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We continue our 2016-17 season preview interview series with Cal SR SG Sam Singer. As a sophomore he played in all 33 games and was an honorable mention Pac-12 All-Academic selection. As a junior he played in all 34 games including the Bears’ NCAA tourney game against Hawaii, where he scored a season-high 12 PTS while replacing the injured Tyrone Wallace in the starting lineup. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Sam about making a game-winning shot and improving his FT shooting.
You grew up in Miami: what made you choose Cal? I was looking for the best combination of academics/basketball, so once Cal started recruiting me the chance to play in the Pac-12 and the Haas School of Business was something that I could not pass up.
On Super Bowl Sunday in 2015 you scored 11 PTS including a 3-PT shot with 5 seconds left in a 2-PT win at Washington: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? That is probably right at the top due to the timing of it and doing it on the road. I was struggling at the time so it was huge for me to hit that shot.
You play for Coach Cuonzo Martin: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you ever learned from him? It is not all about basketball with him: that is just a small piece of it. He is preparing us to be men and deal with adversity. I will appreciate it even more once I finish playing basketball and end up in the real world. He wants us to strive to be successful CEOs, which is why I love playing for him. He taught me that you get out what you put in: not everyone is born into a great situation but you can still try to get something good out of life.
You shot under 50% from the FT line during your freshman and sophomore years: how were you able to bump it up to more than 60% last year? I had a small sample size during my 1st 2 years so I just tried to get to the line more last year and get more comfortable in front of crowds at different arenas. I expect it to be even higher this year.
Last March you were named to the Pac-12 All-Academic team: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? It is hard but it is what we signed up for as student-athletes. We have great resources/tutors here at Cal and our coaches hold us responsible for the academic piece. It is an environment where we want to be successful both in the court and in the classroom.
In the 2016 NCAA tourney you scored a season-high 12 PTS in a loss to Hawaii: what did you learn from that game that you think can help you this year? We do not just want to get to the NCAA tourney, even though it was the 1st time I got there. Now we know what it takes not just to get there but to win a game and we will not take any team lightly.
1 of your new teammates is Grant Mullins, who transferred from Columbia after winning the 2016 CIT title: what does he bring to the table with his championship pedigree? He is another experienced guy and a really good player. He can shoot the ball very well and has a high basketball IQ from playing against a lot of good schools in a lot of big games. I think that he will help our team a lot.
Your non-conference schedule includes games against San Diego State/Seton Hall/Virginia: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? We lost to the Aztecs/Cavaliers last year so we are excited to play each of them again. We felt like we gave 1 away last year at Virginia since we were leading the entire game (before losing by 1 PT in OT), but they are such a good team that grinds it out. Playing them in late-December right before conference play will be very beneficial and help us in the long run.
Your grandfather David played basketball at Florida and your grandfather Stuart played football for Pitt: who is the best athlete in the family? It depends on who you ask! I would say me: my grandfather Stuart was a big dude on the OL and my grandfather David was a PG, but I think that I will take that title.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Right now our collective focus is to get better every day and get good enough to win a conference title. Every year our goal is to make it to the NCAA tourney and then make a run, which is why we work hard all summer. We want to keep our undefeated home record intact as well but will just take it 1 day at a time and see what happens.