After earning the honors of Big Ten Freshman of the Year, point guard Samantha Prahalis is looking for an encore.
In her first season as a Buckeye, Prahalis started in all 35 games and played 33.5 minutes per contest, the second most on the team.
She led all Big Ten freshmen with 10.2 points, 5.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
Her connection with center and Big Ten Player of the Year Jantel Lavender is well known.
Prahalis is able to find Lavender anywhere on the court and Lavender is always ready for the look-away pass.
“It gives me complete confidence in the high-low game and having Sammy to rely on to score, rebound and clean it up when you miss shots,” Lavender said.
Prahalis was named second-team All-Big Ten in the media selection and was an honorable mention in the coaches’ selection. Prahalis also was named to the NCAA Berkeley Regional All-Tournament team after OSU reached the Sweet 16.
Prahalis took the honors and early success in stride.
“I eased into it, earned everyone’s respect and trust first,” she said.
Prahalis was one of 13 finalists for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which honors the most outstanding point guard in the nation. She was specifically nominated by sports writers nationally for her outstanding court leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills. As a nominee, Prahalis reinforced to the team that it is time to be passionate and love the game, she said.
Prahalis shattered the Ohio State record in assists by a freshman with 203 on the season. She is second on the Ohio State all-time single season list, behind Jamie Lewis (257) in 2000-2001.
She was ranked 15th nationally in NCAA Division I assists, including a season-high 13 dimes against No. 2 North Carolina.
Prahalis is no longer a rookie, however, and has been working to add to her repertoire by stepping up as a leader and improving as a shooter.
“Coach [Jim] Foster always talked to me about being more vocal,” Prahalis said.
Her field goal percentage, 34.5 percent, has room for improvement.
Foster initially saw Prahalis as a great player who showed potential. However, she did not stand out until the last third of the season, he said.
Finishing out the season, her defense and half-court offense improved immensely.
“She has a gift in transition, she’s fearless and she’s given big decisions to make,” Foster said.
Foster acknowledged that Prahalis has proven that she is an upper-level player now with the competitive edge and work ethic that a team leader exhibits.
“I’d like to see her footwork improve, and she spent a fair amount of the offseason working on it,” Foster said.
Last season, the Buckeyes earned their fifth consecutive Big Ten regular season championship. They went on to win the Big Ten Tournament Championship for the second time in the last four years. The Buckeyes’ run ended after advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16.
Now, Foster does not have to set team expectations.
“If you have the right people in the gym, they expect a lot of themselves.”
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