UConn's Dan Hurley Compares Huskies Big Man To Former Marquette Star
During a post-practice interview on Friday, UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley discussed the evolution of senior big man Samson Johnson.
Johnson will be competing for the starting center job against junior Michigan transfer Tarris Reed Jr. over the next six weeks of practice.
According to Hurley, Johnson has improved as a ball handler since last season and added bulk to his frame. Other comments from Hurley indicate that UConn will put the ball in Johnson’s hands in more actions this year, similar to how Marquette used big man Oso Ighodaro.
"We had (Samson) watch a lot of Ighodaro,” Hurley said. “I loved the way Marquette deployed him and the way that they used him … (Samson's) got a lot of those attributes. ... He innately does a lot of things that Ighodaro does ... we're trying to implement some of that."
If Johnson can emulate Ighodaro with effectiveness, he could have a brighter professional basketball future than most people expect. Ighodaro’s skill set got him selected at No. 40 overall in the 2024 NBA draft.
Whether Johnson starts or comes off the bench, he will be relied upon heavily by the Huskies as they seek a third straight title.
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Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org