Oct. 18, 2011
Editor’s Note: The following first appeared in the University of Iowa’s Hawk Talk Daily, an e-newsletter that offers a daily look at the Iowa Hawkeyes, delivered free each morning to thousands of fans of the Hawkeyes worldwide.
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Samantha Logic’s abilities on the basketball court are making her University of Iowa coaches and teammates take notice.
Since stepping on campus this summer prior to the team’s preparation for its Europe trip, the UI freshman guard has developed quite a reputation for distributing the basketball.
“I know what’s impressed our players is probably having Nike written across their face a couple of times because they’re not expecting (the ball),” said UI head coach Lisa Bluder. “You’ve got to be ready for the ball, and if you take your eyes off of it for a second, it can be planted on the side of your cheek.”
Logic, one of five true freshmen on the UI roster, is drawing praise from teammates for her ability to see the floor and pass the ball.
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“If you’re open, you’re going to get the ball. If it’s open, I am going to try to get it to you. That’s always been how I have looked at it.”
UI freshman Samantha Logic
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“Her ability to see the floor is a special gift,” said senior Kamille Wahlin. “Sometimes you don’t know you’re open and she’s got you.”
“She’s a really, really good passer,” said junior Jaime Printy. “She always gets her teammates open looks and creates things on offense. She sees the court well. She’ll drive and know where you’re going, but if you’re not ready, it will hit you right in the face.”
Bluder echoes her team’s sentiments.
“What’s impressed me is the quickness of her pass, the strength of her pass, her ability to see the floor, to see plays develop before they are there, and with that comes some timing that players have got to get used to,” said Bluder. “She’s got to get the confidence that her players are going to continue their cuts, and her teammates have to realize to never take their eyes off the ball.”
When asked about her passing ability, Logic is quick to the point… just like a no-look bounce pass to a cutter streaking down the lane.
“If you’re open, you’re going to get the ball,” said the 2011 McDonald’s All-American. “If it’s open, I am going to try to get it to you. That’s always been how I have looked at it.”
Logic is making an adjustment off the ball for the Hawkeyes. With Wahlin back to play point guard, Logic has slid over into the third guard/small forward position. It’s a move that hasn’t fazed the freshman.
“I played it a little bit more in my senior year,” said Logic. “I think in this offense, the only difference is not bringing the ball up (the floor). The offense is pretty uniform, one through four; I mean I am not going to play the five at 5-foot-9.
“It hasn’t been that hard, they’ve put me in a pretty good position. Wherever they put me, I am going to try to do what they tell me to.”
Logic said one of the biggest differences she’s faced thus far in her Iowa career is the change in the pace of play. She made a quick adjustment to the pace in her collegiate debut this summer, finishing with 11 points and 14 rebounds in a 75-73 victory over BC Strakonice. Logic produced in the clutch, netting the game-winning shot with five seconds remaining.
“It was natural,” said Logic, said of taking (and making) the last second shot. “If you don’t have confidence, you’re not going to be able to play. People are going to eat you alive.
“You have to have that confidence to be able to play; otherwise you’re not going to be able to play well enough.”
The Hawkeyes open their 2011-12 season by hosting an exhibition game against Winona State on Nov. 6. Iowa opens the regular season Nov. 12, hosting Harvard in the first round of the Hawkeye Challenge.