University of Massachusets Athletics
2020-21 Women's Basketball Roster
Breen, Sam
Jersey Number 34
Sam Breen
- Position:
- F
- Class:
- Senior
- Height:
- 6-1
- High School:
- North Catholic
- Hometown:
- Gibsonia, Pa.
Bio
Academic Major: Learning, Media and Technology (graduate); Sociology (undergraduate)
2022-23 – Graduate Student: 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year … Atlantic 10 Player of the Year … Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team … ECAC Player of the Year … All-ECAC First Team … FIU Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team … Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Women's Watch List … 2022-23 Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch Lists … Program’s All-Time Career Points Leader (1,974) ... Atlantic 10 Player of the Week (12/5/22; 1/30/23; 2/27/23) … Breen averaged 17.3 points per game totaling 589 points … Averaged 10.1 rebounds per game (345 total) ... Finished third in the Atlantic 10 in scoring with her points per game average, and first with her rebounds per game average, while sitting 20th in the nation … Recorded 20 double-doubles on the season, a career-high in a single season, placing ninth in the country and moving her career total to 60 … Registered her first career triple-double against St. Bonaventure (12/31), becoming only the second Minutewomen to do so …. In defensive rebounds per game, she ranked 20th in the nation (7.4; 250 total), and 10th in total rebounds (345) ... She shattered a 43-year-old career points record, finishing with 1,974 points while also scoring the most points in a single season (589) ... Etched her name within the program’s top-15 of 15 career records categories.
2021-22 – Graduate Student: CoSIDA Academic All-American Third Team … CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team … 2022 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the YEar Semifinalist … Atlantic 10 Player of the Year … Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team … Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team … Atlantic 10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player … Atlantic 10 All-Championship Team … Gulf Coast Showcase All-Tournament Team … Atlantic 10 Player of the Week (11/29/21; 1/24/22) … Started in all 33 contests … Averaged a team-high 17.3 points and 10.1 rebounds over 36.4 minutes per night … Ranked first in Atlantic 10 in double-doubles, totaling 17 on the year, while tying for 18th in the nation … Scored in double figures in 29 contests … Was second in the Atlantic 10 in rebounds per game (10.1), placing first in total rebounds (332) and in defensive rebounds (227) … Was 20th in the NCAA in rebounds … Matched her career best in points with 31 against Notre Dame in the NCAA First Round (3/19) … Pulled down a season-high 16 rebounds vs. Fairfield (12/1) … Had a career-high seven assists against Saint Louis (2/5) … Scored her 1,000th career point vs. Boston College (12/8), along with fellow co-captain Destiney Philoxy … Played in her 100th career game against Fordham in the Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals (3/4).
2020-21 – Senior: WNIT Charlotte All-Region Team ... CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team ... Atlantic 10 All-Championship Team ... Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team ... Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team ... Atlantic 10 Player of the Week (1/4/21; 1/11/21) ... Started in all 24 contests ... Averaged a team-high 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds over 37.5 minutes per game ... Ranked first in Atlantic 10 in double-doubles, totaling 15 on the season ... Recorded seven consecutive double-doubles from Jan. 29-March 13 ... Scored double figures in 22 of 24 games played, including eight with a 20 or more-point effort ... Had a season-high 31 points at Boston College (11/29) ... Ranked first in the A-10 conference with 241 rebounds on the year, and was fourth in rebounds per game with her average ... Pulled down a season-high 18 rebounds and contributed four assists in the win vs. Richmond (2/28).
2019-20 – Junior: Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team ... Atlantic 10 Player of the Week (2/3/20) ... Appeared in 20 games and started the final 11 contests of the season, after sitting out the Fall semester due to NCAA transfer rules ... Made her UMass debut in a win at Iona (12/21) ... Averaged a team-high 16.9 points and 9.2 rebounds over 32.7 minutes per night ... Eight double-doubles ranked second in the Atlantic 10, and was tied for fifth in the league with as many 20-point efforts ... Scored double figures in 16 games, including all 11 starts ... Shot 43% from the floor including 37% on three-pointers ... Became the first UMass player since at least 1997-98 to contribute 20-plus points in her first five starts ... Contributed four straight double-doubles from Feb. 22-March 3 ... Grabbed 17 rebounds in a win vs. Davidson (2/22), the most by a Minutewoman since 2017-18 ... Fifteen defensive boards in that Davidson game tied a Mullins Center record, first set in 2002-03 by UMass rebounding legend Jennifer Butler.
2018-19 – Sophomore: Transferred to Massachusetts from Penn State following the Fall 2018 semester ... Under NCAA rules, Breen may practice immediately and is eligible to play beginning the day after the last day of classes following the Fall 2019 academic term.
Before Massachusetts: Spent the 2017-18 season and part of 2018-19 at Penn State before transferring to UMass ... Appeared in 26 games with the Lady Lions ... Was the hero in a thrilling comeback victory against Providence (Nov. 8, 2018) ... After trailing by 15 late in the third quarter, Penn State closed the gap to six points in the final minutes before ending the contest on an 8-0 run ... Breen capped her nine-point, seven-rebound second half sinking a pair of game-winning free throws with a mere 0.4 seconds on the clock to steal the victory.
Before College: Played high school basketball at North Catholic in Pennsylvania ... Was tabbed the 2017 Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year as well as the PIAA 4A Player of the Year ... Was ranked No. 67 nationally in the Class of 2017 by the Dan Olson Collegiate Girls Basketball Report ... Over the course of her North Catholic career, Breen amassed over 2,500 points.
Personal: Daughter of Mike and Christine Breen ... Has two siblings, Caroline and Michael ... Uncle, Stephen Breen, played basketball at Fordham ... Is interested in graphic design and enjoys taking pictures, watching movies and spending time with friends.
Coach Verdi on Breen: "We are excited to add Sam to our roster. Sam is an agile, face-up four player with great interior footwork. Her versatility will complement the current players in our program as she will be utilized in the post and out on the perimeter. Sam will bring added depth to our front court, which is greatly needed as we continue to move our program to the next level."
Breen on UMass: "After I visited, I had such a good feeling about UMass all around. The staff was great, the team was great, the campus was great."
2022-23 – Graduate Student: 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year … Atlantic 10 Player of the Year … Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team … ECAC Player of the Year … All-ECAC First Team … FIU Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team … Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Women's Watch List … 2022-23 Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch Lists … Program’s All-Time Career Points Leader (1,974) ... Atlantic 10 Player of the Week (12/5/22; 1/30/23; 2/27/23) … Breen averaged 17.3 points per game totaling 589 points … Averaged 10.1 rebounds per game (345 total) ... Finished third in the Atlantic 10 in scoring with her points per game average, and first with her rebounds per game average, while sitting 20th in the nation … Recorded 20 double-doubles on the season, a career-high in a single season, placing ninth in the country and moving her career total to 60 … Registered her first career triple-double against St. Bonaventure (12/31), becoming only the second Minutewomen to do so …. In defensive rebounds per game, she ranked 20th in the nation (7.4; 250 total), and 10th in total rebounds (345) ... She shattered a 43-year-old career points record, finishing with 1,974 points while also scoring the most points in a single season (589) ... Etched her name within the program’s top-15 of 15 career records categories.
2021-22 – Graduate Student: CoSIDA Academic All-American Third Team … CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team … 2022 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the YEar Semifinalist … Atlantic 10 Player of the Year … Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team … Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team … Atlantic 10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player … Atlantic 10 All-Championship Team … Gulf Coast Showcase All-Tournament Team … Atlantic 10 Player of the Week (11/29/21; 1/24/22) … Started in all 33 contests … Averaged a team-high 17.3 points and 10.1 rebounds over 36.4 minutes per night … Ranked first in Atlantic 10 in double-doubles, totaling 17 on the year, while tying for 18th in the nation … Scored in double figures in 29 contests … Was second in the Atlantic 10 in rebounds per game (10.1), placing first in total rebounds (332) and in defensive rebounds (227) … Was 20th in the NCAA in rebounds … Matched her career best in points with 31 against Notre Dame in the NCAA First Round (3/19) … Pulled down a season-high 16 rebounds vs. Fairfield (12/1) … Had a career-high seven assists against Saint Louis (2/5) … Scored her 1,000th career point vs. Boston College (12/8), along with fellow co-captain Destiney Philoxy … Played in her 100th career game against Fordham in the Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals (3/4).
2020-21 – Senior: WNIT Charlotte All-Region Team ... CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team ... Atlantic 10 All-Championship Team ... Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team ... Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team ... Atlantic 10 Player of the Week (1/4/21; 1/11/21) ... Started in all 24 contests ... Averaged a team-high 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds over 37.5 minutes per game ... Ranked first in Atlantic 10 in double-doubles, totaling 15 on the season ... Recorded seven consecutive double-doubles from Jan. 29-March 13 ... Scored double figures in 22 of 24 games played, including eight with a 20 or more-point effort ... Had a season-high 31 points at Boston College (11/29) ... Ranked first in the A-10 conference with 241 rebounds on the year, and was fourth in rebounds per game with her average ... Pulled down a season-high 18 rebounds and contributed four assists in the win vs. Richmond (2/28).
2019-20 – Junior: Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team ... Atlantic 10 Player of the Week (2/3/20) ... Appeared in 20 games and started the final 11 contests of the season, after sitting out the Fall semester due to NCAA transfer rules ... Made her UMass debut in a win at Iona (12/21) ... Averaged a team-high 16.9 points and 9.2 rebounds over 32.7 minutes per night ... Eight double-doubles ranked second in the Atlantic 10, and was tied for fifth in the league with as many 20-point efforts ... Scored double figures in 16 games, including all 11 starts ... Shot 43% from the floor including 37% on three-pointers ... Became the first UMass player since at least 1997-98 to contribute 20-plus points in her first five starts ... Contributed four straight double-doubles from Feb. 22-March 3 ... Grabbed 17 rebounds in a win vs. Davidson (2/22), the most by a Minutewoman since 2017-18 ... Fifteen defensive boards in that Davidson game tied a Mullins Center record, first set in 2002-03 by UMass rebounding legend Jennifer Butler.
2018-19 – Sophomore: Transferred to Massachusetts from Penn State following the Fall 2018 semester ... Under NCAA rules, Breen may practice immediately and is eligible to play beginning the day after the last day of classes following the Fall 2019 academic term.
Before Massachusetts: Spent the 2017-18 season and part of 2018-19 at Penn State before transferring to UMass ... Appeared in 26 games with the Lady Lions ... Was the hero in a thrilling comeback victory against Providence (Nov. 8, 2018) ... After trailing by 15 late in the third quarter, Penn State closed the gap to six points in the final minutes before ending the contest on an 8-0 run ... Breen capped her nine-point, seven-rebound second half sinking a pair of game-winning free throws with a mere 0.4 seconds on the clock to steal the victory.
Before College: Played high school basketball at North Catholic in Pennsylvania ... Was tabbed the 2017 Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year as well as the PIAA 4A Player of the Year ... Was ranked No. 67 nationally in the Class of 2017 by the Dan Olson Collegiate Girls Basketball Report ... Over the course of her North Catholic career, Breen amassed over 2,500 points.
Personal: Daughter of Mike and Christine Breen ... Has two siblings, Caroline and Michael ... Uncle, Stephen Breen, played basketball at Fordham ... Is interested in graphic design and enjoys taking pictures, watching movies and spending time with friends.
Coach Verdi on Breen: "We are excited to add Sam to our roster. Sam is an agile, face-up four player with great interior footwork. Her versatility will complement the current players in our program as she will be utilized in the post and out on the perimeter. Sam will bring added depth to our front court, which is greatly needed as we continue to move our program to the next level."
Breen on UMass: "After I visited, I had such a good feeling about UMass all around. The staff was great, the team was great, the campus was great."
UMass WBB | Highlights vs Stonehill | 03.20.25
Thursday, March 20
UMass WBB | Postgame Press Conference vs Stonehill | 03.20.25
Thursday, March 20
UMass WBB | Press Conference vs. URI | 2.23.25
Sunday, February 23
UMass Women's Basketball | Press Conference vs. Loyola Chicago | 2.19.25
Wednesday, February 19
