browningmontana
Well-known member
BOB ZELLAR/Gazette Staff
Jared Samuelson hopes he gets an extra-long bed in his dorm room at the University of Montana when he begins summer classes June 28.
The 6-foot-6 Billings West graduate doesn’t need any additional sleeping discomfort. He can take care of that on his own.
“I’ve spent the night before at Scheel’s Hardware waiting for the new shoes to go on sale,” he said.
Samuelson, like many high school players, loves basketball shoes. But he takes his obsession to another level, collecting Jordan Brand Nikes. He has accumulated more than 25 pairs, including the Hare 7s, which he camped out for at the sporting goods store last month.
Samuelson got his favorite pair — the 1999 Air Jordan Cement 4s — from a seller online.
On other occasions, he’s waited outside stores for three-plus hours to ensure snagging a pair of his size 13s.
It’s a passion that goes hand-in-hand with his first love of basketball, an adoration he developed at an early age in connection with his father, Shawn, who enjoyed a standout career with the Grizzlies before playing professionally overseas.
“Growing up since I was younger, I always had a ball,” said the younger Samuelson, who, like his dad in 1992, will play in this weekend’s Midland Roundtable Montana-Wyoming All-Star basketball series. “That was my first word, 'ball'. My mom, dad, they always had a mini-basketball hoop by me, basketball around the house. Just fell in love with the game.”
Father and son alike iterated that Jared makes his own decisions, including his commitment to play for coach Travis DeCuire, one of Shawn’s old Grizzly teammates, in Missoula. But Jared’s path is aligning similarly to that of his dad, who is also his best friend.
“For as long as I can remember, from when he was born to now, our relationship has been phenomenal,” said Shawn, who ranks fifth in career rebounds at Montana. “To be considered his best friend, you can’t get a much bigger compliment than that. So yeah, we’re very close, very tight.”
The relationship experienced some tough separation last month.
Shawn, after suffering a separated and fractured pelvis, two fractured ribs and a ruptured bladder when he was bucked off a horse, was forced to miss Jared’s graduation. He was able to Facetime with his wife, Kim, when Jared walked into Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark during the opening procession and when he received his diploma.
“As soon as graduation was over, he came up (to the hospital) first thing to see me,” said Shawn, who is bound to a walker and wheelchair for eight weeks. “That meant a lot, because it was difficult not being there.”
Shawn and Jared's relationship goes well beyond father-son bonding. They share similar interests, beginning with basketball as the obvious spine and reaching to the outdoors on Shawn’s parents’ ranch between Broadus and Ashland.
The two hunt and fish together, and Jared even bagged a "330 class" bull elk a few years ago. Jared listens to country music, says “crick” opposed to “creek” and has been knocked — not bucked — off the back of a horse himself, escaping without injury.
After his own high school career at Broadus, Shawn played in the Montana-Wyoming All-Star games before heading to Missoula. Twenty-three years later, Jared is following suit.
He was far from 100 percent during the Golden Bears’ state-tournament run, which ended with a 62-56 loss to rival Billings Skyview in the Class AA state championship game. Jared had to wear a back brace at the state tournament after he popped his sacroiliac joint out of place playing AAU ball last summer, which caused his left leg to be about one-half inch shorter than his right. He also had a small disc bulge.
The injuries never healed and progressively worsened during the season, but Jared still averaged 16.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He’s been back playing basketball for about a month, and is eager to get back on the court for “one last little hoorah before everyone goes off to college.”
“For me personally, it was a phenomenal week with a great group of guys,” Shawn recalled. “It’s pretty cool to have a jersey that says ‘Montana all-star’ on it, playing against another state.”
Jared intends to take the message to heart, but this won’t be the final time he wears “Montana” across his chest and Jordans on his feet.
“That’s kind of his own thing,” Shawn said of the shoes. “Some of the Jordans that he collects are actual Jordans that I wore when I was in high school, so it’s kind of funny. But that’s his obsession.”
Jared will soon follow his father’s steps to Missoula.
But the footprints will be all his own.
Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/sports/high-school/basketball/boys/big-shoes-samuelson-following-in-dad-s-footsteps-to-um/article_3590480b-cc45-5ca4-af70-fd7bebd35677.html#ixzz3csRYMVSb
Jared Samuelson hopes he gets an extra-long bed in his dorm room at the University of Montana when he begins summer classes June 28.
The 6-foot-6 Billings West graduate doesn’t need any additional sleeping discomfort. He can take care of that on his own.
“I’ve spent the night before at Scheel’s Hardware waiting for the new shoes to go on sale,” he said.
Samuelson, like many high school players, loves basketball shoes. But he takes his obsession to another level, collecting Jordan Brand Nikes. He has accumulated more than 25 pairs, including the Hare 7s, which he camped out for at the sporting goods store last month.
Samuelson got his favorite pair — the 1999 Air Jordan Cement 4s — from a seller online.
On other occasions, he’s waited outside stores for three-plus hours to ensure snagging a pair of his size 13s.
It’s a passion that goes hand-in-hand with his first love of basketball, an adoration he developed at an early age in connection with his father, Shawn, who enjoyed a standout career with the Grizzlies before playing professionally overseas.
“Growing up since I was younger, I always had a ball,” said the younger Samuelson, who, like his dad in 1992, will play in this weekend’s Midland Roundtable Montana-Wyoming All-Star basketball series. “That was my first word, 'ball'. My mom, dad, they always had a mini-basketball hoop by me, basketball around the house. Just fell in love with the game.”
Father and son alike iterated that Jared makes his own decisions, including his commitment to play for coach Travis DeCuire, one of Shawn’s old Grizzly teammates, in Missoula. But Jared’s path is aligning similarly to that of his dad, who is also his best friend.
“For as long as I can remember, from when he was born to now, our relationship has been phenomenal,” said Shawn, who ranks fifth in career rebounds at Montana. “To be considered his best friend, you can’t get a much bigger compliment than that. So yeah, we’re very close, very tight.”
The relationship experienced some tough separation last month.
Shawn, after suffering a separated and fractured pelvis, two fractured ribs and a ruptured bladder when he was bucked off a horse, was forced to miss Jared’s graduation. He was able to Facetime with his wife, Kim, when Jared walked into Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark during the opening procession and when he received his diploma.
“As soon as graduation was over, he came up (to the hospital) first thing to see me,” said Shawn, who is bound to a walker and wheelchair for eight weeks. “That meant a lot, because it was difficult not being there.”
Shawn and Jared's relationship goes well beyond father-son bonding. They share similar interests, beginning with basketball as the obvious spine and reaching to the outdoors on Shawn’s parents’ ranch between Broadus and Ashland.
The two hunt and fish together, and Jared even bagged a "330 class" bull elk a few years ago. Jared listens to country music, says “crick” opposed to “creek” and has been knocked — not bucked — off the back of a horse himself, escaping without injury.
After his own high school career at Broadus, Shawn played in the Montana-Wyoming All-Star games before heading to Missoula. Twenty-three years later, Jared is following suit.
He was far from 100 percent during the Golden Bears’ state-tournament run, which ended with a 62-56 loss to rival Billings Skyview in the Class AA state championship game. Jared had to wear a back brace at the state tournament after he popped his sacroiliac joint out of place playing AAU ball last summer, which caused his left leg to be about one-half inch shorter than his right. He also had a small disc bulge.
The injuries never healed and progressively worsened during the season, but Jared still averaged 16.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He’s been back playing basketball for about a month, and is eager to get back on the court for “one last little hoorah before everyone goes off to college.”
“For me personally, it was a phenomenal week with a great group of guys,” Shawn recalled. “It’s pretty cool to have a jersey that says ‘Montana all-star’ on it, playing against another state.”
Jared intends to take the message to heart, but this won’t be the final time he wears “Montana” across his chest and Jordans on his feet.
“That’s kind of his own thing,” Shawn said of the shoes. “Some of the Jordans that he collects are actual Jordans that I wore when I was in high school, so it’s kind of funny. But that’s his obsession.”
Jared will soon follow his father’s steps to Missoula.
But the footprints will be all his own.
Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/sports/high-school/basketball/boys/big-shoes-samuelson-following-in-dad-s-footsteps-to-um/article_3590480b-cc45-5ca4-af70-fd7bebd35677.html#ixzz3csRYMVSb
