The Big East led USA Team at the Pan-Am Games suffered a close loss to Puerto Rico in the final game of group play Friday night, but Jermaine Samuels was once again a bright spot for the Americans.
Samuels led the team in scoring with 17 points and continued to show promising signs for next season at Villanova.
Two plays in particular stood out. In one, Samuels' defender lost him in a secondary break situation and he did an excellent job recognizing it and flying down the open space in the lane, where teammate Collin Gillespie found him for an easy lay-in. It will be interesting to watch the chemistry between Gillespie and Samuels this season with the extra time they are getting together.
In the second one, Samuels broke his defender down with the dribble and nailed a pull-up jumper from about 18 feet. The play was eye-catching as most of what we've seen from Samuels offensively so far in his time at Villanova has been spot-up threes, downhill drives, and offensive putbacks. In the opening game of the tournament, Samuels used the dribble to get by his defender on the wing and get to the basket, where he hit an acrobatic lay-up around the help defender. If Samuels can consistently use the dribble to break down defenders and add a mid-range jump shot to his arsenal he could become a scary offensive threat for the Cats. It' also worth noting that the pull-up jumper we mentioned came in a tightly contested fourth quarter, and encouraging sign regarding his confidence.
There's been a lot to like about the performances of Gillespie and Samuels in Peru, and the experience appears to be paying dividends for the duo. For now, their work in the Pan-Am games serves to increase the excitement for the upcoming season.
Samuels led the team in scoring with 17 points and continued to show promising signs for next season at Villanova.
Two plays in particular stood out. In one, Samuels' defender lost him in a secondary break situation and he did an excellent job recognizing it and flying down the open space in the lane, where teammate Collin Gillespie found him for an easy lay-in. It will be interesting to watch the chemistry between Gillespie and Samuels this season with the extra time they are getting together.
In the second one, Samuels broke his defender down with the dribble and nailed a pull-up jumper from about 18 feet. The play was eye-catching as most of what we've seen from Samuels offensively so far in his time at Villanova has been spot-up threes, downhill drives, and offensive putbacks. In the opening game of the tournament, Samuels used the dribble to get by his defender on the wing and get to the basket, where he hit an acrobatic lay-up around the help defender. If Samuels can consistently use the dribble to break down defenders and add a mid-range jump shot to his arsenal he could become a scary offensive threat for the Cats. It' also worth noting that the pull-up jumper we mentioned came in a tightly contested fourth quarter, and encouraging sign regarding his confidence.
There's been a lot to like about the performances of Gillespie and Samuels in Peru, and the experience appears to be paying dividends for the duo. For now, their work in the Pan-Am games serves to increase the excitement for the upcoming season.
