Basketball is a beautiful and fascinating game when played unselfishly and with a purpose, or in other words, the way Samantha Logic plays every game.
The true mark of a great player is the ability to make his or her teammates better. Logic thrived in that role for four seasons as a do-everything point guard for the Iowa women’s basketball team.
The Racine, Wis., native was rewarded for her illustrious career on Thursday by being selected in the first round of the WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream. Logic was the 10th player taken overall in the draft. She was taken one spot ahead of former Connecticut center and Linn-Mar graduate Kiah Stokes, who was selected by the New York Liberty. Stokes is the daughter of former Iowa center Greg Stokes.
Logic is the 12th Hawkeye to be selected in the WNBA draft and the first since Kachine Alexander was taken by Minnesota in 2011.
My advice to Logic’s future teammates in Atlanta is be ready because the ball will be coming to you like only she can deliver it.
She might have scored 1,546 points as a Hawkeye, but scoring hardly was a priority for Logic in college. There were times when she had to score in order for Iowa to prevail. But Logic’s first instinct is to pass and that’s a special gift.
It’s an attitude that builds camaraderie and leads to success.
Logic’s individual statistics are staggering, but the numbers that standout the most to me are 53 and 17. That is Iowa’s record over the past two seasons.
It was fitting that Logic had 14 assists in her last game as a Hawkeye because that’s what she did throughout her college career, literally and figuratively.
She assisted her teammates in so many ways, not just with pin-point passes. She inspired with her leadership, with her toughness and with her passion.
Logic is the Big Ten’s second all-time leader in assists with 898. She is also ranked second on Iowa’s all-time list for rebounds and steals with 922 and 260, respectively.
She was a stat sheet stuffer at Iowa in the truest sense, the kind of player that rarely comes along. She recorded six triple-doubles at Iowa, including in her final game this season.
Logic came to Iowa with an enormous amount of hype, but she still exceeded expectations.
She put the Iowa program on her back and lifted it from being good to very good. The Hawkeyes advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 this past season for the first time under veteran coach Lisa Bluder.
Any discussion about the greatest player in the history of the Iowa women’s basketball program has to include the 5-foot-9 Logic.
She became a star, largely through the success of her teammates. Logic made them better and they made her better.
I expect her now to make the Atlanta Dream much better.