The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Collier, Samuelson at forefront of title quest
Sophomores can become UConn’s top single-season scoring tandem
BRIDGEPORT >> The days turned into weeks and then eventually into months as Napheesa Collier and classmate Katie Lou Samuelson anxiously waited to step on the court together.
In a perfect world, their quest to help fill the void left by the graduation of national player of the year Breanna Stewart as well as fellow AllAmericans Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck would have taken place while memories of the Huskies run to another national title were still fresh in their minds.
However, a broken bone in Samuelson’s left foot and Collier’s torn labrum made that an impossibility. Two of the central figures in UConn’s quest for an unprecedented fifth straight national title certainly have been making up for lost time.
On the eve of the Huskies meeting UCLA in the Bridgeport Region semifinal on Saturday (approximately 2 p.m., ESPN), Collier and Samuelson find themselves 48 points shy of becoming the single-season highest-scoring tandem in the history of the UConn women’s basketball program. They are major reasons why the Huskies’ record winning streak is still alive and currently at 109
games.
“The seniors last year left such a huge gap, we were talking about how we need to fill that and worried about that,” said Collier, who is UConn’s leader in rebounds and blocked shots and the second-leading scorer. “I didn’t think about it that much, I was thinking about getting better for the team and for our games more than individual awards. I know I didn’t’ play to my potential last year and more of what I could do.
“I was out in July, it was probably August and September, probably September (when she was able to return to doing basketballrelated drills without restriction). We knew we really had to step into bigger shoes than we did last year and we have a lot more responsibility, we have to do a lot more than we did.”
Maya Moore and Tina Charles combined for 1,444 points during UConn’s run to the 2010 national title. Samuelson has 709 points and Collier has contributed 688 in 34 games leaving them in range of a program record.
Both highly-skilled sophomores have been aided by the fact that there would be plenty of shots available but also had help from players who know what it takes to be successful with the Huskies.
Samuelson found herself spending as much time with Stewart and on one occasion the three-time national player of the year had Samuelson join her for lunch because Stewart could sense that the lofty expectations she was facing began to get the better of her.
“I watched Stewie and how she moved without the ball and the way she gets something always, making good passes,” Samuelson said. “You can see it with Morgan too, being able to move the way she did and find people.”
Collier admitted that she found herself gravitating to Tuck whenever she could during her freshman season.
“I think she was the most consistently stable person on our team,” Collier said. “Coach (Geno Auriemma) still talked about her all the time about how she would come in every day and would never take a day off. Being like Morgan should be every player’s goal, she was the best teammate that would could ever ask for
“Morgan definitely tried to help me when I was struggling, she tried to help everyone. Seeing how hard she worked every day, I aspired to be like her so I gravitated towards her.”
Collier and Samuelson joined teammate Gabby Williams among the 40 players to earn all-region honors from WBCA making their eligible for the WBCA All-American team which happens to be the criteria to be selected as members of the Huskies of Honor. Collier’s recognition didn’t stop there as she was named one of four finalists for the Wade Trophy, the premier individual award in women’s college basketball.