Prospect Spotlight: Sammie Arnold 2021

A year ago, the Palisades Dolphins won the CIF City Section Division 1 championship and were one game away from advancing to the state finals. This season, if they want to get back there, they'll look to the continued development of Sammie Arnold. Last season, Arnold was named to the All-City Division 1 team. Now in her junior year, she's beginning to get looks from various colleges. She was invited to a few elite camps over the summer and she's heard from Montana, Willamette, UC San Marcos, and Johns Hopkins. She recently took an unofficial visit to Montana. Although she still has time; she's got another year of high school basketball after this one, she's got a sense of what she'll be looking for when the time comes to make a college decision. She's keeping all her options open and won't limit herself the way other players do. She's just grateful to possibly get the chance to play basketball at the next level. "I'm looking for a team that's like family. I love basketball and I'm just really excited to get to the level where everyone is how I am, everyone just works, works, works, I'm really excited about that if the opportunity comes," Arnold told Prep Hoops. "I'd really want to go to a bigger school. Hopefully Division 1, but I'm open to any school. Wherever I can go to play, I'll go." Most high school players spend the summer playing on the AAU circuit, and Arnold was no different. This summer she suited up for West Coast Elite, one of the top programs in the area, and got to go up against some of the best talent in the country. She played on the 16U team and got to go up against some of the girls on the 17U team in practice such as Ashley Chevalier, Jayda Curry, and Trinity San Antonio. It was a good learning experience for her, and one that she feels definitely helped her game. "West Coast Elite was so fun for me to play there because of the high level. It's probably the highest level I've ever played," Arnold said. "It was just seeing the competition, especially going into the Under Armor Finals, seeing how good all the girls are. In terms of what she was able to take away from her West Coast Elite experience, she knew that she'd have to push herself harder in order to get better and really compete on that type of level. "Just getting up to the tempo of the game, getting better at playing as a unit, and getting more confidence in myself by being there," Arnold said. "Just trying to go as hard as a can, working on my defense and trying to lock up their best player every game" Arnold has developed into a glue type player for Palisades. She's able to bring a variety of skillsets onto the court. Whatever needs to be done, she'll step up and make it happen. If the team needs a score, she can get a basket. If the team needs a stop, she'll lock up defensively. She isn't afraid to dive on the floor for loose balls and make plays that don't always show up on a stat sheet. She's a tireless worker who is always looking to improve her game. There are some aspects of her game that heading into this season, she'd like to work on. She takes particular pride in her defense and being able to match up against an opponent's top scorer. "There's always somebody better out there and I just always want to not have to worry about my defense cause I have it," Arnold said. "Also, I'd say my ball-handling cause right now my main attribute is my shooting. I definitely want to work on my ball-handling and just continue to work on my defense." And with the 2019-20 season officially underway, Arnold has a few goals in mind when it's all said and done. A lot of players may have individual and personal goals, and Arnold does as well, but her main focus is all about the team. She wants to make sure the seniors get a proper sendoff. "My goal first is Open Division championship, and next is a state championship. It's my last year with Jane [Nwaba] and Hayley [Amador], I just want to be able to win for them and win for our team, bring everyone together," Arnold said. "Obviously I have my own side goals which is to get better and keep improving, but my main goal this year is to win for the team."