Emily Samuelson is still a young, but experienced coach, having spent time at all three NCAA Divisions (I, II and III). Coupled with her playing experience, which includes two seasons in Germany, the knowledge she instills in her players in invaluable.
Get to know more about Emily…
You've spent time coaching at all three NCAA levels. What makes Division II so special?
It's a good balance of competition and I think with our conference (the GLVC) specifically, every team we play is competitive and I think there's a great balance for the student-athletes. I think there's a great balance for the coaches as well. You have a full-rounded college experience with academics and sports and you can leave with an all-encompassing feeling of being enriched in all areas.
What do you enjoy most about coaching?
I love seeing players get better. I think I really enjoy that process of having freshmen come in and seeing them succeed every year. For me it is fulfilling to see the players get better and to also see them grow off the court to. It goes by so quickly. They come in as freshmen and don't really understand college life and then before you know it they're seniors. That process of the four years and watching them grow into young adults is fun to watch as a coach.
What lessons did you learn as a player that you try and instill in the student-athletes you coach?
The desire to compete and be your best and knowing that you have more in you than you think you do. And probably one of the biggest messages that I learned that I try to instill in our players now is that you get what you put in. The ball does not lie in practice. If you practice and put that extra time in, you will reap those benefits. It's kind of a hard message to receive because they hear it, but to actually ingrain it in what we do both on and off the court and how that all correlates to success.
You spent a couple years playing professionally in Germany. What was that experience like?
It was phenomenal. I learned a lot about the game in a different way and how they play. A lot of the things that I've used in coaching now. There's different methods of teaching the game and I don't think there's ever one way that's best. I think more than anything as a coach now, I learned a lot of things that I was able to bring into American basketball.
You're a working mom with a young son, Cruz. Obviously with the pandemic, you've gotten to spend a lot more time with him. How valuable has that been?
I think every mother or every parent is going to say the positives are you're going to walk away definitely knowing my child and he knows me really, really well. It's been a blessing, but it's also been challenging. So from the mothering aspect, there are days that I absolutely love it and then there are days I want to pull my hair out, but you make the best of it.
What do you enjoy doing when you're not in the gym?
Definitely, 100 percent be with my son! But I also love anything outdoors. We do a lot of outdoor stuff like camping, hiking, walking, riding bikes. And then if I have time, hanging out with friends once in awhile. But if I'm not working, I'm pretty much in mom mode!
