Samuelson is Associated Press All-America first team pick
Williams makes second team and Collier picked to third team
Albany, N.Y. — The UConn women's basketball team has reached 11 straight Final Fours and, during that time, has generally had a go-to player to will the Huskies there.
Coach Geno Auriemma was asked during the Huskies' run to the Albany Regional title if he had any thoughts who he would give the ball to with the game on the line.
“I don't know. That's a good question,” Auriemma said. “There's been so many instances where I've sat here and everybody sitting in front of me knew pretty much, 90 percent of the time, where the ball is going to go and who's going to do what.
“But we do have a somewhat balanced team and we have (different) players that are capable of carrying us for stretches.”
Auriemma might want to start the list with Katie Lou Samuelson.
Samuelson, the 6-foot-3 junior guard/forward from Huntington Beach, Calif., was named Monday to the five-player Associated Press All-America first team. Samuelson, the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year this season for the second year in a row, was averaging 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and shooting 46.8 percent (88-for-188) for the Huskies (36-0) heading into Monday night's victory over South Carolina.
Samuelson joined South Carolina's A'Ja Wilson — a unanimous choice by the 32-member media panel, becoming the seventh player in history to be named a three-time All-American — Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu, Louisville's Asia Durr and Mississippi State's Victoria Vivians. Votes were due prior to the start of the NCAA tournament.
UConn junior Gabby Williams was named to the AP second team, junior Napheesa Collier to the third team and senior Kia Nurse to the honorable mention team.
Samuelson missed five games this season with two separate ankle injuries and also suffered a black eye at Texas in January.
“There's been a lot of different physical things,” Samuelson said as the postseason was set to begin. “I think mentally I've been able to keep my mind right. The biggest challenge has been having ups and downs this year, being able to come back. I had to focus each and every day. I think last year, things would have bothered me.”
“She's one of the drivers to what we need to do,” Auriemma said.
Samuelson has not lost a regular-season game in her career at UConn.
Coach Mom and Coach Dad
South Carolina freshman Bianca Jackson earned a starting role in the Gamecocks' lineup just eight games into her career due to injuries to a pair of seniors. Over the course of the season, she's earned 30.3 minutes per game playing time.
Aside from South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, Jackson knows where she can always turn for advice, too.
Jackson's mom, Freda Freeman-Jackson is the head women's basketball coach at Alabama State and her dad, Lewis Jackson, is the Alabama State men's basketball coach. The former Gatorade Alabama Player of the Year at Brewbaker Tech Magnet, Jackson hails from Montgomery.
“In my household, it was basketball all the time; that was pretty much the topic of conversation all the time,” Jackson said. “My mom used to coach me during my high school games. She would coach me all the time.
“Now that I'm in college, she kind of steps back sometimes. But the night before the game, she will call me and say, 'I want to talk to you about a couple things you need to work on.' It's good. They're in my corner. They're always here to support me, so it's good.”
Jackson, who had four points, six rebounds and three assists in South Carolina's 79-63 victory over Buffalo in the regional semifinal, was averaging 7.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game prior to Monday's matchup with UConn. v.fulkerson@theday.com