The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
UConn’s Samuelson continues to evolve
Junior proving to be more than just a great shooter
Countless numbers get thrown around when Katie Lou Samuelson’s basketball development is the topic of discussion. However, one statistical nugget that is rarely mentioned is that UConn’s leading scorer not only set the single-season record for 3-pointers but also for free throws made during her senior season at California high school powerhouse Mater Dei.
Samuelson’s ability to draw fouls and willingness to head into the rough-and-tumble areas on the court was not always on display in the early stages of her collegiate career. The days when she failed to get to the foul line in six of her first eight games at UConn or attempted only 43 free throws as a freshman seem like ancient history. She also played 22 games at UConn before she had a game with more field goals attempted inside the 3-point line than from 3-point range. It is something that has transpired 11 times this season, including in each of the last two games heading into Saturday’s road finale against Southern Methodist (6 p.m., SNY).
Samuelson will go down as one of the greatest 3-point shooters in UConn history, but this season she has used the fact that opposing teams are aggressively trying to chase her off the 3-point line to her advantage. She’s scoring more on aggressive cuts to the basket than at any other time since arriving at UConn.
“I need to be able to do more. Basically I have to figure out different ways to impact the game,” Samuelson said. “I want to get 3s, but it’s not something I want to rely on, that (being) the only way I can impact my team, so I’ve been trying to work on doing other things. The coaching staff has done a really good job of training with me, doing extra work and doing what I can to develop different parts of my game.”
Samuelson has not only scored frequently on back-door layups but has also averaged six assists in the last six games, many of them resulting in layups for her cutting teammates.
“She has gotten a lot tougher. She’s not afraid of the contact and she’s been reading the defense really well, anticipating, and that’s what makes her dangerous from all areas of the court,” UConn senior forward Gabby Williams said. “It’s kind of just pick your poison. She has worked
so hard on being so much more than a shooter and she knew she had the ability to have that potential, so I’m glad that she’s in her zone now.”
Samuelson was on the receiving end of elite coaching even before arriving at UConn. She played for Russ Davis’ Cal Swish AAU program, one of the premier teams in the country. Davis, a four-time NAIA National Coach of the Year during his time at Vanguard University, has won more than 550 games at Vanguard and was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame last year. Samuelson played for the late Dan Wiley not only as a freshman at Edison High School but during her time with the Cal Swish. Her final three high school seasons were spent at Mater Dei playing for Kevin Kiernan, who recently won his 800th career game. The lessons learned while leading the Monarchs to an 88-8 record have served Samuelson well playing for 1,000-game winner Geno Auriemma at UConn.
“It’s huge,” Samuelson said. “I think Coach (Auriemma) is the best coach who’s ever coached men’s or women’s basketball. My dad (Jon, a former professional basketball player) trained me and taught me all of that stuff, but in high school as a player you can get a situation that doesn’t help you at all, and I think I was lucky enough to play for Coach Kiernan and he really emphasized a lot of things that some coaches don’t. The biggest thing that helped me was that our offense at Mater Dei was not similar to UConn’s, but there was a lot of reading and reacting so I was able to pick up the offense pretty quickly here, and I think that was one of the reasons I got to play my freshman year. I was grateful for him teaching me everything and just little things. I know looking back now I could have worked harder for him even though I was probably one of the hardest workers on the team, but it was just a different level and I’m grateful for what he did.”
Samuelson is a National Player of the Year candidate and the fact that she is averaging 20.4 points on just 16 shots in her five games this season against top-10 teams should only strengthen her case. She’s also on the verge of some history. Samuelson and Napheesa Collier need to score a combined five points to become the second group of UConn classmates to hit the 3,000-point plateau as juniors, joining former teammates Moriah Jefferson and Breanna Stewart.