Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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DECEMBER 2023 19 Virginia graduate student forward Sam Brunelle was in the fifth grade when she received her first college basketball recruiting letter. Since then, the Ruckersville, Va., native has compiled a multitude of career achievements from winning the three-point contest at the 2019 McDonald's High School All-America game to scoring more than 1,000 career points as a player in the ACC. Brunelle's journey has been a storied one filled with ups and downs between a three-year stint at Notre Dame (2019-22), and now going on Year 2 with the Cavaliers. The 2023-24 season will be Brunelle's last in a collegiate uniform. And while Brunelle is fo- cused on making the most of her final season, this past year she has dedicated time to building her résumé to prepare for life after bas- ketball. Upon earning her undergraduate degree from Notre Dame in radio, tele- vision and digital commu- nication, Brunelle is putting her acquired knowledge to the test in the broadcast industry as an intern with Charlottesville Radio Group. Additionally, she hosts her own weekly podcast, "Sam's Corner," which kicked off its second season in November and is co-hosted by current UVA football safety Antonio Clary. "It helps me a lot with my communication skills," Brunelle said of her on-air experience. Brunelle's long-term ca- reer goal is to work in sports broadcasting, and she knows that — like the game of bas- ketball — preparation is key in the broadcast industry. "Like people say all the time, sports will relate to life in a lot of ways," she said. "Especially at the college level, you have to scout, you prepare two days out, and you're learning a little bit more and more each day. And it's the same thing with preparing for an interview or producing or whatever because you want to do your job well. "And so, if you want to do it well it takes preparation." An active user on social media, Brunelle has also leveraged her developed communication skills to help secure numerous endorse- ment deals after the NCAA's rules that pertain to name, image and likeness (NIL) were significantly relaxed in the summer of 2021. But Brunelle sees the big picture — the long-term value — of being able to leverage her developed communication skills in the NIL space. Of course, NIL opportunities have created streams of income for Brunelle, but she has also seized upon the intangible benefits of it as well. "I've been able to use NIL in ways that helps me get more experi- ence in the future that I want to have, which has been really special," Brunelle said. "Not only am I getting paid, but I'm getting to learn more about student-athletes here at UVA and reaching out to the community and getting them involved with the [podcast]. "A lot of my show is not only about interviewing the guests that we have, but it also gives the audience a chance to be a part of that and feel like they're kind of a part of the athletes' lives in a sense, and so I think that's kind of a cool part about it." Brunelle, who missed the final eight games of the 2022-23 season due to injury, also missed the first two games of the Cavaliers' 2023-24 campaign after suffering a separate injury during Vir- ginia's preseason. Two hun- dred eighty-nine days had passed since Brunelle last checked into a game. On Nov. 15, the John Paul Jones Arena crowd gave Brunelle a standing ovation as she took the floor midway through the first quarter of the Cavaliers' contest against William & Mary, an 80-51 victory for the Hoos. She finished the game with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including a pair of threes and an and- one, along with 4 rebounds in just 13 minutes of action. While Brunelle's collegiate playing career winds down, her developed communica- tions skills have already be- gun to take on a life of their own. Because while ever y collegiate or professional basketball player's time on the court comes to an end, life after basketball — at least for Brunelle — is still in a youthful state. Brunelle's eagerness to be the best version of herself in broad- cast is why Charlottesville Radio Group program manager Jay James believes the best is yet to come for Brunelle, whose given on-air nickname from her peers is "Sammy B." "What has been the most impressive for us is what I think her teammates know about her and her coaching staff is her attitude," James said. "And just her willingness to take on any task no matter how difficult … with enthusiasm, with a great level of joy, and she's really brightened our building. "Samantha is very gifted, and this is the perfect field for her to enter when her playing days are over. And what we've seen her do is we've seen her grow in her ability to do it in her time that she spent with us." — Patrick Boling SAM BRUNELLE IS FOCUSED ON MAKING THE MOST OF HER FINAL SEASON, ON AND OFF THE COURT Brunelle serves as an intern with Charlottesville Radio Group and hosts her own weekly podcast, "Sam's Corner." (Photo courtesy UVA)