Women’s tourney a sibling rivalry for Samuelsons
DALLAS — Karlie Samuelson is one of the top players for Stanford’s Final Four basketball team. Her sister, Katie Lou Samuelson, is one of the top players for Connecticut.
Their dad, Jon Samuelson, spent last week crisscrossing the country to watch his daughters play. One day in Lexington, Ky., to see the Stanford senior. The next day in Bridgeport, Conn., to see the sophomore. Lather, rinse, repeat. “That first 48 hours I had an hour’s sleep at the Cincinnati airport — I think,” Jon said at the end of the four-day, 10-flight endurance test.
This weekend, he gets to stay in one place: Dallas, site of the women’s Final Four.
“Clearly it was worth it going back and forth,” Katie Lou said on Thursday. “He’s a good luck charm for both of us.”
The convenience comes at a cost, however. One of his daughters is sure to lose this weekend — and it might be to the other in the national championship game Sunday.
First, though, each needs to win their semifinal game on Friday. Stanford (32-5) plays South Carolina. And Connecticut, which is riding a 111game winning streak, faces Mississippi State. UConn hasn’t loss since 2014, when Bonnie Samuelson, the oldest of the three sisters, combined with Karlie for 22 points in a 66-61 upset win at Stanford.
Sisterly competition
“If we end up playing Connecticut, I hope her parents will root for us in that game, because they have two more years to root for Katie Lou,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. Not going to happen. The parents have become so accustomed to rooting for both schools, they’re not sure how they would react if Stanford stands in the way of Connecticut’s fifth consecutive championship.
“For them to play each other?” Jon said. “I think it would be tough.”
For the past two years, when the NCAA Tournament bids went out, the sisters immediately checked the brackets to see if they were in the same regional. They weren’t.
“I really wanted to play her when she got to Connecticut,” said Karlie, a sharpshooter who leads the country in 3-point accuracy at 49 percent.
The sisters were teammates for two seasons in high school, winning the state championship at Mater Dei in 2012. Karlie knew then that Katie Lou — the youngest of three shooting Samuelsons — would become a big star.
“It’s funny when you are the older one, but you’re the one passing and she’s the one scoring,” Karlie said of Katie Lou, a 6-3 winger who was the country’s No. 1 recruit in 2015.
Katie Lou — the family calls her “Lou” — averages 20.3 points for top-ranked UConn and was named first-team All-American. Karlie, who averages 12.8 points per game, received honorable mention.
A family passion
This all began when Jon and Karen Samuelson, middle school physical education teachers in Orange County, met playing basketball in Newcastle, England. They laid concrete for a basketball court in the backyard, where the dad and the three girls spent hours perfecting the art of shooting.
Jon Samuelson didn’t plan to develop future WNBA prospects. He had played for Cal State Fullerton and Chapman College as a 6-6 guard, but he just wanted to share his passion with his kids.
“My dad tried to make it fun,” said Bonnie. “Make it a little mini adventure and a break from studying.”
When it came time to watching the daughters play games, however, it wasn’t always fun for Jon and Karen. Karen would immerse herself in keeping track of the scoring. Jon would deal with his nerves by pacing. Now, with the girls in college, Jon and Karen watch games on TV. In separate rooms.
And if they attend a game, “I can’t hide anymore,” said Jon. “I have to sit and watch and torture myself.”