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We all know Sam Darnold as the football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. Darnold also played college football for the USC Trojans and was selected as the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
However, in high school, Darnold was a multi-sport athlete. He played plenty of sports, including baseball, soccer, taekwondo, basketball and football. Check out this highlight reel of the QB who averaged 14.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest for San Clemente High School's basketball team:
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"Basketball was my first love," Darnold said. "I loved it just because it was so fast."
Darnold was a Los Angeles Lakers fan and an avid NBA follower, according to 49ers.com. However, he played basketball only in high school and when he started college, he had a tunnel vision for football.
Playing football for the USA Trojans, Darnold followed their basketball team also. During the 2021 March Madness, the Trojans went on an outstanding run and defeated top dogs such as Drake and Kansas, but were defeated by the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Elite 8 round.
Sam Darnold addressed the team in a training session and talked about their journey:
"That was crazy. It was awesome to see the Trojans make the Elite 8. Of course, the one year we make the Elite 8, UCLA is in the Final Four, but it was awesome to see those guys perform and the talent that we had. Gonzaga is such a powerhouse, I don't really see anyone beating them but it was good to see us compete out there and make it to that Elite 8," said Sam Darnold, according to SI.com.
Sam Darnold remembers the final game of his senior season
In a story by The Ringer, Sam Darnold talked about the final game of his senior season at the San Clement High School. While his team was down by seven points, the Tritons stole the ball twice with just 35 seconds remaining. He talked about this sequence:
“It was a double-screen action. A guy in the post, a guy in the corner, a guy on the wing, the point guard, and then me on the other wing. I went down, as if I was going to run a cross to get a double screen the other way, but I came back around, the big guy sets a screen, and I end up getting a wide-open 10-foot jumper and just … ”
With Sam Darnold excelling in the NFL, do you think he would have made a similar career in the NBA if he continued to pursue basketball?
