Samuelson could return to UConn lineup on Sunday

All-American Katie Lou Samuelson could return to the court for the UConn women's basketball team's much-anticipated showdown with rival Notre Dame on Sunday but there's still no definitive timetable for when sophomore forward Batouly Camara will make her season debut.

Samuelson suffered a sprain in her left foot in the first half of a Nov. 17 win over California and hasn't played since. She has missed the last four games including all three games in a recent road trip but returned to practice on Friday. She still has to make it through Saturday's practice and Sunday's shootaround but all signs are pointing towards Samuelson being back in the lineup.

"She's only played 1 1/2 games, she is a little bit rusty," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said after Friday's practice. "We have one more practice tomorrow and we'll see how that goes and we have shootaround and see how that goes. She is expecting to play, I am expecting her to play so barring anything unforeseen, that is the plan."

Samuelson had her foot reexamined on Thursday and was given the OK the return to practice.

"I am ready to play," Samuelson said.

Samuelson joked that it feels like she has been out for about a year but when she met with the UConn medical staff, only a week had elapsed since her most recent appointment.


Azura' Stevens has started the last four games in place of Samuelson. She is averaging 14.2 points and a team-high 9.5 rebounds per game.

Auriemma said that Camara isn't that close to returning so it is looking unlikely that she'll be back for Sunday's Jimmy V Classic game or the Dec. 8 game at DePaul but with a week and a half break before the next game, Camara could make her UConn debut against Oklahoma on Dec. 19.

"This is probably her third practice, she hasn't been able to go full and look like her old self so we'll see when that happens," Auriemma said. "For now, I don't anticipate it (Camara playing on Sunday) but you never know, I guess everything is day to day."

Camara, a transfer from Kentucky, suffered a knee injury in the preseason and has yet to play in a game this season.

UConn is playing in the Jimmy V Classic for the seventh season in a row and this is the third time in the last four years that the Huskies and Fighting Irish will play in the Jimmy V Classic. The game, being played at the XL Center in Hartford, is approaching sellout status with more than 14,000 tickets already distributed.