Samardo Samuels (born January 9, 1989 in Trelawny) is a Jamaican professional basketball player with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. He is a 6-foot-9-inch, 265-pound power forward/center who attended college at the University of Louisville. Samuels attended Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey, United States. Samuels was ranked 9th in the nation by Rivals.com and 2nd in the nation by Scout.com. He, alongside class of 2010 star Tristan Thompson led St. Benedicts's Prep to a 24–1 record in the 2007–2008 season. At seasons end St. Benedict's was ranked #2 in the nation by USA Today. He played in the two top all-American games, the McDonald's All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic. Samuels decided to attend the University of Louisville for college. He chose the Cardinals over Connecticut, Florida, Georgetown and North Carolina. At Louisville, Samuels started every game that he played in and led the 2009-10 team in scoring and rebounding. After his sophomore year, he decided to skip his final two years of college eligibility and enter the 2010 NBA Draft. Samuels went undrafted, but played for the Chicago Bulls in the 2010 NBA Summer League. He averaged 12.6 points and 7.4 rebounds. On August 17, 2010, Samuels signed a 3-year, $2.3 million dollar contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. A portion of the deal is guaranteed. He debuted against the Toronto Raptors, on October 29, and scored 7 points. On December 27, 2010 he was sent to the Erie BayHawks, the Cavs' affiliate in the NBA Development League. On January 1, after two games in the NBA D-League, he was recalled by the Cavs. On March 2nd, 2011, Samuels made his first career start against the San Antonio Spurs in place of the injured Antawn Jamison and scored a career high 23 points while pulling down 10 rebounds.
