Most of the players on this list were stars during the regular season, but for one reason or another, they didn’t capture national attention until making serious noise in the NCAA Tournament.
1. Omar Samhan, St. Mary’s Hands down the mostquotable player in this year’s tourney, Samhan has led the Gaels on an unlikely Sweet 16 run. But St. Mary’s deserved to get there — the Gaels are better than Richmond and they proved on Saturday that they were better than a slumping Villanova team. The 6’11” Samhan was the key in both games. He posted 29-12 against Richmond and followed that up with 32-7 against Villanova. Moreover, he has been extremely efficient, hitting 75% from the field. St. Mary’s has the tools to beat Baylor, but the Bears have size and athleticism inside to give Samhan trouble.
2. Ali Farokhmanesh, Northern Iowa Farokhmanesh is the one player on this list that didn’t average double-digits in scoring during the regular season. But he hit THE biggest shot of the tournament thus far when he drilled a three to give the Panthers a four-point lead in their upset of #1-seed Kansas. The shot was big, but his balls were even bigger. Before nailing the game-sealer, Farokhmanesh had missed seven straight shots in the second half and he launched the three early in the shot clock when UNI was nursing a one-point lead. After averaging just 5.6 points in his previous five games (on 6-29 shooting from deep, no less), the senior guard now has 33 points in two tournament games and has nailed 9-19 shots from long range. Here’s another look at his bracket-busting shot:
After dropping 32 points on Villanova, St. Mary’s big man, Omar Samhan, had a number of funny quotes in the post game press conference.
From the box score to his press conference one-liners, Samhan was both dominating and entertaining. He went 13 of 16 from the field — “I should have been 16-for-16, to be honest,” he said — to live up his nickname, Beast, which he has tattooed on the inside of his lip. That body art belies a throwback post game that showcased his bevy of back-to-the-basket moves and his soft touch.
Samhan said that the N.C.A.A. tournament has been a joy for him, because he regularly sees triple teams in the West Coast Conference. Villanova rarely doubled him Saturday, because they were scared to leave the Gaels host of deft shooters. Samhan criticized Villanova Coach Jay Wright for that decision.
“I get it,” he said. “I’m a slow white guy, and I’m overweight. So maybe you don’t respect me because I have good numbers. But after I kill you the first half, what are you waiting for. I don’t know what he wanted. Did he want me to have 40?”
Samhan wears two-year-old low-cut sneakers that are so worn there are holes in the toes big enough to stick his fingers in.
“We’re so old school,” Samhan said. “I’m in low tops. Our star point guard is named Mickey. Enough said.”
Samhan talks a lot of trash on and off the court, but in the process he exudes confidence that helps to settle his teammates down. When Villanova made its run, Samhan was usually there with a bucket to answer.
Basketball-wise, he can’t really jump and he’s not very quick, but he has a great touch and has a knack for getting open shots around the basket. His go-to move is to throw a little elbow shiver, which knocks the defender on his heels so he has enough room to get his shot off. The draft buzz lately has Samhan going somewhere in the second round, but it’s rare for guys his size (6’11”) to last that long. It will be interesting to see where he’s eventually drafted, because he’s not a player that is going to wow people with his athleticism in private workouts.
One thing is for sure — Samhan’s draft stock is getting a huge boost with the Gaels’ run to the Sweet Sixteen. St. Mary’s has the unenviable task of playing Baylor in Houston, which is only about 3.5 hours from the Bears’ campus in Waco. The crowd promises to be partisan, so Samhan will have his work cut out for him if he hopes to keep the Baylor fans quiet.
