Sam Merrill’s unprecedented year of preparing for the upcoming NBA Draft
Logan, Utah (BVM) – On March 7, 2020, one week before the country shut down due to COVID-19, Utah State guard, Sam Merrill, drained a three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to give the Aggies the win over nationally-ranked San Diego State. One of Merrill’s biggest shots of his Utah State career undoubtedly sealed a ticket for March Madness, but what he didn’t know was that the shot was going to be his final one as an Aggie.
Merrill, a local of Bountiful, Utah, finished his collegiate career averaging around 20 points per game while becoming just the fourth Aggie to surpass 2,000 career points in school history. His high-percentage three-point shooting and consistent scoring was enough to punch a ticket to the NBA combine with high hopes to hear his name be called by Adam Silver on June 25. Instead, Merrill spent that time inside his home, unsure what his future held just waiting for the shot to fulfill his dream of playing on an NBA team.
The year 2020 has been tough on everyone, hundreds of jobs lost, vacations cancelled, lives lost, and for Sam Merrill, his lifelong dream put on hold. Merrill’s goal is to be 1 of 60 people drafted into the NBA this year. COVID-19 may have complicated his plans but that isn’t going to stop him and neither are the other 104 players invited to the NBA Combine.
None of these concerns, nor the fact that he was quarantined and unable to play basketball, will slow down Merrill. He has been working hard to be basketball ready and in shape for the time when he is called upon to showcase his skills and prove why he is someone that they need on their team.
The former Aggie found out this summer that he made the first cut of players invited to the NBA Draft Combine, and hopes his hard work will help him survive the cut and make the final 70. According to Shams Charania of the Athletic, the NBA is planning for the Draft Combine process to begin later this month with two parts. From mid-September to early October, there will be in-market medicals, on-court workouts and virtual interviews. From mid-October to Draft day, they’ll conduct in-person interviews, but no workouts.
Merrill is already at a disadvantage not being touted as one of the top talents of this year’s Draft, but he now has to work around a limited Combine experience, if invited. What Merrill has going for him is his style of play.
The NBA is continuing to make the shift of emphasizing an increase in the number of three-pointers taken and the importance of getting to the free throw line, and this fits perfectly into what kind of player Merrill is. For his career Merrill is a 42% three-point shooter and an 89% free throw shooter.
When November 18 rolls around, there will be many Utah State fans cheering on Merrill as he awaits one of the most monumental moments of his life, and many will be eager to see the showcase of fireworks that he is more than capable of producing for the team that is lucky to draft him.
