Samantha Logic played four years at Iowa and became only the second Hawkeye ever to be selected in the first round of the WNBA Draft back in 2015. She played in the league for a year and then played pro ball in Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, France, Slovakia and, most recently, Luxembourg, where she won the championship with Grengewald. Her averages for the season: 16 points, 6.6 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 2.9 steals per game.
We were able to catch up with her after the season, while she was back in the US getting some well-deserved rest.
Luxembourg is a very small country. What made you decide to play there?
Actually, my wife had played there back when we were just dating at the time. So I had known about Luxembourg a little bit. I mean, it’s a beautiful country. I was a little hesitant because at that point in my career, I was honestly trying to see a bunch of new places. I played in France and Australia, Austria and Slovakia, Bulgaria… Originally, when I had first heard the offer, I was like a little hesitant on that front. But my agent felt good about it, so we ended up going with it.
How did you adapt to living there? Because the country is very… condensed.
To me, it was honestly one of the easier transitions. Luxembourg is so diverse. So many different people live there. To me, in a way, it is a little bit like the States because of that. Like, there’s so many different people there that are making their way and, doing things. So I thought that was actually kinda cool because in the other places I had been, it wasn’t so mixed. In a way, we’re a little bit more used to that in the States. The States is this, they say, “melting pot,” and there’s so many different cultures and people. And I think Luxembourg actually kinda has that, with so many different people moving there and trying to make their life there. So, actually, I really liked it.
So the small size of the country is a plus?
It’s a nice country because there’s no overnight travel. It’s one of the first places that I didn’t have to go far for a game. Instead, you come back, and you’re in your own bed tonight. Then there’s the Americans playing professionally there and they’re all close. So everything’s so close that you kinda have this little community of, you know, other people that are doing the same thing as you. In other countries there’s also 10-12 teams, but you’re so spread out that you don’t really get that familiarity of seeing people consistently. You only see your teammates, which is still wonderful.
Your team has just won the championship. Is the league competitive?
There were some competitive games in here, you know, but, generally the last couple of years… I think we won the last two championships at Grengewald and then, I think that two years before that, I think T71 had won those. So I think in the last four or five years, it’s been those two clubs. And we covered this season.
What was your first move abroad like?
I first moved to France. In college, I was on my own. My teammates were all in the same stage of life as I was and, I mean, everyone spoke English, obviously. And I took French in high school. I was in Calais, so it’s a smaller town.
There used to be a refugee camp there, right?
Yes. Yes. I understood French so I could read things, but speaking requires a different level, you know? And so, that was a little tough because then that’s your first time away from family. At Iowa, it was a four hour car ride. So if I needed to go home, it’s okay. I didn’t see my family that often, but the time zone was the same. Like I said, your teammates, you did so many things together. You still filled your time with classes, and you had things you know, you’re in the same boat altogether, kind of. And in the WNBA it’s just a little different because, look, I’m 22 and I have 32-year-old teammates who have families, and they’re starting their own businesses and things like that, whereas I’ve just graduated college and I don’t know what the heck I’m gonna do with my life.
And what country was your favorite so far?
I loved Australia. I think Australia was wonderful, for multiple reasons. I mean, that league there is very good. Again, English is obviously the main language there, so that was a transition point that was taken away. It was an easy fit that way. Their culture is a little bit different and everything. Driving on the other side of the road is a little different. But I think when you speak the same language as someone, it’s just easier. In France or in Luxembourg, I feel a little bit more comfortable because, like, I feel like I can at least ask for things. In Bulgaria, Slovakia, if you’re in a smaller town where not a lot of people speak English, it just makes a little bit more difficult to transition in some ways, if that makes sense. My teammates have been wonderful everywhere, but just for yourself, like, for your independence, it feels a little bit different [to know the language].
Though you’re a point guard, you’re very comfortable close to the basket. You play physically, back down your opponents. Was that always the way you played?
Yeah, I always joke that I’m 5-foot-9, but I’m just stuck in this body. I was supposed to be 6-foot-4, but my growth was stunted. So I just had to be a point guard because I’m only 5-foot-9.
And are you still an assistant at Oregon?
So… that’s totally false. I don’t know where that came from.
But you know about this, right? It’s on your Wikipedia.
Yeah, my grandma screenshot that to me and asked me. Why grandma’s on Wikipedia, I’m not sure. But she sent those screenshot to me, and she’s like, “Did you not tell me something?” I’m not sure where that started, but someone had told me it’s been a couple of years ago. I have not been a coach. I mean, that’d be a great spot, I’m sure, but I am not coaching yet.
Thank you to Gherdan Sports for arranging the interview.