Father Alani Samia coached volleyball to an elite level (he now coaches Napier Boys' High School and Napier Girls' High School teams) and mother Kath used to be the development manager of the indoor code in Hawke's Bay.
But early this year the 15-year-old setter found herself in a limbo when she didn't make the cut for age-group honours at the national trials.
"It was really disappointing but again it helped me focus on one sport," says the NGHS year 11 pupil who had ironically followed her mother into the domain of basketball.
Kath had switched codes as administrator of Volleyball Hawke's Bay to Basketball Hawke's Bay and the teenager who had been playing the former since day dot found herself gravitating towards basketball at the age of 9.
"I started trying it out since mum was working at Basketball Hawke's Bay so I thought we'll see how far it goes from there," says the former Napier Central/Intermediate school pupil whose mother is the operations manager of Basketball HB in Napier.
Well, Samia jets off to Australia next month as a member of the New Zealand Under-16 girls' basketball team.
She will compete in the Australian State Basketball Championship in Kilsyth, Melbourne, from July 2-9.
It is the maiden step in a three-year high performance programme that aims to mould a team for the Under-17 World Basketball Championship in 2018.
The national team's coaching stable began the process of selection last December with its first trial and in April a 20-person squad was split into two teams of 10.
Samia was named in the top team while a "second A" team has just returned from a club tournament in Melbourne last week.
In previous tours, New Zealand teams competing at the Australian state championship have not finished any lower than fifth place.
Kath Samia says it'll cost $3200 a player for the Melbourne trip next month plus $240 to $270 for each training camp. The last of six camps will be held in Auckland on June 27-28.
Rosalia Samia is a shooting guard who puts in 90 minutes of training three to four times a week between camps, not to mention a strict fitness regime between school work.
"Sometimes I need motivation but I realise if I just sit around I won't do anything so I just have to do it."
Her former age-group coach, Suzie Hiha, helped her hone her skills but Samia's father also has supported her every time she has followed him to the schools' gyms to put up shots.
Hiha's no-nonsense approach has helped her establish a steely resolve towards training and playing.
"She was a real mean coach in a good way because she used to push us to reach our limits," says the teenager, recalling gut-busting sprints and endurance runs if they ever turned up with a sloppy attitude.
She finds basketball more engaging. A volleyball net creates a divide between the teams whereas basketball adds to the thrill of becoming hunters and gatherers from end to end of the court.
"Basketball is more physical and and you're up against each other."
Samia found it "scary" playing in a team of predominantly boys pre-high school but now appreciates that has helped shape her constitution in competing against females in the national and representative arenas.
She is adept at dropping baskets from downtown but she prefers to drive towards the hoops or pull out jump shots after shimmying and faking.
In her Bay age-group team, she's a big but in the national equation she mutates to a guard.
She missed out in her first NZ age-group trials in 2014.
"I think my confidence wasn't too high," she says but that has changed now with age and adroitness.
Organising the daily life routine is imperative for Samia who ensures her academic tasks are met and homework is done at lunch breaks and free periods during school hours.
Her ultimate goal is to secure an American college scholarship by the time she leaves high school.
