INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI basketball program has announced the signing of Qwanzi Samuels to a departmental grant-in-aid to join the Jaguars for the upcoming 2023-2024 campaign. Samuels, a 6-foot-9 forward, played the past two seasons at George Washington University. Prior to that, Samuels spent two seasons at Florida Gulf Coast and he'll have one final season of eligibility, beginning this fall. 

"We're thrilled to be adding Qwanzi to the program. He's a big kid with a lot of length and a lot of skill to his game. He's versatile in that he can face up and step out to the three-point line but also play with his back to the basket," head coach Matt Crenshaw said. "I think more than anything, he's looking for an opportunity to get consistent minutes to show what he can do. He's never really put up big numbers, but we think he'll have an opportunity to help us in a big way. We've had success with bringing in big men and I think that Qwanzi will continue that success. He wants to come in and make an impact on our program in his final season."

Samuels has played in 86 career games in his stops at George Washington and Florida Gulf Coast. Last season, he averaged 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds per game in 29 games at GWU after having averaged 2.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game in 2021-22. That season, he made 12 starts at George Washington among his 29 appearances. 

He played in 25 games with four starts as a true freshman at FGCU in 2019-20, averaging 1.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. His second season at Florida Gulf Coast was limited to just three appearances off the bench. 

After starring at St. John's College (Md.) High School, he played a postgraduate season at The Loomis Chaffee (Conn.) School. While there, he was an All-NEPSAC performer and was ranked among New England and Connecticut's top players. His younger sister, Qadence, is an incoming freshman for the UConn women's basketball team this season. 

He becomes the third transfer to join the IUPUI program this summer alongside 6-foot-5 guard Kidtrell Blocker (Buffalo) and 6-foot-8 forward Abdou Samb (Rhode Island).