Katie Lou Samuelson to miss Olympics

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Katie Lou Samuelson, a member of the inaugural 3×3 U.S. women’s basketball team, will not compete in the Tokyo Olympics Games. The Seattle Storm guard was placed under USA Basketball’s health and safety protocols Saturday and will be unable to participate in the July 23-28 competition.

The disappointing news comes during an otherwise breakout year for the 24-year old. In addition to being named to the 3×3 squad after helping the team qualify for the Olympic Games at the FIBA 3×3 qualifying tournament, Samuelson also earned All-EuroLeague Women First Team honors while leading Perfumerias Avenida to the Euroleague final. On Feb. 10, Katie Lou was traded to the defending champion Storm in exchange for the number No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 WNBA draft.

In an Instagram post, Monday afternoon, Samuelson shared her reaction to the news:

Las Vegas guard Jackie Young will replace Samuelson on the 3×3 team, joining Stefanie Dolson (Chicago Sky), Allisha Gray (Dallas Wings) and Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces) on the four-person roster. The No. 1 pick in the 2019 WNBA draft, Young played on a USA Basketball 3×3 national team at the 2019 World Beach Games and the 2020 USA 3×3 Olympic Qualifying Team training camp in Feb. 2020.

The 3×3 basketball will feature eight women’s teams competing at Aomi Urban Sports Park from July 24-28. The preliminary round will be played from July 24-27. The quarterfinals will be on July 27, and the semifinals and finals are set for July 28.