https://x.com/PrestonWillett/status/2051656814693847047?s=20
Quick release (I guess you don’t really get up 15 3PA/100 possessions if you’ve got a slow release)
Really excited for him. He took 22 3PA in a single game last year.
Evan Miya had him as the 744th player last year. That’s lower than Jacari pre-transfer, much higher than Sam for context.
I don’t have the projection sub but would assume he grades well in 3P%. Likely can cut down on TOs. Seems to have a good steal rate and should rebound well.
Also, seems like great character! Feel like we’re going to get 100% effort from him.
Reminds me a lot of Woldo but with better court vision. He moves a bit jank-ily, similar to Woldo, with the ball in his hand. You can tell that shot is pure, though, and some really crafty passing.
Looks like a 2023 HS graduate, 2 years at a JUCO, 1 at Arkansas State, so if 5 in 5 passes, he should have 2 years left?
I don’t have the detailed player projection sub, but he is #388 (2.00 projected BPR) in the EvanMiya portal rankings. Sam was #515 in the portal rankings last offseason (0.94 projected BPR), Jacari #190 (2.72 projected BPR).
Fills an important niche with his shooting. We were actually a little shooting-light on the roster before adding him.
Woldo was worth the scholarship if for no other reason than the game winner in Chapel Hill.
Love this pick-up.
His best highlights imho are when he attacks closeouts.
Really happy about this pick up!! Things starting to come together 
lol he had a 3 game stretch where he was 22-44 from deep. That’s bananas.
Sam is a good case study for not reading too much into individual defensive analytics.
I think he’s a more fluid and explosive athlete than Tomas. I’d say he’s slightly a plus athlete whereas Tomas was slight negative.
he seems like a plus passer for his position. love seeing multiple lobs in the highlights.
Yeah the defensive analytics have to be heavily contexualized. For Sam, the story was that Toledo as a whole was truly awful at defense, but part of that was a Choice by their staff to play super small lineups and juice the offense (not necessarily a bad idea, but it is a Choice). And even within his team’s rotation, he was around the team average on defensive metrics. I care more about individual defensive analytics for bigs (bigs contribute more to overall team defense) whereas my default for a guard/wing is that they’ll get pulled towards the team average on defense.
That video wasnt taken more than a section away from mine. Great trip to the Dean Dome!
Sam also, guarded bigs for two years so he had an adjustment to playing guys on the perimeter in the ACC. I think that is why I am high on his D improving as much as his offense will.
Ladies and gentlemen…
