Waltham High's Lauren Sampson: Pride, Passion On The Court

WALTHAM, MA — There was a time when Lauren Sampson tried to do it all for the Waltham High School girls basketball team. She wanted to do it all for her school, and she wanted to do it all for her teammates, as she felt the weight of the program’s success was squarely on her shoulders. But it was when the Providence College-bound star accepted that by having faith in those around her to do a little more, it would allow them all to flourish together.

Sampson, Waltham’s Sewell Award winner as the school’s top female senior athlete, averaged 20.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game her senior season. But perhaps her biggest contribution to the team’s state tournament push was how she displayed leadership and maturity through taking a step back at times so the entire squad could take the big step forward it did under first-year head coach Julie Ranucci.

"I had a shift in mentality this year," Sampson said. "I started trusting my teammates a lot more. That made a big difference. That opened things a lot more for my teammates and it opened up a lot more things for me."

The Hawks went from a four-win team during Sampson’s junior year to a 12-9 record this season, while Sampson was named the Dual County League Small's Most Valuable Player.

"She never asks anything of a teammate that she wouldn’t do herself," Ranucci said. "She is out there for her teammates. Those are the types of athletes who go far."

Sampson was a fixture in the school’s weight room, working out early in the morning. Most days she pushed Ranucci to leave the gymnasium lights on a few extra minutes so she could get up one more set of shots late in the afternoon.

"She is such a disciplined athlete," Ranucci said. "She makes the sacrifices that so few kids are willing to make. She’s just so passionate. Her spirit is very rare in an athlete today."

That passion was something Sampson could not hide on the court. While she knocked down pressure-packed 3-pointers and game-deciding free throws as well as any player in the state, she also wore her emotions on her sleeve at times as DCL squads pulled out all the stops to try and stop the Hawks by stopping her.

"The coaching staff did a great job helping me with that," she said. "They would sit me down, give me a break, and just tell me to play my game. That helped a lot with the mental game. Then I realized it was all in my head.

"You could be playing a good game, but if you are not there mentally you can feel like you are having a tough game. If you are feeling good with the mental game, it only helps you."

Sampson, who in December became the fifth player in Waltham High history to top 1,000 career points, is excited to represent the Hawks at the highest level of Division I college basketball as she takes her talents to Providence.

"To do that fills me with so much pride," she said. "It is such an honor to have played for Waltham High and accomplish what we did."

Big day for Waltham! #Hawks win the #Winchester tourney and Lauren Sampson scores her 1000th career point!! Congrats to Lauren, hard work pays off! Proud of you! And proud of the #Hawks on the win!! pic.twitter.com/qk97eetXqK
— Lady Hawks Basketball (@LadyHawksHoop) December 28, 2018