Sophomore forward Qwanzi Samuels verbally committed to GW, he announced via a tweet last Friday.
Samuels previously played for Florida Gulf Coast where he averaged 1.6 points, three rebounds and three assists a game across just three contests in the 2020-21 season. He tallied a season high of eight points against Weber International.
As a true freshman in the 2019-20 season, the 6-foot-8-inch forward shot 25.4 percent from the field and 26.3 percent from beyond the arc, while also sinking 83.3 percent from the charity stripe, according to the Florida Gulf Coast athletics website. He started a total of four games out of 25 games played as a rookie, as the Eagles finished the season with a 10-22 record overall before suffering a first round loss against Lipscomb during the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament March 3, the website states.
Prior to his collegiate career, the District Heights native helped win the WCAC Championship for Saint John’s Cadet High School in his sophomore year and later earned All-NEPSAC honors at Loomis Chafee in a post-graduate 2018-19 season. His family has a long history on the court as both of his parents played at the collegiate level, his father for the University of Missouri St-Louis and his mother for Saint Louis.
The Colonials have added a total of six new players thus far during their offseason roster reload. The squad welcomes Samuels along with two other commits – guard Brayon Freeman and forward Daniel Nixon – who will both play in their first collegiate campaign next season.
Samuels also joins recent transfers Arizona senior forward Ira Lee, Virginia Tech freshman guard Joe Bamisile and Connecticut junior guard Brendan Adams who committed to the program in March.
New Zealand-native forward Tafara Gapare also verbally committed to the team back in May 2020 but has yet to sign a national letter of intent with the Colonials.
Samuels is the newest addition since the Colonials’ roster was whittled by outgoing transfers midseason and in the offseason. Eight players – senior guard Maceo Jack, senior forward Ace Stallings, sophomore guard Jameer Nelson Jr., sophomore forward Jamison Battle, sophomore forward Chase Paar, junior forward Sloan Seymour, freshman guard Lincoln Ball and freshman guard Tyler Brelsford – all left the team.
