BY DAN STICKRADT
CORRESPONDENT
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
HEMLOCK — Even as a young kid, Sam Krauss knew basketball was her first love.
There was never a doubt in her mind.
“Oh no. I knew when I was kid that basketball was my favorite sport,” said Krauss, now a senior at Hemlock High School. “I have always loved basketball ever since I can remember.”
Krauss is one of the top players to come through Hemlock, as the fourth-year varsity player ranks in the top 10 in numerous career categories in basketball.
The 5-foot-9 guard is averaging around 16.5 points and 6.0 rebounds a contest for coach Scott Neumeyer’s 10-2 Huskies, who are in second place in the Tri-Valley Conference West Division behind Ithaca as of Jan. 25.
But the talented floor general means more to Hemlock than hoops. She is a rare three-sport standout who will play college basketball at Division II Ferris State University.
Last spring, Krauss earned All-TVC First Team honors as a sure-handed shortstop in softball. This past fall on the volleyball court, Krauss again turned heads as a setter and earned first-team all-conference honors as well.
Carrying a fine 3.5 GPA, Krauss has also shot over 80 percent from the four line in her career and even finished 10th in the state in 2016 in the BCAM Free Throw Shooting Contest.
“She’s a tremendous athlete. We’ll miss her next season,” said Neumeyer. “She’s the type of player that you wish you had on your team every year. She just loves being out there.”
Krauss loves playing in a one high-school district and loves the small town atmosphere at Hemlock, a rural farm town some dozen miles due west of Saginaw.
“Everybody knows everybody. I like it that way,” said Krauss. “It’s a great little town. I love the fact that I’ve grown up here.
“It’s true — it can be like a family,” she added.
That is a big reason why Krauss is headed to Ferris State to continue playing the sport that she loves.
“I love the fact that it’s close (less than two hours away) and my family can still watch me play. I didn’t want to leave Michigan, to be honest,” said Krauss. “I also loved the coaching staff and the players made me feel so welcome. It was like a family there, too.”
While Krauss and Co. has enjoyed their fair share of wins and success over the past 3.5 years, there’s one thing that Krauss wants to bring home to Hemlock before she departs: A district championship.
“I have never won a league or district title. That is something that we definitely want to do this (school) year,” reminded Krauss. “That’s the goal. We want to leave our mark.”