Growing up, freshman guard Samson Reilly knew one thing: basketball.
Whether it was shooting on the mini-hoop during the NBA Finals or attending his father’s practices, Samson’s life was surrounded by the game.
“My basketball experience started ever since I can remember,” Reilly said. “I think the first time I picked up a basketball was when I came out of the womb. My earliest memories are at a basketball game, on a basketball court, anything really basketball-related.”
Reilly grew up in Manchester, Connecticut, as the middle child of three. His older brother, Luke Reilly Jr., is a sophomore guard at Division II Florida Southern College and his younger brother, Rocco Reilly, is a sophomore at East Catholic High School.
With four years separating Luke and Rocco, it was difficult for all three to play on one team. However, as the middle child, Samson was able to play with both, and he knew how he needed to learn from Luke Jr. but also teach when it came down to playing with Rocco.
“Once my older brother left last year, then I really started to get along with my younger brother and take things that my older brother did for me and I did for him,” Samson said. “That meant a lot to me, so if I do it for (Rocco), it’ll mean a lot to him.”
Like Rocco, Samson and Luke went through the reigns of East Catholic learning under the wing of their father, Luke Reilly Sr.
Playing for your father comes with challenges, something Luke Sr. understood well from his own experiences playing for his dad. Coaching a son often draws scrutiny, with outsiders assuming favoritism. But, for Luke Sr., the decision was made for itself.
“They’re typically the types of players that are the first guys in, the last guys to leave,” Luke Sr. said. “And that really helped a lot. I played for my dad. It’s something I wouldn’t trade for the world. But there’s also definitely some challenges that come with it.”
Despite the obstacles that arose in his four seasons at East Catholic, Samson averaged 28 points per game and finished 20-3 his senior year, totaling 77 wins in his time there, according to MaxPreps. He also won two state titles with his brother, Luke Jr. and his dad, Luke Sr. The latter of those state titles is something that the Reilly’s hold dear to their hearts.
Both Luke Jr. and Samson have been around the East Catholic basketball program for as long as they can remember — being at practices, on the bus before games, sitting on the bench and being in the locker room. After watching East Catholic win the state championship in 2014, the brothers made a pact: they would tackle their dad at halfcourt after that final horn sounded.
Nine years later, it came true when they won the 2023 DI Connecticut State Championship.
“The buzzer goes off, we win, and we both find each other, and we tackle and take him down,” Luke Jr. said. “And, just that in itself, like that little moment that might not have seem so awesome to other people, it meant the world to us.”
Samson is a part of a long line of Reilly’s in Connecticut. His grandfather, Joe, and great uncle, Gene, are among some of the most successful high school coaches in the area. His uncle, Joe, coaches at Wesleyan University.
“Honestly, it was great, definitely something that you think about and kind of reflect on every day, like that’s how awesome of an experience it was,” Luke Jr. said. “I will say early on, though, it’s one of those things where you’re the coach’s son. So every successful thing you do is minimized, and every mistake that happens that was caused by you is magnetized.”
Reilly was the earliest commitment out of the five freshmen on the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team, announcing his intentions to play for head coach Tom Pecora on Nov. 8, 2023. That relief took the pressure off going into his final year of high school.
“Colleges are probably saying, ‘Hey, we’re gonna take this many kids out of high school, we can take this many kids out of the portal,’ and you got to factor all that in,” Luke Reilly Sr. said. “The timeline of the decision was perfect for him, and I feel like it really allowed him to really thrive his senior year and enjoy the game, and he loves basketball.”
So far, Samson has not played a game for the Bobcats, and it looks like his first year in Hamden will be a redshirt season. But for him, the decision to stay close to home wasn’t for the short term.
“I thought Quinnipiac felt like a place where I could be more successful short-term and long-term,” Samson said. “Being close to home, I’m super close to my dad and my whole family. So them being able to come to games was something that was important to me, and for me to have that support system close by was another deciding factor.”
For Samson, basketball is more than just a game. From driveway battles with his brothers to winning state championships with his dad, he carries the passion for the game that comes from the last name Reilly.
