Prince of the Court

Saturday, March 15, 2014
Fort Scott Community College sophomore Prince Samuels scored 22 points for the Greyhounds in last week's Region VI Championship game versus Brown Mackie at Wichita. The Greyhounds begin play in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament at 11 a.m. Wednesday against No. 4 seed South Suburban, Ill., in Danville, Ill. (Matthew Resnick/Tribune)

Fort Scott Community College Head Men's Basketball Coach Michael Cook characterized forward Prince Samuels as a "driven warrior" on the basketball court.

"He's the best competitor I've ever coached. He fights for everything," Cook said. "They don't make too many Prince Samuels."

A Brooklyn, N.Y. native, Samuels eventually relocated in order to attend Southern High School in Durham, N.C. Samuels said he felt Cook was being "real" with him during the recruiting process, and eventually committed to play at FSCC.

During the middle part of the season, Samuels, a redshirt sophomore, was sidelined for three weeks -- missing six games due to a broken hand. According to Cook, during this time, Samuels gained a better understanding of the team's offensive philosophy and "how we play the game," Cook said.

Samuels' versatility has presented matchup problems for opponents throughout season.

"The thing with Prince is that we play him inside and outside," Cook said. "His jump shot is improving everyday. He finds a way to score. The type of player Prince is, we call 'scorers.' They're not shooters, they're scorers. They find a way to put the ball in the basket."

Samuels was instrumental in helping the Greyhounds take down Brown Mackie College in the Region VI championship game last weekend in Wichita, scoring 22 points on 50-percent shooting from the field, while pulling down 7 rebounds. Samuels also played well defensively, adding 3 steals.

"It was like a relief (defeating Brown Mackie)," Samuels said. "Because we lost to them five times (over two years). And we finally beat them. And we beat them when it counted."

Samuels said he has built a good rapport on the court with lighting-quick Greyhound point guard Kevin House, who poured in 24 points against Brown Mackie.

"It's great playing with Kevin. He makes my job a whole lot easier," Samuels said. "He gives me the ball where I need it at. He gets me the ball on time. It seems like he knows where to put the ball every play. He's one of the fastest players I've (ever) played with."

Samuels has averaged 14 points and 6 rebounds a game on the year. Samuels describes his style of play as "just slashing, cutting, and getting to the basket. I like to be around the rim," he said.

Samuels said Cook has helped him immensely, especially when it comes to mental aspect of the game.

"He told me the game is all about emotions," Samuels said. "And that if I learn to control my emotions, which I'm working on because I used to be real bad at that, I'll be a helluva player.

One of Samuels' biggest influences away from the basketball court, his cousin Rameik, recently passed away. Samuels also cites his mother and grandmother as being very influential in to him.

"He's the one that put the basketball in my hand (as a kid in Brooklyn)." Samuels said of Rameik. "And he told me if I respect the game, 'it will take you real far.'"

Cook said currently Samuels is being recruited by a host of schools, including Queens College (N.Y.) and Harding University (Ark). Cook said he believes Samuels as well as House are talented enough to play professional basketball overseas.

"Prince is going to be great at whatever he does," Cook said.

Samuels said he is both excited and nervous about playing in the upcoming NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Danville, Ill., March 18-22.

"That's my only goal right now is to win nationals," Samuels said.