not for us of course,” Samuels said. “We got to the ‘ship, so we’re pretty proud of ourselves for that. We do wish we came out on top. It happens.”

So do you want to play offense or defense in college?

“That’s a tough question,” said Samuels, who said he had some consideration from Syracuse, Illinois and Iowa. “I like to be on both sides of the ball. (UConn) recruited me as athlete.”

Smith liked hearing that. “We have a Wall of Fame and I tell the kids all those jerseys played for me except one,” Smith said. “There are some pros in football up there. Basketball prepares you for any sport you want to play. Conditioning, hand-to-eye (coordination). Only sport it doesn’t prepare you for is hockey. We don’t skate.

“It was the same thing with Tyler Coyle. He was recruited by UConn as an athlete. He’s playing with the Dallas Cowboys. You want guys to succeed in life. You have to have options. You can play basketball, you can play any sport you want.”

Besides Coyle, who finished his college career at Purdue, Jason Pinnock, Terrance Knighton, Chris Baker and Damik Scafe all played pro football. A handful of years ago, my son returned from an AAU practice raving about some kid with incredible slam dunks.

Name: Tyler Coyle. Color me unsurprised he had a vertical leap of 39 inches at the NFL Combine. Windsor turns out athletes.

Guys who played deep into the CIAC football playoffs dot this winter’s basketball rosters around the state. Miles Drake, who quarterbacked No. 1 Darien to the Class LL title, was All-FCIAC in basketball last season. Pulled into a Plainfield-Killingly game last week and there was Thomas Dreibholz, who quarterbacked Killingly to the Class M title.

Among those who made it to Dec. 12, only Samuels is listed among the GameTimeCT 25 basketball players to watch.

“With the help of my coach and teammates it made the whole process easier to try and get me back in shape for basketball,” Samuels said. “It’s a matter of actually playing the game and the conditioning is different.”

Did Samuels feel like running over somebody when he first got out on the court? The answer was in the affirmative. If not for the shoulder problem, he would have had exactly three off days before Windsor’s basketball opener. Thank you, Thanksgiving football and the late playoffs.

“The conditioning is much different in basketball than football,” Smith said. “We have to deal with that. Do we like it? No. I’m really glad we made it that far, but we have to hold out to have a tryout to see if (football players) are worthy. Prince was my captain last year, so I have to give him a good vote.

“We understand the way the situation is. We understand the overlap of seasons. But why, then, can’t we start earlier training our kids? If the overlap doesn’t make a difference, those who want to be trained, why can’t we? The way the kids play these days, they need to be taught basketball. Everyone wants to be a showman. They’re not Pete Maravich or Earl Monroe.”

Samuels’ effort is there. That’s not in question. Smith says his basketball game has a way to go to get back to 100 percent.

“He’s not that close yet,” Smith said. “It’s about getting his timing back. He’d come in and say, ‘Coach I want to get on the (shooting) machine.’ I’d hook it up. He’ll take 500 shots. He has great form on 3-pointers. When you’re playing football, you’re not playing basketball. He stopped as the season kept going on.”

The passion is still there. When asked what sport he loves more, Samuels had an answer.

“I’d say they’re about equal.”

He’s fired up for the

CCC. He’s fired up to play Clingan and Bristol Central in the XL Center, where he has never played. Before football and college, Prince Samuels has some business on the basketball court.

Samuels