By: Nate Steis
Behind many great teams there are some fantastic coaches. A team without a coach is just a bunch of individuals with talent. It takes a great coach to develop more talent and put their players in the best position possible to succeed. However, what many people neglect is the coach or coaches cannot possibly train their players to be the best athlete they can be. It takes a great athletic trainer in order to help build strength, endurance, injury prevention, and confidence.
Athletic trainers work long hours and often times are overlooked in terms of importance to the success of coaches and players. Trainers prepare great workouts and and after workout programs in order to put athletes in the best place to succeed. Whether it is designing an ankle rehab program, creating a lifting workout, or preparing ice for players post game; athletic trainers are not nearly appreciated enough for the work they put in.
The DuBois Dream understands just how much time is sacrificed in order to put the players who then put the coaches in the best position to succeed. Our lead athletic trainer Samantha Morgan is one of the most vital parts to the overall success on the basketball court for the DuBois Dream.
Morgan is a Clearfield Area High School graduate whose college experience lead her to William Paterson University in New Jersey before returning closer to home to obtain her masters degree from the California University of Pennsylvania. At William and Paterson, she studied athletic training before obtaining her masters in performance enhancement and injury prevention. In her senior year as an undergraduate, Morgan was an intern for the New York Giants and was a member of a Super Bowl winning team. She currently serves as the Glendale Area Junior Senior High School Head Athletic Trainer. Morgan attends the schools games and practices to put the schools athletes in the best position to succeed. While Morgan now serves as an athletic trainer, she knows the feeling of competing at a high level.
Samantha was a four year letterwinner at William Paterson University on the volleyball team as a middle hitter and was a major contributor for the Pioneers throughout her four year career. Though Morgan was a great volleyball player in high school and college, she admits softball was perhaps her best sport because she began playing it at such a young age. “I have been in sports practically all my life. I started dance class when i was 3 years old. I added softball when I was 7 years old. I would say my true athletic career started with softball. That was my passion sport. A shoulder injury deterred me from following my career in softball after high school.”
While her shoulder injury may have limited her potential in the sport of softball, Morgan was able to find her passion for athletic training because of her injury. “My high school athletic trainer inspired me to become an athletic trainer.” Morgan said. “ As people play many sports, injuries happen and some are more substantial than others. During the beginning demise of my shoulder, my high school athletic trainer explained what was going on and how we together could attempt to fix it. He took the time to care and understand my goals and dreams of playing college softball. I became fascinated with how the body worked and how to correct dysfunctions through my injury. Sports have been apart of my life from such an early age and it was a no brainer that a career in athletic training should be the route I take.”
Through her experience, Samantha has worked at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels to gain a truly well rounded experience to bring to the DuBois Dream organization. She also brings a great understanding of what it is like to compete at a high level post high school which is a great perspective to offer a player as a trainer.
Outside of sports, Morgan enjoys art and cinema but admits not spending as much time as she likes to creating artwork or enjoying a movie. She also enjoys building a strong relationship with people which makes her a great fit for the DuBois Dream organization. The team is all about providing excellence for the community and to build relationships with as many people as possible. When asking Samantha about building more relationships in the Clearfield County area and with the DuBois Dream players, Morgan had a lot to say about this great opportunity.
“I want to build a relationship with the team and everyone involved to aid in the progression of the team to new heights. I want to help this team become a powerhouse that inspires the next generations to do the same. Lastly, I want to see the level of competition and love for the game and everything that comes with it come back.”
Morgan has prepared a great season long and year long program for the DuBois Dream players to complete to help them improve their basketball skills along with physical fitness. “I will be acting as an Athletic Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Coach for the team. I have written a full year lifting program, created and creating workouts and warm ups for the team for games, practices and off season trainings. I have a business also that focuses on sports performance enhancement, and am willing to bring that to the team as well. Parisi Speed School has a foundation training that has trained many athletes on all levels including professionally. This team is of professional nature and I want to give them that knowledge and opportunity as well to better themselves.”
Samantha Morgan is giving back to the area she grew up in and dearly loves. Like many other DuBois Dream employees, Morgan has high hopes for the team this upcoming season and hopes to help lead this team to another level on the floor. “I hope and expect to have a positive impact with all the members of the team. Eternal and internal members. I hope that I can grow as a clinician as well. I want to be able to inspire at least one person of any age to go out and fight for their dreams, and to surround themselves with positive people. In addition, I want to see advancements in speed, power, agility, drive, passion, and assuredness. I want to see the team dominate and continue to show class and sportsmanship. They are on the right path, and i would like to see them raise the bar for those that they come in contact with.”
Samantha Morgan is truly a driven individual with the knowledge and passion to help lead this organization in a positive direction in the weight room and also on the basketball court. Her knowledge about athletic training, her love of the area, and her passion for helping others reach their goals all make Samantha Morgan a great fit to take the DuBois Dream to new heights this season.
Nate Steis is a senior at Penn State Behrend majoring in marketing. His career in media began in 2016 as a intern for Memorial Park St Marys. In addition to the Memorial Park, Steis has contributed to the Penn State Behrend marketing major by becoming the president of the Behrend Marketing Club and assisting with the Penn State Behrend marketing website. Steis will be the contributing writer for the DuBois Dream Spotlight Series, which will feature DuBois Dream staff and players in the DuBois Dream’s third season in Minor League Basketball.