TCU hopes Kevin Samuel continues growth by becoming ‘an elite-level athlete’
TCU men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon has liked the development Kevin Samuel has made each season since joining the program.
Samuel redshirted his true freshman season in 2017-18 and then became a full-time starter in 2018-19, averaging 7.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Those numbers improved across the board in his second season as full-time starter, averaging 10.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks last year.
The hope is Samuel takes another step forward and establishes himself as one of the top big men in the Big 12 this season.
“He’s improved each year gradually and that’s a lot coming from where he came from when he got here,” Dixon said. “We hope his conditioning is a little better, talked to him about his body and trying to become an elite-level athlete, an elite-level physicality, and that’s where I think he’s going.”
Samuel feels good about where he and the team is with the season starting later this month. TCU opens against Houston Baptist on Nov. 25 at Schollmaier Arena.
Samuel is expected to play a critical role on both ends of the floor. He has a chance to become a double-double machine for the Horned Frogs, as well as leading the Big 12 in blocks for a second straight season.
Samuel isn’t getting much preseason hype, but he’s a guy who has a chance to make his presence felt on a nightly basis. Not many have his length and size at 6-foot-11, 255 pounds.
And Samuel is already using the preseason “snubs” as motivation.
“I’ll just continue to work and prove the critics wrong to be honest,” Samuel said. “I’m going to show them I can compete in this league like I’ve been doing. I look at it like, ‘Oh, wow,’ but we’ve got to play against each other. I can go out and show them I belong there too.”
For Samuel, the biggest strides he can take is at the free throw line, where he shot just 38% last season, and limiting early fouls. There were games last year where Samuel saw his minutes be reduced significantly with early foul trouble.
Against No. 1 Kansas in Lawrence, for instance, Samuel played just 17 minutes after getting early fouls. That paved the way for KU center Udoka Azubuike to post a career-high 31 points in a 75-66 victory.
It’s a new season, though, and Samuel is ready to show the strides he’s made once again. He and junior guard RJ Nembhard are expected to take over from a leadership perspective, which is even more important for a team that is getting ready to start a season amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“I just try to go out and lead by example every day,” Samuel said. “I try to be active on defense and just talk, make sure they talk too. I just talk to them like a coach on the team for now.”
