Rutgers-Newark Athletics

By Jim Hague

It might have been one of the easiest recruiting jobs of Rutgers-Newark head women’s basketball coach Kevin Morris’ career. 


Talk about stumbling into good fortune in getting Samantha Grippo to become a member of the Scarlet Raiders’ women’s basketball program. Morris was introduced to Grippo by literally bumping into her. 

“I don’t know exactly when it was, whether it was the spring or the summer,” Morris said. “But I was standing in the lobby of the Golden Dome when she approached me.” 

Grippo had spent her freshman year at Ramapo College, seeing limited time there. But she wanted to transfer to a school that had public relations and sports marketing as a major. 

“I had friends who came to Rutgers-Newark,” said Grippo, now a sophomore. “I liked the campus. It was more upbeat, energetic and active than Ramapo. Ramapo was more laid back. I also found the people to be more friendly and nicer in Newark. There was a lot more to do.” 

For a while during her stint at Ramapo, Grippo was commuting on a daily basis from her home in Edison to school, which was a good hour or so each way. 

So there were a lot of reasons why Grippo decided to seek a new life in Newark. 

“I knew that if I wanted to get involved in public relations, I needed journalism and media studies, which was offered at Rutgers,” Grippo said. “It was the best thing for me.” 

Grippo said that she didn’t have a tough time getting familiar with her new surroundings. 

“I didn’t play a lot at Ramapo and I didn’t know what would happen here,” Grippo said. “But the girls here were really nice and welcoming. I got to play with them during the summer and I felt comfortable.” 

Also, with the Scarlet Raiders having a limited roster, Grippo knew that her playing time was going to dramatically increase this season. 

“There’s a lot more pressure on me, because I have a key role,” Grippo said. “I knew that we had a pretty good team. It’s a lot more enjoyable for me now. I like having the pressure of playing more and having the team rely on me more.” 

“She’s been good,” Morris said. “She’s competitive and coachable. She’s fit in well with the rest of the team. She’s been a good fit.” 

Morris said that Grippo has the ability to make long-range shots, something that is always needed in women’s basketball. 

“We’re able to spread the floor and Samantha can knock down threes,” Morris said. “She came in with the ability to shoot the ball, but she’s getting better in other areas as well. We need her to be more of a complete player and that’s what we’re working on, getting her to improve in all areas.” 

Incredibly, Grippo suffered two concussions during the course of this season, setting her back a bit. 

“She had the two concussions and missed considerable time early,” Morris said. 

“I never had an injury before,” Grippo said. “I’ve been playing basketball since third grade and I never even had a cut. So sitting out was tough for me, because I never did it. If I was ever injured, I played through it. So this was different.” 

Since Grippo has returned from the second concussion, she has been playing regularly, averaging 7.2 points over 22.5 minutes per contest in 13 games. 

“When I got hit in the head the second time, I had a bad headache and had the other symptoms,” Grippo said. “It was really tough coming back from it, but I knew I had to get out there.” 

Considering that the Scarlet Raiders have only eight healthy players, it’s vital to keep Grippo and the rest of her teammates on the floor. 

“She’s going to get her 25-to-30 minutes,” Morris said. “If she stays out there, she gives us the ability to do more things.” 

“It’s really hard having so few players,” Grippo said. “But we work hard together and rely on each other so much. It’s a lot more of a commitment, but we want to help each other on the court. Having eight people, we’re all learning to deal with it.” 

Morris has been impressed with Grippo’s defensive improvement. 

“We’ve been really mixing up our defenses this year,” Morris said. “We’ve become more of a zone team. Samantha is able to play man and zone with versatility.” 

Grippo doesn’t know what she will do with her public relation and marketing degree. 

“I’d really like to get into sports advertising or sports management,” Grippo said. “I love sports, so that would be really nice. I think I can really branch out.” 

Especially now since Samantha Grippo has found a new permanent collegiate home.