James Martinos saw something in Sam Widmann before she ever arrived at Notre Dame. Knowing she was coming to the school, the Irish girls’ basketball coach had a conversation with Widmann in eighth grade.
“We talked about all the things we can do with the program, where the program can go, what we can do,” said Martinos, who was then in his first year at ND. “We wanted her to lead by example. Meaning that, during a drill, go full speed and we can say ‘Everyone try and do what Sam’s doing. Follow Sam.’”
Widmann has done a lot more than that. A Lawrence resident since ninth grade, the Irish senior has been a rock to build around along with classmate Nneka Ezeigbo.
Through the Irish’s 18-3 start this season Widmann was averaging a team-leading 16.0 points per game, and was second to Ezeigbo in rebounds with 7.0 per game. Through the first 100 games of her career, Widmann averaged 15.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 blocks and 4.2 steals per game.
The Irish finished at 25-4, ultimately falling to Red Bank Catholic in the NJSIAA Non-Public South Jersey A tournament quarterfinals, 62-53. Widmann led the Irish with 17 points. Notre Dame also captured the Mercer County Tournament, 69-57, over Ewing on Feb. 24. Widmann scored 18 points and tallied six rebounds.
Aside from all that, she still leads by example. Martinos noted that during sprint drills, Widmann would fume during the rare times she did not come in first place.
“Other kids would see her running and they would try to catch her,” the coach said. “She would see them next to her and she would refuse to lose. Right then, during those open gyms as an incoming freshman, I knew that with her and Nneka that we had the potential to move the program to where we wanted it to go.”
And Widmann has moved her life to where she wants it as well. As she took aim on county and state tournament titles to end her high school career, Widmann did so with her future already set, as she will attend Cornell next year.
It will be yet another new locale for Widmann, who has had several residences in her life, with basketball being a common thread through all of them.
Growing up in Hamilton, Widmann developed an instant love for sports, participating in cheerleading, soccer and gymnastics, to name a few.
“I couldn’t stop moving at all,” she said with a laugh. “My mom couldn’t take me. She put me in everything and I loved every single thing.”
By fifth grade, Widmann had reached 5-foot-8 and her dad signed her up for YMCA basketball “because I was gigantic.”
“I was little in my mind,” she said. “But I got into basketball kind of just for a fun thing, and I realized I could really have a future with it and that’s when I started to have a love and passion for it. I just stuck with it.”
Widmann moved to Robbinsville and played for the Pond Road Middle School. She also began playing AAU for the Allentown-Upper Freehold Lady Hawks before moving to her current team, the New Jersey Cardinals.
By her freshman year, she was living in Lawrence, but her address never mattered as she was always headed for Notre Dame. Her dad, Rich, was a wrestler at ND and her mom, Vickie, also went there. Her brothers Rich and Mark were Irish football players.
“My aunts and uncles all went there too,” she said. “I knew when I was seven I wanted to go to Notre Dame.”
Widmann was an impact freshman, averaging 14.7 points and 9.0 rebounds in helping ND to a 13-6 season.
“I was a little nervous coming in as a freshman, I didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “I was worried about playing against 18-year-olds and how crazy it would be but the teammates I had backing me up were just unbelievable. It was such a team sport, we won together and we lost together.”
Widmann accepted help from anyone who would offer it. She said she is still close with her senior teammates from that season.
“The administration helped me, the coaches—everyone just pushed me to be my best and I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere where I am today without any of them,” she said.
As a sophomore, Widmann had her best statistical season, averaging 17.3 points and 10.1 boards as the Irish improved to 22-5 and won the Mercer County Tournament title. In the MCT final against Hopewell, Widmann had 8 points, 6 steals, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
Last year Notre Dame went 23-5 and reached the Mercer County Tournament finals. Widmann averaged 13.5 points and 7.3 boards while reaching 1,000 points. She was named the Colonial Valley Conference’s Player of the Year by the CVC coaches and received her award at the annual banquet.
“That was amazing, I couldn’t believe it,” Widmann said. “I was speechless. When you walk up there it’s like, phew!”
And while some players may grow complacent after receiving such an award, it had the opposite affect on Widmann.
“Once you get something like that you get hungrier, you want it more,” she said. “That’s something that’s really a big thing. It’s not just about MVP of CVC, it’s about, ‘OK I’m going to take this skill and advance to the next level. I want to go to college, I want to get something.’ It’s not just about that one plaque that you get.”
As the years have gone by, Widmann’s leadership has grown at the same rate as her statistics and honors.
“Last year it hit me, I need to pull everybody together,” she said. “It’s not just about me, it’s about everybody on the team. And everybody needs to realize that. You have to cheer, support each other. When someone is having a bad game you gotta help them out. Little things like that can go a long way.”
There are nuances, however, as she has gradually learned over the years.
“As a freshman I talked, but now I really know how to communicate with people,” she said. “You can’t talk to everybody the same. Some people you have to yell at, some people you have to pull aside. I think that’s definitely a key aspect with every team. You need to know how to do that; how to work with people.”
Martinos pointed out that Widmann’s guidance goes beyond the court. With her 3.9 GPA, she has helped teammates study and prepare for exams.
“She’s always led by example and playing hard,” Martinos said. “Now she leads more by talking to other kids, trying to help them, not just physically but mentally as well. She’s really the full package.”
As a freshman, Widmann joined “so many clubs” but since then her activities dwindled as her focus on basketball increased. She is still in Catholic Athletes for Christ and is in the midst of “taking extremely hard courses my last semester of my senior year.”
On the court, she has worked tirelessly to improve her outside shot and ball handling, as she realizes that her 5-foot-11 frame will not be considered tall in college and she will likely be a wing player.
It’s all part of preparation for Cornell, which quickly became a safe haven amidst the recruiting jungles.
“The recruiting process is brutal,” Widmann said. “It’s like a feeding frenzy. Coaches come in and out, they’re interested, they’re not interested.”
Fortunately for Widmann, her focus was on the Ivy League so it became easier to narrow down choices.
“Cornell came around and I visited and I fell in love,” she said. “My dad came with me, and he was in love with the school and everything about it. The academics, the atmosphere, the team, the professors and classrooms. Everything about it was amazing. I was like, “I’m all yours. I’m fully in.’”
Not surprising, since Widmann is always fully in with whatever she decides to do.
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