NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of Massachusetts of last decade
By Joey Loose
6. Jermaine Samuels – Villanova
A top 50 recruit five years ago, Samuels may not have had the star power but certainly made his presence felt at the collegiate level. A 6’7 forward from Franklin, he spent the last five seasons playing basketball at Villanova under Jay Wright, winning a national championship in his freshman season before turning into a reliable starter in the Wildcats’ frontcourt.
Samuels barely played during that national title run, but was a four-year starter after that, including the bonus COVID season. He had a 29-point performance as a sophomore against Marquette and had a number of nice performances in the NCAA Tournament. Samuels helped lead the Wildcats to a pair of Big East Tournament titles and was instrumental in their Final Four run this past March. He averaged double-digit points per game in his last three seasons.
He had impressive performances for the Wildcats, and led the conference in interior shooting during his junior season. Samuels didn’t win any prestigious conference awards and he wasn’t exactly the top name during those title runs, but he was an important piece for Wright’s final Villanova squads. He was not drafted but has had some offseason run with the Indiana Pacers, hoping to continue his career professionally in the coming months.