School: St. Benedict’s Prep
Year: Senior
The 6-foot-9 Jamaica native was named USA Today’s Player of the Year Tuesday after averaging 24.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots per game for Newark’s St. Benedict’s Prep, who finished the season ranked second in the country after going 24-1.
He was named Most Valuable Player of three in-season tournaments — the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Florida; the Bo jangles Shootout in Charlotte, North Carolina; and the Nike Super Six Invitational in New York. Samuels recently took part in the Jordan Brand Classic All-American game at Madison Square Garden, scoring 16 points and grabbing five rebounds in his white team’s 124-114 loss.
Samuels came to American four years ago from the island of Jamaica after he took part in a basketball camp run by Jamaica Basketball Development, an Irvington, New Jersey-based organization. Stephen Johnston, the group’s vice president, brought him to southeast Queens and became his guardian.
After a year at Our Savior New American, a prep school in Centerreach, Long Island, Samuels found his way to St. Benedict’s and Coach Danny Hurley, the former Seton Hall star, where he blossomed into one of the country’s top prospects.
