Gaining by Losing : Samuelson <i> Sans</i> Pizza Enlightens Chapman’s Game

For someone whose high school basketball career was largely distinguished by winning, Jon Samuelson’s collegiate days have been marked by losses.

After leading Sonora High School to a Southern Section 2-A title in 1983, Samuelson was recruited to play guard alongside All-American Leon Wood at Cal State Fullerton.

There, however, he lost his starting spot. He lost his confidence. And, in a manner of speaking, he lost his scholarship.

Then it was off to Fullerton College. There, he lost his most vaunted asset--his jump shot.

Finally at Chapman College, his third school in three years, Samuelson lost his health, missing the start of the conference season with leg injuries. The Panthers also lost plenty of games--20 in all.

Now, at last, Jon Samuelson has lost something good.

Some weight.

Matt Fischer, the sports information director at Chapman, has before-and-after pictures of Samuelson posted behind his desk. Every so often, players will come into the office and shake their heads in disbelief.

“And those aren’t just the new guys on the team,” Coach Kevin Wilson said. “Even the guys from last year can’t believe the change.”

Samuelson thinks he lost around 20 to 25 pounds last summer. At one time, he weighed 232 last year. When his ‘after’ picture was taken on the first day of practice for his senior year in October, Samuelson was in the 205-pound range. The pounds began to drop when he dropped the late-night snacks of pizza.

Not surprisingly, the shots have started to drop more often. After nine games, Samuelson leads the Panthers with a 15.1 scoring average. He had 23 points against Hawaii Pacific College last week and 22 in a 69-67 loss to the University of Minnesota on Saturday.

He was 8-14 from the field and 6-10 from three-point range against the Gophers. According to Wilson, his performance led Minnesota Coach Clem Haskins to say that Samuelson was the best player the Gophers have faced this season.

However, Samuelson, who probably averages more points per game than words per hour, has little to offer about his game at Minnesota.

“I had a lot of turnovers,” he said. “I guess I played pretty good.”

If Samuelson doesn’t seem to have a lot of outward confidence, his coach possesses enough for both of them. Wilson enjoys making comparisons between Samuelson and a former player of his when he was an assistant with Minnesota--Mark Olberding, a veteran NBA player.

Wilson thinks Samuelson is capable of becoming the player of the year in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. (CCAA), especially with the benefit of the lost weight. From the opening day of practice, the coach has been trying to drive that point home to his player. It’s all part of the method.

“I hardly ever get down on the guy,” Wilson said. “People do a lot better when they’re supported and you have confidence in them. . . . Jon is a sensitive guy. If someone were to ask him if Coach Wilson was behind you, he’d say yes.

“If I benched him or something after he missed a few shots, he’d probably go into a shell. Then there’s Kelly Huston. If you hit him with a two-by-four, he’d probably play better. Samuelson is not that way.”

There is evidence Samuelson plays better under the Wilson system. Under the make-a-mistake-and-you-sit atmosphere at Cal State Fullerton, Samuelson lost his starting postition after the first five games. By the end of the season, his playing time had fallen to four minutes per game.

Despite the injuries during his junior year, Samuelson was Chapman’s leading scorer (12.8 points) and second-leading rebounder (5.8).

Wilson also points to Samuelson’s versatility as another asset.

“He’s the only guy on the team who can play in three spots,” he said. “He can play point guard, wing and post.”

Samuelson hadn’t played point guard since his days at Cal State Fullerton. But now, he is having his most success since high school--back at point guard.

“Sometimes he can be at a disadvantage at the Division II level playing guard,” Wilson said. “Especially when he’s playing against some guy who has been a guard his whole life. . . . But every team we’ve played this year says Sam sees the floor so well. Mo (Maurice Thompson) and Sam, those two guys are the greatest passers I’ve been around.”

Said Samuelson: “I knew I’d be playing a lot of different positions this year. I’m used to bringing the ball up. I like running the offense.”

And, with the added responsibility, the weight loss becomes significant.

“I’m a lot quicker,” he said. “I really got tired last year. This year, I don’t get as tired.”

It’s just another loss that Samuelson doesn’t mind taking these days.

Chapman Notes The Panthers (4-5) play Azusa Pacific University tonight and San Francisco State Saturday. The Panthers didn’t play Azusa Pacific last season and lost to San Francisco State, 76-66. Both games are at Hutton Sports Center in Orange. . . . Panther Coach Kevin Wilson was with the Gator basketball program for six years, which included one season as interim head coach and another as head coach. . . . Senior forward Paul Rollins, who had knee surgery during the off-season, has started practicing with the Panthers. Wilson looks for Rollins to be ready for the opening conference game against Cal State Dominguez Hills Jan. 9.