STORRS – Samson Johnson was dealing with back spasms during UConn men’s basketball practice on Friday, and had to be treated before getting in a car to go meet a recruit who was coming to visit for Saturday’s Senior Day game against Seton Hall.
Only, no one would tell him the name of the recruit.
“We had to welcome him at the hotel,” Johnson said. “So we went there, and I saw there was no recruit.”
Instead, his mother and father, Farida and Eric, were standing in the lobby.
“They saw me and started jumping around, dancing, and then a hug,” Johnson said.
His parents made the 5,000-plus-mile journey from Lome, Togo, to Storrs, and were going to see their first-ever live UConn basketball game, their son’s last in Connecticut. Johnson’s mother had never even seen him play the sport live, and he gave her an impressive introduction.
In the first four minutes of the 81-50 blowout of Seton Hall, Johnson had six points, two dunks, two blocks and a steal. He finished with 14 points on 6 of 7 shooting, six rebounds, three blocks and a steal; his mom got to see him finish an alley-oop dunk off the backboard, and even a technical foul after an exchange with Seton Hall’s Scotty Middleton.
HASS TO SLAMSON OFF THE GLASS‼️ pic.twitter.com/ZDwuPwRtPs
— UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB) March 8, 2025
“There was definitely a lot of emotions, it felt surreal out there,” he said. “I just wanted to go out there and perform very well for her. Just them being here brought a lot of joy to my soul and I just wanted to help my team win and finish the regular season on a high note.”
It was the first time Johnson had seen his parents in almost a year, since he went home after last year’s national championship season, his second. He did talk to them over the phone in the days leading up to Senior Day – “They knew they were coming and they played me,” he said with a smirk.
When he was asked on Friday about who he expected to walk with him to center court during the ceremony, Johnson said his guardian would be there. That was a few hours before the surprise.
The time came for Johnson to be recognized, serenaded with a standing ovation before the game, and his mother and father walked out behind him.
“To have them here… The people that are fans of our program just have no idea what type of person Samson is,” coach Dan Hurley said. “We’ve had some incredible human beings, and he’s the best human being we’ve had in this program. So it was awesome to see him play like that in front of his family and to have that moment.”
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“It was special for me to see how happy he was last night when they flew in and we took him to the hotel to surprise him,” added Hassan Diarra, a former roommate of Johnson’s. “It brought me a lot of joy, I’m so happy for Sam and the way he played today, he just put on a show for them. Just the joy that Sam brings, the way he works each and every day, he deserved that moment and I’m glad he got it.”
Johnson is set to become the first four-year Husky recruited by Hurley to enroll and graduate from UConn. He will receive a degree in communications in May.
“It’s the greatest feeling in the world,” Hurley said. “To get Samson Johnson in here as a young man at 17, 18 years old and you’re a part of his maturation process of becoming a man, and just all the work you put in together, the successes, the failures, the hard work, the beautiful moments, the devastating moments. When you experience all of these things together, you have a connection for life that is a bond, a true family love and admiration for each other that just grows, especially when you have him for four years… You love ’em. Sometimes it’s tough love, but you just love these kids. They’re like your sons.”
When Samson walked out to meet Hurley at center court, with his parents and his guardian, the Huskies’ head coach couldn’t contain his emotion, even Johnson’s parents were trying to get him to stop crying.
“Today was a movie for him, it was a movie for his parents,” Hurley said. “I’m sure they just couldn’t believe that their son that they sent over to the U.S. to get an education and pursue his basketball career… The courage that it took for him to make that decision, the trust it took for them, and then to see what their son’s accomplished over the last couple years with winning championships and playing at the top of the sport… He’s been a huge part of the success of this whole thing. He’s just the most beautiful human being.”
