Aurora's Sam Stask draws inspiration from Sabrina Ionescu, Caitlin Clark while being role model herself

The Aurora senior guard had 22 points and 11 assists in a win over Chardon Monday night in front of more than 100 youth girls basketball players

AURORA, Ohio - During a dead ball in the first quarter on Monday night, a little girl in the front row yelled to Aurora senior guard Sam Stask and said "go, Sam, you got it, go Sam," as Stask's face lit up with a smile from ear-to-ear.

The girl was one of more than 100 youth girls basketball players from Aurora invited to the game to see their high school heroes, something that doesn't go unnoticed with Stask, who said thank you with a smile to the girl before the ball was put in play.

"It just made my day," Stask said. "Them looking up to me only makes me want to succeed even more. So it's great to have them here."

What those little kids in the stands- and everyone else in attendance -  saw was Stask continue to play the game the right way, as she scored 22 points and had 11 assists in a 73-50 win over Chardon. According to the guard, it was her first career game with double-digit assists.

Six of her assists came in the first quarter and she assisted on four of the first six baskets for Aurora, while scoring the other two herself to help the Lady Greenmen get out to a comfortable lead early.

"I want to lead by example and I want to show them that scoring is not the only option," Stask said. "It's a team game and if it means that I have to have my teammates score first, then let them score first."

Part of that mentality comes from watching two players Stask says influences her game the most - former University of Oregon star Sabrina Ionescu, who is now with the New York Liberty of the WNBA, and current University of Iowa star Caitlin Clark. 

Not only can both women score the basketball - Clark has 3,520 career points and is just seven points shy of the NCAA record for career points and Ionescu scored more than 2,000 points in college - but they also distribute ball. Ionescu is the NCAA career leader in triple-doubles, with Clark second in NCAA history.  

The impact Ionescu has had can be seen not only in Stask's game, but on her feet, as the Ursuline College commit was wearing the green Nike Sabrina Ionescu 1's on Tuesday night. 

The Aurora star also looked at times like the former Oregon Duck, launching 3-pointers from anywhere on the floor, including one from 25 feet that hit nothing but the net in the second quarter.

"I love her," Stask said. "She's a great shooter, she influenced me a lot."

And as with many girls around the country, the impact Clark has had is immeasurable. 

"For little kids, like the girls in the stands, she's just a great influence on everybody, including me," Stask said. "And it's just great to have for the game of basketball."

Aurora guard Sam Stask brings the ball up the floor in a game at Barberton on January 26, 2024 / Photo by Jeff Harwell

The joy of playing basketball is something else that is evident in Stask, as it is in those that she admires, and it isn't just when she is hitting shots. Her fifth assist of the game came on a pass to sophomore guard Addison Witting on the left wing, who raised up and knocked down a 3-pointer. As the ball went through the net, Stask held up three fingers on her way back down the floor, celebrating for her teammate.

"I want them to succeed as much as I want to succeed," Stask said. "If they can hit a three off my assist, then I'll obviously throw the fingers up. I'm happy, we're all hyped up. It's just the fun of the game."

As with Clark, the passing ability and willingness to distribute might be the most under appreciated part of Stask's game. While she can score from anywhere on the floor, she also hands out assists like they are Halloween candy, some of them in spectacular fashion. 

Among her 11 assists on Tuesday night, she had a two-handed chest pass from mid-court to a teammate that was just three feet from the basket, a no-look one-handed dish on the run to create a layup and a look-away pass from the wing to the paint for another layup. 

"She just sees the floor so well," Aurora head coach Erika Greenberg said. "And the thing is, she's such a great shooter that they have to respect her and then she kind of creates for other people and gets people open. Sometimes I'm almost like, 'yeah, it was such a good pass.' Like I don't even see it and then it goes and I am like 'wow, that was great.' So she does a really nice job."

Some of those passes are planned, but most are not. They just happen when Stask sees an open teammate and thinks she can get them the ball.

"I see them at the last second and I just like dart it and I hope for the best when I pass it," Stask said with a laugh. "It works most of the time."

It's not always fun, however, as Stask has drawn the attention of defenses over the past couple of seasons. That has led to some frustrations for a player who likes to wear her emotions on her sleeve. But one thing that she has improved the most from last year to this is controlling those emotions and facial expressions when the game isn't going perfectly.

"She has really improved the mental aspect of her game," Greenberg said. "She gets double teamed a lot, she gets face guarded sometimes and it's frustrating but she's done a better job controlling her emotions and her face."

It's something Stask has made a conscious effort to work on throughout her high school career, and she has even enlisted the assistance of her teammates to get her through.

"I think it's getting easier and easier," Stask said. "I've been working on it really hard and I think it shows. I've done way better this year compared to last year, and I'm proud of myself, and I'm proud of my teammates for helping me."

But there was no frustration on Tuesday night, just smiles for all of the little fans in attendance who were looking up to Stask the way she does to Ionescu and Clark.

-- Ryan Isley | ryan@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveoh