The emergence of big man David Samuels as an all-conference caliber player gives the Long Beach State basketball team the inside presence that makes it a dangerous squad heading into the Big West Tournament.
The senior forward has come a long way, intellectually and literally, in his pursuit of an NCAA Tournament appearance and perhaps the professional basketball some day in the future. His hometown of the Bronx prepared him for whatever challenges were ahead.
“[New York] was a little rough, but I think that city helped me become the man I am today,” Samuels said. “New York isn’t an easy place to grow up and make it out of. I can attest to that.”
Samuels made it out, though; he made it all the way to a prep school in Philadelphia for his senior year of high school. There, he committed, then quickly de-committed from Loyola Maryland because he felt he could go to a better school.
He decided to go the junior college route and ended up in Collin Community College in Plano, Texas after his high school coach recommended Samuels to Jim Sagona, the head coach at Collin CC.
After leading Collin CC to a combined 37-14 record in his two years in Plano, Samuels immediately jumped on every mid-major team’s radar.
“I had like 20-something offers,” Samuels said. “I ended up going to this top-100 camp from my junior college and from there I just blew up. A lot of schools back east [wanted me]. I got everybody’s attention. I went against some good competition. My name was buzzing after that.”
The buzz reached all the way to Long Beach State and head coach Dan Monson’s ear. Samuels transferred to LBSU in the 2013-14 season and immediately played heavy minutes.
He started 29 games last year, scoring 6.1 points per game and grabbing 5.4 boards per game, relatively underwhelming numbers for a player with his size and athleticism. Samuels made a commitment this season to dominating the paint, and now he and the 49ers are reaping the benefits.