Recruit update 2018: Qwanzi Samuels rehab going very well
Qwanzi Samuels, 6’9″, Wing, 2018. St. Johns College Cadets HS. Washington, DC. Grassroots Team: Team BBC
This coming season we predicted Qwanzi would combine his tremendous upside & skill level to breakout in his senior season at St. Johns College HS. Many D1 Coaches have seen his flashes of brilliance & abilities playing in the powerful WCAC & for Team BBC. Qwanizi holds offers from Mount St. Mary’s, Saint Joseph’s & James Madison. Additionally, UMass, Denver, Rhode Island, College of Charleston, Lehigh, Towson, Northwestern, Temple, Drexel, UMBC, GW, La Salle, UNCG, and Wagner are among those reportedly expressing interest.
Unfortunately, in late July Qwanzi injured his knee playing for Team BBC in his last game before the live period. Qwanzi says “While I was making a steal, I hyper extended my left knee & my Coaches immediately shut me down as precaution. I was never in any extreme pain, but when I applied pressure I realized the injury was bad. The following day a MRI revealed a torn ACL. On August 4, Dr. Craig Bennett performed ACL reconstructive surgery.”The great news in that Qwanzi has been informed he is way ahead of schedule. He has been moving very well in our September & October visits to SJC during his rehab drills. Qwanzi is very upbeat & confident he will come back stronger than before & he looks it. We were very impressed with Qwanzi’s mobility & work ethic. Qwanzi adds,” While my injury is disappointing, I have never let is consume me. I have great support from my family, SJC & myDoctors My current plan will be to attend a Prep School, but I will reevaluate this summer.”
After his surgery on August 4th, Qwanzi rested for 1 week with his knee immobilized & kept elevated. During the next 7 days he began gentle/light walking. For the following 2 weeks, he performed Range of Motion & hip strengthening exercises at home. When exercising he would sit on a rolling chair where he would walk with his left leg. During the day Qwanzi would walk with 1 crutch. His next step was to build up walking on the treadmill while continuing his other exercises & flexibility. Currently, Qwanzi is doing light squats & leg presses. At SJC he is performing dribbling exercises with the SLC staff, leg flys, monster walks & hip thrusts. Qwanzi can shoot baskets, but he is not allowed any impact & jumping. The next big jump in his PT is scheduled to occur in January when he will be cleared for running & jumping. His last phase will happen at the 6 month out period, where Qwanzi will begin practicing with his fellow SJC Cadets. Until then Qwanzi will continue his psychical therapy in Chevy Chase which is in very close proximity to SJC. It may sound easy, but his recovery takes a lot of dedication & hard work, & we see Qwanzi on his way to a full recovery. During the season Qwanzi will travel with St. Johns on the road & attend all home games. Coach Behan will assign him various assignments during the season which will help Qwanzi learn basketball from a different perspective.
Throughout his career at SJC & thru mid summer Qwanzi showed tremendous flashes of brilliance. While he has been inconsistent at times he was improving this spring & summer. We (I) predicted a breakout year for Qwanzi in 2017/18 & due his great versatility would have become starter this season. We have always been impressed with his mid range game which is expanding to the 3 point line. We like how Qwanzi utilizes his long wingspan & excellent ball reactions to collect rebounds on both sides of the ball. He has shown solid ball handling & the ability to bring the ball up court on occasion. Another key dimension of Qwanzis’s game that we like is the ability to impact the game without scoring. He adds, “I can set picks, get the 50/50 balls, take charges, energize my team & provide leadership.” We have seen Qwanzi perform all of the intangibles & in addition: move very well without the ball, play with the ability to stay on the court & block shots without fouling, play with a high IQ & get steals. In our opinion Qwanzi was & still is one of the most intriguing prospects in the DMV who could translate to a WG in college. He has all the tools to become a very good D1 player with the ability to score from 3 levels, defend multiple positions, handle the ball, facilitate with his great size.
This spring & summer we noticed Qwanzi’s improvements to his game. He showed more pop & explosion & got better across the board. He adds, “My defense, 3 point shot and 2 legged jumps all got better. I worked hard on attacking the rim off the dribble & finishing better thru contact. In regard to my shot mechanics I worked on a higher & quick release. Additionally, I learned how to make quicker reads & decisions.” It is very obvious Qwanzi is a very intelligent young man & he understands what he needs to accomplish to take his game to another level. In his downtime Qwanzi likes to study Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard & Steph Curry of the NBA. We can not pick 3 better players for Qwanzi to emulate & match his skill-set.
In the classroom Qwanzi maintains a very impressive & perfect 4.0 GPA. He is very interested in Computers & Engineering Technology as a college major with a minor in Business. He names his parents as role models & Qwanzi inherited their genes off & on the court. His father played basketball at The University of St. Louis Missouri. Qwanzi’s mother played at St. Louis. His parents are from New Jersey where they met in high school & have been together since. Mr. Samuels helps Qwanzi with his game year around & mother provides input at the dinner table.
We will miss Qwanzi on the court this season, but will enjoy his presence on the sidelines. Coach Behan & Qwanzi will formulate a detailed plan during the season which will allow Qwanzi to grow. This season we will providing in depth coverage for St. Johns with live game reports & player articles. We will update Qwanzi’s progress during the year & wish him a 110% recovery & continued success on & off the court.
S/O @HoopMajor @AyalewAdam 🏀🔥 pic.twitter.com/t4cvkejWMm
— Qwanzi Samuels (@qwanzisamuels11) July 11, 2017