Jeremiah Samarrippas led the Mustangs in assists 15 times and in steals 16 times. (Michael Danser/The Daily Campus)

Jeremiah Samarrippas is a sophomore guard on the SMU Men’s basketball team from Bartow, Fla. As a freshman Samarrippas played in all 35 of the teams games and started 30 of them.

He averaged 7.4 points, 3.4 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game while shooting 42.1 percent from the floor and an impressive 38.5 percent from three-point range.

In his first season with Mustangs he ranked third on the team in average points scored, first in assists and first in steals with 1.3 per game. Samarrippas proved that he is a valuable and reliable player on the court to Head Coach Matt Doherty who gave him 30.7 minutes per game, which ranked second for the team. As a freshman, Samarrippas helped the Mustangs to their best record since the 1999 to 2000 season with 20 wins and 15 losses.

The Mustangs received a bid to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT), in the tournament the Mustangs advanced to the Semi-Finals where they were eventually defeated by Santa Clara who would go on to win the tournament. Samarrippas highlight game of the tournament was against Jacksonville in the second round when he shot 5-8 from the field and a perfect 3-3 from three point range for 16 points to along with three steals, four rebounds and a steal.

Samarrippas did not just play well in the post-season though, while playing at in-conference rival Tulsa’s gym Samarrippas maybe put up his most complete game of the season where he scored 13 points to go along with six rebounds and six assists.

In that game, Samarrippas threw an assist to Robert Nyakundi who drained a three pointer with 1.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter to win the game in buzzer-beater fashion 59-58.

Success against Tulsa came again at home later in the season when he recorded six steals which tied a record for the most steals by an SMU player in a C-USA game. Samarrippas and the Mustang basketball team will look to continue last season’s success on the court with a victory when they host in-state rival McMurry at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Samarrippas was elected by coach Matt Doherty as a captain for that game along with fellow teammates Nyakundi and Shawn Williams.