NCAA Basketball: Brandon Sampson chooses LSU over St. John’s

LSU may have lost their two best players to the NBA Draft but the Tigers will still have a chance to really good next year. The Tigers landed another star recruit when Brandon Sampson chose to stay at home to play college basketball.

On Monday, Brandon Sampson chose to play at LSU instead of St. John’s. Sampson is a 6’4”, 180 pound, shooting guard from Madison Prep in Baton Rouge. During his senior season the guard led Madison Prep to the Class 1A state title and averaged 15.9 points a game. Sampson is ranked No. 39 in the ESPN 100 for the 2015 class.

Sampson had originally committed to St. John’s in January but reconsidered his decision when Coach Steve Lavin and the Red Storm decided to part ways. However St. John’s new coach Chris Mullin still believed that Sampson would stay committed to his team.  Coach Mullin even flew down to Baton Rouge to try and keep the star recruit in the fold.

During a ceremony in his high school’s gymnasium, Sampson said, “I’d like to thank all you all. I’d like to further my education and my basketball career at Louisiana State University.”  He then put on a LSU baseball cap and signed his scholarship papers while his parents looked on.

Coach Johnny Jones and the Tigers are welcoming in an excellent recruiting class which includes the No. 1 overall prospect Ben Simmons and five-star recruit Antonio Blakeney. Craig Victor, a transfer from Arizona, who will be eligible after the first semester will also be joining the Tigers this season.

The expectations are high for the LSU Tigers approaching the 2015-2016 basketball season.

 

Written by Charlie Beuttel

Photo credit: sportsnola.com; No. 0 Brandon Sampson attempts a free throw for Madison Prep.