The prestigious Pangos All-American Camp, an invite-only event featuring the top high school prospects in the nation, returned this summer after it was cancelled due to the pandemic last year. Pro Insight was on hand to evaluate the event and caught up with Samuel Murray II of Harrison Central HS (MS) and New Orleans Elite (LA). Murray is a versatile forward who makes an impact as a playmaker, as a switchable defender, and as a strong positional rebounder.
As part of the Pro Insight Q&A series, Murray discussed the other sports he played growing up, his interest in chess, players he models his game after, and more. If you missed our ‘Recruiting Roundup’ with Samuel, check it out here.
For the next installment of the Pro Insight Q&A series, we present 2022 prospect Samuel Murray II, from Gulfport, Mississippi:
Pro Insight: What’s been your impression of Pangos All-American Camp?
Samuel Murray: It’s been very great. There’s a lot of great players here. I’ve loved playing against them.
PI: Who have you enjoyed playing with on your Pangos team?
SM: AD [Adrame Diongue] I really like him. I mean, he and I, we play well together. I also liked playing with A.J. [Storr].
PI: For those who aren’t familiar with your game, describe your strengths and playstyle.
SM: I like to grab boards. Then I can push it down the court and I make a play for my teammates. I can also bring the ball down the court and help set up a play and make a play from there. It’s not just fast-paced plays all the time. I can slow it down, too.
PI: What position do you view yourself as?
SM: I can't call it one position because I never played one spot because on each team, I got a different spot. So I used to play the one, the two, or the three in everything and at times the four, but I don't ever play the five.
PI: What are some of your biggest interests outside of basketball?
SM: I play chess and sometimes I read books, but that’s it. I might play a game or two, sometimes.
PI: How is your chess game?
SM: I lost a lot to my grandma. She's the truth.
PI: Are there any athletes in your family?
SM: My dad, he plays sports. My mom plays. Really all my family plays sports. They never made it to the league, but they did play D-1. My dad played at Perk, then he went to Southern Miss. But that's it. My mom, she also went there too, but for track. Yeah, we have a lot of athletes in my family.
PI: Did you play any other sports growing up?
SM: I do track. I do high jump actually and I do the 200m. And that's it, right there. I played football back in 10th grade, but I stopped because of basketball. And I had to choose which one I was going to do.
PI: What is your recruitment update?
SM: Texas hits me up a lot. Baylor also hits me up. Mississippi State and Georgia hit me up, too. Those are the ones that really call me up a lot.
PI: What are you ultimately looking for in your school of your choice?
SM: I'm looking for a place where I can feel good and I know I can go there and there’s not going to be too much drama all the time. Like I need to rest sometimes as in not having a lot of my mind, I ain’t need to worry about this or that, but that's what I'm really looking for. And a place where I can play my spot, my game, and not have to be put just in the post.
PI: Who do you study on film or try to model your game after?
SM: James Harden, KD, LeBron James, and Scottie Pippen. Those are the ones I made my game around. Like I watched how they did things and I decided I wanted to do that, too.
PI: At the end of the day, what do you hope to be remembered for?
SM: I want to be known as the guy that came from nowhere and now he's somewhere and now they know me. That’s what I want to be known for.