Storm forward Katie Lou Samuelson confident she'll bounce back from season-ending ACL tear
FILE - Indiana Fever's Katie Lou Samuelson shoots during the second half of a WNBA basketball game against the New York Liberty, on July 6, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
SEATTLE (AP) — Katie Lou Samuelson knew the news about her right knee wouldn't be good, even though she tried to stay optimistic.
The Seattle Storm star forward's first instincts were right. Samuelson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee during a team practice on May 1. She's expected to miss the 2025 WNBA season.
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'This is something that is pretty tough,' Samuelson said Monday during a video call. 'It's a pretty tough challenge to handle right now, just my season being done just like that. I have had little nagging things that I've always been able to play through.'
The Washington Mystics' Georgia Amoore is also expected to miss the entire season with an ACL injury. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton of the New York Liberty will similarly be sidelined, but because of a torn meniscus in her left knee.
Samuelson, 27, hasn't missed time due to injury since breaking her wrist while playing with the Chicago Sky as a rookie in 2019. She also took off during the 2023 season while pregnant with her daughter.
The 6-foot-3 forward was thrilled with her start to training camp, noting that she was 15 pounds lighter than she was while averaging 4.3 points per game for the Indiana Fever last season. Samuelson is adamant she was in the best shape of her professional career before the injury, as well as pleased with the early stages of her return to the Storm.
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'I was really enjoying it,' Samuelson said. 'It gives me that confidence that I can get back to there, mentally and physically. So, that's kind of what I'm still going to hold onto as I go through this pretty long process here.'
While the looming process is a wholly new one for Samuelson, she has a couple of teammates further along in their own journeys. Guard Nika Muhl tore an ACL in October for Turkish club Besiktas. Forward Jordan Horston also tore an ACL in February while playing in the Athletes Unlimited League.
'I joke around with them that I didn't want to join their club,' Samuelson said while smiling. 'But I am grateful that they are a part of my journey now and that I have people to lean on now and just to ask specific questions.'
Still, Samuelson can't help but wonder what she would have been able to add to the Storm this season.
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WNBA All-Stars Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins are each back for their second seasons in Seattle. No. 2 overall pick Dominique Malonga and her 6-foot-6 frame could be a solid addition to a front court that already features Ezi Magbegor and Gabby Williams.
'I was really looking forward to being able to play with this group right here,' Samuelson said. 'The veteran leadership, the young players. It's a very special group.'
Instead of joining the Storm on the hardwood, though, Samuelson will soon undergo surgery to repair her right knee. There are few silver linings in that reality, but Samuelson is certainly looking forward to spending time with her daughter.
It won't be an easy path forward for Samuelson, who has publicly shared aspects of her mental health journey in the past. She is hopeful the progress she has made with her own mental health will allow her to come back stronger next year – even if that currently is a difficult pill to swallow.
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'I think I am in the best mindset I could be in going into this,' Samuelson said. 'I'm in the best shape I could be going into this injury. So, there is that part of it. I wish it wasn't happening, but I know that I will get through this one day at a time, one step at a time.'
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/WNBA
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