Oso planning to go pro
Sam picked first team all-ACC.https://247sports.com/college/virginia/Article/Atlantic-Coast-Conference-announces-All-ACC-Teams-Player-of-the-Year-Coach-of-the-Year-Sixth-Man-of-the-Year-Defensive-Player-of-the-Year-Freshman-of-the-Year-awards-162045851/
Happy for Sam. Really bummed he left, but in hindsight it was the perfect move for him personally. Had he stayed, he would have been done last year, and the tourney was cancelled*. As it works out, he sat out the year to get healthy, is on a decent team, and gets to dance this year. * Assuming the letter didn't also contain the original strain of Covid.
Of course, he could have come back to Marquette for a fifth season if he had wanted to.But yes, this likely was good for Sam. He got different - and almost certainly better - coaching, and he got to play in an entirely different offensive system. And, as you point out, he was able to get totally healthy; he looks much more fit down the stretch this season than he did in 2019.Still, it's interesting how close his Virginia stats are to his Marquette stats, including his advanced stats. He is who he is, which is a very good college player. I think he'll have a decent shot at the NBA.As for finally experiencing NCAA tourney success ... I haven't made up my mind how deep a run his Virginia team is likely to have. Right now, bracketmatrix has them as a 5-seed, and I certainly could see them being a victim of one of the infamous 5/12 upsets. But it obviously won't be any shorter of a run than he had at Marquette -- and as you said, he'd have had no tourney at all last season.
Why could he have come back to Marquette for a fifth season? Unless he was going to redshirt his senior season to avoid playing with Markus.
This year is the "free" year. Seniors last year didn't have that option. So in theory, he could still stick around another year. still because of his decision. Like I said, that's all in hindsight, but it worked out well for him.Agree - I don't know that VA is going to make that much noise. But he does get a NCAA game at least. The only thing the MU/UNC game proved to me is the ACC is probably hot garbage this year. We'll see.
Do you think he'll play in the NBA? I like his combination of shooting ability and basketball IQ.
Sam will make a roster. He lacks quickness, which is a problem for him. But, overall he's got talent and one hell of a loss for MU. Hausergate was the beginning of the end for Woj, aina?
Thanks for the clarification.In that case, it ended up being the perfect decision for Sam.Do you think he'll play in the NBA? I like his combination of shooting ability and basketball IQ.
I could easily see him getting a shot (no pun intended) in the NBA. However, I have a hard time believing he'll stick anywhere.Though the Novak comparison came up in another thread - and while I think Novak is a far better shooter, if Sam can make a roster in the "right situation" there's a chance he'll get paid.
I mostly agree except I doubt he will even make a roster. He is a very good shooter, but not elite by NBA standards. He won’t be able to guard any ‘3’ in the NBA. Good college player, but not NBA quality.
I could see him making a training camp roster, but not sure he can stick in the NBA. He’s a great shooter but don’t know if he can guard anyone at the NBA level. Or if he can create his own shot.Novak made a long career of it, but was a few inches taller and was always flirting with being out of the league.
1. Better coach2. Better program3. Better school4. ACC regular season champion5. ACC 1st team All Star6. 4th in ACC POY balloting7. A chance in the NCAA tournament8. Good health after sitting out a yearI’m disappointed he left MU, but is there any doubt that it was the right decision? If he has a regret it’s that he didn’t make the move earlier.
The only doubt would be that he ended up a year further out from actually making money playing the sport. But maybe that just wasn't that important to him.