Hall of Fame
Stephanie Samuels-Newsome was a four-year starter at center for the women's basketball team coached by Wagner Hall of Fame coach Gela Mikalauskus, and many regard Stephanie as Wagner's best. Samuels-Newsome left Wagner as the Seahawks leading scorer with 1,835 points and second leading rebounder with 1,240 and remains firmly entrenched in those slots today. After her senior year, Samuels was named All-Cosmopolitan First Team after scoring a school-record 654 points (23.4 ppg) while pulling down 410 rebounds (14.6 rpg). In that same year, she scored a school-record 43 points against FDU and graduated as the first player ever to shoot above 50 perfect from the field for her four-year career. She also has most total rebounds in one season, collecting 413 as a junior. A true team player Samuels-Newsome also guided the Green & White to a 73-41 record, including 32-15 during conference play, during her four years. She also was a member of arguably the best women’s team in school history, helping the Seahawks rip off an unparalleled 17 game winning streak en route to opening up the 1983-1984 season 22-1 before finishing up with a school-best 24-5 record, including 12-2 during league play. Upon graduation, Samuels was asked to play basketball overseas in Belgium. Following her playing career, she was a member New York City Department of Probation. She and her husband Jimmie, Jr. have two children; Jimmie III and Dominique.
