Lady Aggie
Basketball
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This could be a breakout season for Sams…Over the first two years of her career, she has displayed the tools required to become a standout player…Head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs calls her a complete player who can run the floor, rebounding, defend and finish around the basket… She runs the floor like a guard and has the size to play in the post… She is strong enough to play power forward and athletic enough to play shooting guard or small forward…Sams has not had to score much because of the two outstanding scorers the Aggies had over the first two years of her career…But the conference recognizes the kind of talent she possesses…Before the start of the 2009-10 season, MEAC sports information directors and coaches voted her a preseason first-team All-MEAC performer despite the fact she has never averaged double figures…Has played in 56 of the 66 games the Aggies have played since she arrived with various injuries forcing her to miss action…Sams showcased early what she can bring to the N.C. A&T women’s basketball program with an excellent freshman season that saw her earn a spot on the MEAC All-Rookie team…She earned MEAC Rookie of the Week honors once… At the time, Sams was the highest rated high school recruit to sign with the women’s basketball program at North Carolina A&T…Sams was ranked as high as No. 31 in the nation among high school prospects by Scouts.com…Over her career she has scored 516 points, grabbed 324 rebounds, recorded 118 steals and dished out 108 assists…She is a career .460 shooter from the field and .582 shooter from the free throw line.
2008-2009: Played in 26 games with 24 starts...Averaged 9.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.9 assists per game, while averaging 27.7 minutes per contests...Shot .537 from the field and .583 from the line...Led the Aggies in rebounding four times, in blocked shots three times, in assists and steals twice and in scoring once...Scored in double figures 14 times and reached double figures in rebounding four times...Ranked second in the MEAC in field goal percentage, sixth in steals, ninth in rebounding, 10th in defensive rebounding, 11th in offensive rebounding and 24th in scoring...Recorded four or more steals seven times during the season...Had a career-high six steals in a blowout win at Campbell on Dec. 20...Scored a career-high 21 points on 9-for-11 shooting, and she added six rebounds in an 84-60 win over Howard on Feb. 28...Secured her fourth career double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds on 7-for-14 shooting in a 75-69 win at Hampton on Feb. 2...Had another outstanding game against the Pirates when she scored 19 points and had six rebounds on 6-for-9 shooting in an 81-72 overtime win on March 2...Closed out a great season against Hampton with 13 points and five rebounds in the MEAC Championship Game the Aggies won 76-54 on March 14 at Lawrence Joel Coliseum...Posted 13 points and grabbed six rebounds in the Aggies NCAA Tournament game against Florida State on March 21
2007-2008: Played in 30 games with 17 starts...Averaged 9.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals...Shot .406 from the field, .242 from 3-point range and .581 from the free throw line...Earned a spot on the All-MEAC Rookie team…Ranked fourth among MEAC rookies in scoring, third among rookies in rebounding and second among rookies in steals...Ranked 13th overall in steals, 14th in offensive rebounding and 27th in scoring...Averaged 9.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in MEAC play…Missed three games between Jan. 26-Feb. 2 with a knee injury...Started the first 16 games of her career and averaged 8.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 steals in that span...Recorded three double-doubles on the season...Earned her first conference accolade after she scored 11 points and had seven rebounds on 3-for-6 shooting in a near upset of No. 12 Texas A&M on Dec. 30...Her effort earned her MEAC Rookie of the Week...Posted 15 points and had 10 rebounds on 6-for-9 shooting in a win over Maryland-Eastern Shore on Feb. 16...Followed that performance with another double-double against Delaware State on national television as she scored 18 points (9-for-14 shooting) and grabbed 12 rebounds in a win over the Hornets...Posted another double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds at Howard on March 1 in front of hundreds of people from her hometown...Had her first career 20-point outing when she posted 20 points and had seven rebounds on 8-for-13 shooting in a win over Norfolk State on March 6.
New Castle High School Career: Considered the best player in Western Pennsylvania over the last three years of her career...Played varsity basketball for four years at New Castle under head coach Luann Grybowski...Recorded five triple-doubles as a senior, including a game in which she scored 27 points, 15 rebounds and 10 steals to go along with five assists...In a Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League playoff game, she scored 23 points, grabbed 20 rebounds and had eight steals...As a senior, she averaged 19.0 points per game and led New Castle to the WPIAL Class 4A championship game...Played well in the game despite having a knee injury...As a four-year varsity starter, Sams scored 1,909 points...As a junior she averaged 19.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 5.0 steals, 4.5 assists and 1.0 blocks per game...She was named the Pittsburgh Tribune Review player of the Year, the Lawrence County Female Athlete of the Year and for three straight seasons she was named to the WPIAL section 3-4A MVP...She is also a two-time Associated Press PIAA first-team performer.