Hailie Sample

Honors & Awards

• Big Ten All-Defensive Team (2014)
• Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (2015)
• Nebraska Defensive MVP (2014)
• Nebraska Kathy Branchaud Most Improved Rebounder Award (2013, 2014)
• Tied for No. 3 at Nebraska in Career Starts (131)
• No. 10 at Nebraska in Career Rebounds (717)
• School-Record Season FG Pct. (.611, 2015)
• No. 2 in Big Ten in FG Pct. (.611, 2015)
• Tied for No. 15 in Big Ten Rebounding (7.0 rpg, 2015)
• Led Big Ten Tournament in Total Rebounds (30, 2014)
• Led Big Ten Tournament in Offensive Rebounds (16, 2014)
• Three Career Double-Doubles 
• (10 points, 10 rebounds vs. BYU, NCAA 2nd Round, March 24, 2014)
  (15 points, 15 rebounds vs. Iowa, Big Ten Championship Game, March 9, 2014)
  (10 points, 11 rebounds vs. Texas A&M, NCAA 2nd Round, March 25, 2013)
• No. 7 in Big Ten Offensive Rebounding (2.5 rpg, 2014)
• No. 15 in Big Ten Rebounding (6.4 rpg, 2014)
• One of Nine Freshmen in Nebraska History to Start Every Game (33, 2011-12)
• Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2014, 2015)
• Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Spring 2015)
• Three-Time First-Team Texas All-District 6-5A (2008, 2009, 2010)
• District 6-5A Defensive Player of the Year (2009, 2010)
• No. 41 Wing Player in the Nation (ESPNU/HoopGurlz, 2010)
• adidas Top 10 Camp All-Star (2010)

Senior (2014-15)
Hailie Sample (pronounced HAY-lee) played the best basketball of her career as a senior by averaging 7.7 points and 7.0 rebounds while shooting a school-record 61.1 percent from the field, which ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten in 2014-15.

Sample finished her career tied for third in school history with 131 starts, while playing in all 132 games since the first contest of her freshman season. She finished with 739 points, 717 rebounds and 227 assists as one of only five players in school history to achieve the combined career milestones of 700 points, 700 rebounds and 200 assists.

Sample finished No. 10 in Nebraska history with 717 career rebounds.

A versatile defender who could guard athletic wings or traditional posts, Sample has spent more time inside as a senior than her three previous seasons.

A Big Ten All-Defensive selection as a junior in 2014, Sample was one of the Big Ten's best defenders since her first game at Nebraska in 2011-12. She joined fellow 2015 seniors Emily Cady, Brandi Jeffery and Tear'a Laudermill in becoming the first class in Nebraska history to advance to four consecutive NCAA tournaments. The 2015 Husker seniors were also the first group in NU history to produce four straight 20-win seasons, while totaling a school-record 96 wins during their careers.

Sample produced 10 double-figure scoring performances as a senior, including a season-high 16 points to go along with nine rebounds and a career-high tying three steals in NU’s win at Washington State on Nov. 19. She added 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting to lead the Huskers to a 60-54 win over No. 9 Duke on Dec. 12.

She scored 15 points in NU's win over Purdue Jan. 19. She closed her career with 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots against Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Columbia, S.C., on March 20.

Sample also scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists in a second-round Big Ten Tournament victory over Illinois on March 5. Sample went 4-for-4 from the floor and 6-for-6 at the free throw line in the win over the Illini.

She added 14 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the floor in a win over Michigan on Feb. 1, when she added seven rebounds, four assists and a steal. Sample produced 13 points in a road win at Michigan State Jan. 8 and just missed a double-double with 13 points and nine boards against Bakersfield Dec. 13. She had 12 points in a road win at Indiana Feb. 21.

Sample also pulled down double-figure rebounds on four occasions in 2014-15, with all four coming against Big Ten competition. She notched a season-high 14 rebounds in a win over Illinois Jan. 29. She added 11 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end, at No. 21 Rutgers Feb. 5. She grabbed 10 boards in a win over Wisconsin Feb. 15, and 10 more in the Big Ten quarterfinals against No. 14 Iowa on March 6.

An outstanding leader on and off the court, Sample earned Nebraska's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award as a senior. She was also selected to participate in the WBCA's "So You Want To Be A Coach" program at the 2015 NCAA Women's Final Four in Tampa.

"Hailie is a big guard who is very versatile and a smart basketball player at both ends," Yori said. "She is a tough, smart and aggressive defensive player who is a perfect fit for our defensive system. She can also score on the block and create opportunities for herself and teammates off the dribble."

Junior (2013-14)
Sample earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team while producing her best season as a Husker in 2013-14. She averaged 6.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game during the regular season, while continuing to play strong perimeter defense.

Sample closed the season especially strong, posting double-doubles in two of her final three games, including 10 points and 10 rebounds in Nebraska's second-round NCAA Tournament loss to BYU on March 24, 2014, in Los Angeles. It was her third career double-double and second in two appearances in the NCAA second round.

In two 2014 NCAA Tournament games, Sample played all but one minute, hitting 5-of-10 shots from the field and 6-of-8 free throws to average 8.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

Sample produced one of the best overall games of her career by notching her second career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in Nebraska's 2014 Big Ten Tournament Championship Game victory over No. 23 Iowa on March 9 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Sample's 30 total rebounds in three games led the tournament, while her 16 offensive rebounds were also a tournament best. She averaged 6.7 points and 10.0 rebounds in helping the Huskers to their first-ever conference tournament title.

Over the final five games of 2013-14 (Big Ten and NCAA Tournament), Sample averaged 7.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.

Sample finished with nine double-figure scoring games as a junior, including 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting at Michigan Feb. 13. She had 10 points and seven rebounds in a win at Wisconsin Feb. 5. She also had 10 points and six rebounds in a win at Iowa Feb. 1.

Sample scored a season-high 13 points in a win over Creighton on Dec. 14. She added 12 points and five rebounds against No. 22 Purdue Jan. 19. She had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists against Washington State Nov. 30. She also had 10 points at No. 18 North Carolina.

Sample added eight points, eight rebounds and four assists in just 23 minutes in a win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Nov. 21. She pitched in six points and three assists in just 22 minutes in a win over Utah State Dec. 8. She added six points, six rebounds, five assists and a career-high two blocks in a win over South Dakota Dec. 21.

Sophomore (2012-13)
Sample added more production for the Huskers as a sophomore while providing solid defense. The 6-1 forward from Texas averaged 4.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.

She produced one of the best games of her career with 10 points and 11 rebounds in Nebraska’s second-round NCAA Tournament win at No. 9 Texas A&M March 25. Her 11 boards tied a then-career high on her way to her first career double-double. She scored eight points in the final five minutes to seal the win, while notching just her third double-figure scoring effort of the season. She had four points, four boards and two assists in NU’s first-round win over Chattanooga March 23, before adding six boards and an assist in the NCAA Norfolk Regional semifinal loss to No. 5 Duke March 31.

Sample averaged 7.0 points and 4.5 rebounds at the Big Ten Tournament. She hit the game-winning shot with 43 seconds left in NU’s 55-53 win at Wisconsin on Feb. 28. She finished with six points. She also hit a pair of clutch free throws with less than 30 seconds left in NU’s 76-75 win at Iowa Feb. 11. She finished with four points, four rebounds and a career-high six assists at Iowa.

Sample had a career-high 20 points against Creighton Dec. 5. It was her first career 20-point game, doubling her previous career high, which she matched with 10 points in NU’s season-opening win over North Carolina A&T Nov. 9.

Sample had nine points, six rebounds and three assists in a loss to No. 11 Maryland Nov. 28. She added nine points, six rebounds, two assists and a block in NU’s win at Minnesota Jan. 20.

She had eight points and seven rebounds in a win over Temple Nov. 11. She went a career-best 6-for-6 at the free throw line to finish with six points in a win at USC Nov. 23.

Sample had five points and four assists against No. 14 Purdue Jan. 5. She added four points, six rebounds and two assists against No. 25 Michigan State Jan. 24. Sample ripped down nine boards in a win at Northwestern Feb. 7. She grabbed eight boards with four assists in a win over Grambling State Dec. 29. She added five points, including her second three of the year against ORU Dec. 20. Sample had six points, eight rebounds and two assists in a win at South Florida Dec. 16.

Sample started all 34 games for the Huskers as a sophomore, despite battling leg and back injuries during the offseason of 2012 that limited her preseason practice. She entered the season at less than full strength without much preseason basketball conditioning.

Freshman (2011-12)
Sample averaged 3.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game on the season, including 7.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in the Big Ten Tournament.

She matched season highs with back-to-back 10-point games in tourney wins over Northwestern and Iowa, after producing just one double-figure scoring effort (Minnesota, Jan. 22) during the regular season. She added eight points and six rebounds in the semifinal win over No. 14 Ohio State.
Sample finished the year with a trio of double-figure scoring performances and a pair of double-figure rebounding marks.

Over the last nine regular-season games, Sample stepped up her production, averaging 6.2 points, 4.2 boards and 1.2 assists per game. Through the first 23 games, Sample averaged just 3.0 points per contest. However, she played just 13 minutes in NU's NCAA Tournament loss to Kansas on March 18, after she missed the previous week of practice with a stress reaction in her lower leg.

In the Big Ten Tournament win over Iowa, Sample matched her season highs in points (10), assists (4) and blocks (2), while also knocking down the first three-pointer of her career.

She opened the tournament with 10 points, three assists and a steal in an 88-56 win over Northwestern on March 1.

Sample had eight points on 4-of-6 shooting at Minnesota Feb. 13. She followed with six points against Northwestern Feb. 16, which included a then-career-high 11 rebounds with seven offensive boards. She had five points, two rebounds, two steals a block and an assist in NU's win over Wisconsin Feb. 19. She also scored five points, including 3-of-4 free throw shooting in NU's 71-57 win over No. 8 Ohio State Feb. 26. She had three points, nine boards and a career-high two blocks in a season-high 40 minutes in NU's epic 93-89 3OT win at No. 15 Purdue Feb. 2.

She had nine points and a season-high four assists at Georgia Tech, after producing eight points, six rebounds and three assists in NU's win at Florida A&M. She had two points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes in a win over No. 23 USC Nov. 18. She added five points at Northern Arizona, before contributing three points and eight boards in a win over South Dakota State Dec. 21. Sample pitched in five points, three rebounds and a block in NU's win at No. 16 Penn State Dec. 30.

Before Nebraska
Sample averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists per game as a junior for Coach Pamela Owens at Marcus High School. She was also a three-time first-team Texas All-District 6-5A selection and a three-time 6-5A Defensive Player of the Year. She helped Marcus to a 23-13 overall record as a junior.

Sample also competed for the North Texas Shockers club team coached by John Shields. She averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists per game for the Shockers, who won the Deep South Classic in April and the Run for the Roses in July of 2010.

She was an all-star at the adidas Top 10 camp in Atlanta and was named the MVP of the Nebraska Women's Basketball Camp she attended in the summer of 2009.

A talented all-around athlete, Sample was also a four-year letterwinner in track and field, competing in both the shot put and discus. She set Marcus High School records on her way to winning the 6-5A District title in both events in 2010. Sample was also a member of the English Honor Society, an officer on the student council, and a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Personal
The daughter of Jim and Mindy Sample, Hailie was born Feb. 15, 1993, in Odessa, Texas. She has one older sister, Heather Feist, and one older brother. Hailie earned her bachelor's degree in May of 2015 after majoring in marketing. She claimed a spot on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in the spring of 2015. She earned spots on the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in 2014 and 2015.

Sample chose Nebraska over North Carolina State.

Five Facts About Hailie

1. Hailie likes to cook.
2. She loves to wear cowboy boots and listen to country music.
3. Hailie's favorite animal is the great white shark.
4. Her favorite holiday is Christmas.
5. Hailie's favorite sport to watch on TV is professional soccer.

Sample's Career Statistics