Player Bio

Sam Merrill was born on May 15, 1996 in Bountiful, Utah. The son of John and Jenny Merrill, Sam has one older sister, Molli. At Bountiful High School, Merrill was a three-year starter and a two-time All-State selection. As a sophomore, he averaged 6.5 points and 2.6 assists per game. As a junior, Merrill broke out with 18.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.2 steals per contest. On his way to leading Bountiful to the Utah 4A state title, Merrill posted 15.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.6 rebounds per game as a senior. Merrill served a two-year LDS Church mission in Nicaragua from 2014 to 2016. He turned down offers from Stanford and Princeton to attend Utah State University. Merrill graduated with a degree in business administration. Fans can follow the Utah State product on Twitter @smerrill05. Prior to his freshman year at Utah State, Merrill completed a two-year Latter-Day Saints mission to Nicaragua. When he returned to school, Merrill averaged 9.4 points per game as a freshman. As a sophomore, Merrill improved his scoring average to 16.3 points per game and was named to the All-Mountain West Third Team. Merrill averaged 20.9 points per game as a junior, adding 4.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds. He led Utah State to the Mountain West Tournament title and was named the Mountain West Player of the Year, as well as the Mountain West Tournament MVP. Merrill captured both awards a second time as a senior, while also eclipsing the 2,000-point mark for his career. Merrill left school as Utah State's third-leading scorer.