Sam Merrill elevates Bountiful with his all-around play

BOUNTIFUL, Utah – Sam Merrill does not like to lose. Even the smallest contests ignite his competitive nature like a roaring fire.

Bountiful has a tradition of rewarding players with chocolate milk and doughnuts after Saturday basketball practices. Both treats were in short supply after one Saturday practice and there wasn't enough to go around. So the Braves coaching staff offered up a solution.

The varsity and the sophomores competed in an impromptu basketball contest for the sole right to feast on the snacks. Merrill and his varsity teammates lost and it did not sit well with him at all.

"Sam was mad for days," Bountiful coach Mike Maxwell said. "It just steamed him they didn't get their chocolate milk and doughnuts because they didn't accomplish their goal. He hates to lose. It doesn't matter what it is."

Bountiful benefits from Merrill's win-at-all-costs personality. The Braves are one of the early favorites to contend for the Class 4A title precisely because the senior is at the controls.

Merrill has played a huge role in the team's success over the past two seasons. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound guard averaged 18.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.1 steals during a breakout junior season. He ended up leading Bountiful in all four categories.

This year, Merrill is once again the team leader in points (16.3 per game) and assists (7.4 per game). He leads Class 4A in assists and ranks second among Utah high school basketball players in that category.

What Merrill does for Bountiful fits like a glove with how he wants to make a mark as a basketball player.

"I like having the ball in my hands – not just to score, but also to be able to facilitate and get people where they need to be," Merrill said. "I like having that role where I can pass or shoot if I need to and be a leader on the floor."

Merrill cracked the starting lineup as a sophomore following a strong performance off the bench against Olympus in non-region play. In that game, he scored 15 points and collected five rebounds in a three-point loss to the Titans. Merrill's move off the bench coincided with the start of region play.

Once he claimed a spot in the starting five, Merrill hung onto it because he always found a way to make good things happen for his team.

"He just made the right plays all the time," Merrill said. "Whenever we put him in games, he would make plays. He was just too good to be sitting on the bench. We just had to get him out there. The more he played, the more we won."

Merrill posted modest stats as a sophomore, averaging 6.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. But he showed enough potential to get a scholarship offer from Utah State before the start of his junior season.

As a lifelong fan of the Aggies, Merrill wasted no time in committing to play for Utah State. Then he set to work turning potential into results. That meant boosting his strength, his speed and his overall athleticism to compeiment his natural skills as a shooter and defender. The time he has put in has been most evident this season in his improved ballhandling and enhanced court vision.

"That's how you prepare for anything," Merrill said. "I was just always in the gym working. One thing I didn't necessarily have my sophomore year was athleticism. I wasn't really the fastest or the strongest. That's something I worked on that year and I've continued to work on and get better at it. It has made me a better player."

It also has made Bountiful a better team. The Braves reached the Class 4A semifinals before falling to eventual champion Sky View on an overtime buzzer beater. This season, Bountiful is off to an 8-1 start heading into region play.

The Braves looked impressive at the Tarkanian Classic last month, posting a 3-1 record with wins over Durango (Las Vegas), Long Beach Poly (Calif.) and Pinnacle (Phoenix) over three days. Naturally, Merrill has had a hand in helping his team experience so much early success.

Maxwell said Merrill's efforts to improve himself and earn a bigger role have helped him to become the sort of leader Bountiful needs.

"He makes our whole team better because of that experience he's been through," Maxwell said. "It makes him a complete player. There's nothing in his package that is lacking. One of the most complete players I've seen in the high school game."

John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps.com. He is a former prep sports reporter with the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News. You can contact him at john_coon@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports