Katie Lou Samuelson is finishing her rookie season with the Chicago Sky; here she is playing for UConn during the Final Four in 2018. Photos by Charlotte Lao / The Daily Campus
With the WNBA season coming to a close, two recent graduates of the UConn Women’s basketball team, Katie Lou Samuelson and Napheesa Collier, are finishing their rookie seasons.
Collier could potentially win Rookie of the Year with her main competition being the Dallas Wings’ Arike Ogunbowale. Collier averages 12.9 points per game and exceeded that in the Lynx’s recent matchup against the Indiana Fever with 15. Collier executes in all areas of her game, just as she did in her time at UConn. Whether it’s securing rebounds or scoring, Collier finds ways to contribute to her team when they need it.
Samuelson suffered a hand injury early on in her professional career, sidelining her until late May. Now healthy she is able to join former UConn stars Gabby Williams and Stefanie Dolson on the court for the Chicago Sky. It has been a slow start to her rookie season, averaging a mere 2.9 points a game in 7.6 minutes. In her time at UConn she was a shooting threat and has so far had a career high of 10 points against the Las Vegas Aces. She remained scoreless for eight of her 13 games, and looks to gain momentum, especially in time for playoffs.
The Collier-Samuelson powerhouse is separated, yet they are finding their place in the league and making their mark. It’ll be a sight to see if Collier manages to win Rookie of the Year as she is a huge asset to the Lynx, especially with Maya Moore taking this season off to focus on herself.
Hanaisha Lewis is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at hanaisha.lewis@uconn.edu.
