CUJ Sports Schimmel sitting out 2017 WNBA season By Nick Martin
NEW YORK CITY - New York Liberty guard Shoni Schimmel announced her plan to sit out the 2017 WNBA season, according to Coach Bill Lambier. The hiatus comes after a down year on the court for Schimmel, a two-time AllStar who will be sitting out what would have been her fourth season in the league. Schimmel did not report to training camp in April, with Laimbeer telling ESPN that Schimmel “decided to take some time off.” Laimbeer did not specify why, telling the reporter to “call and ask her. I’m not going to speak for her. She’s on the roster, she’s under contract. It’s her choice.” According to her statement, Schimmel will return to the Liberty for the 2018 season. “I’m very grateful to the New York Liberty for allowing me to take this season to deal with some personal issues. I look forward to rejoining them next year.” Schimmel has long been a fixture for those who follow women’s college basketball and Native American athletes in general. She was featured in Jonathan
Hock’s “Off The Rez,” an excellent 2011 documentary that followed her career playing rez ball on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon, where she dominated the competitive local circuit, to the point that she was signed by Louisville. Schimmel went on to start and star for the Cardinals for four years; she finished second on the program’s all-time scoring list and was named an All-American as a senior after averaging 17.1 points per game in 2014. The same year, she went No. 8 to the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA draft. As a rookie, Schimmel was in the starting rotation within the first five games, scoring 17 points in both the team’s second and third games of the year. She only started twice before the All-Star break, coming off the bench the rest of the year to average 8.7 points and 3.6 assists in 21 minutes per game. Her early season breakout performances and fairly consistent play off the bench were enough to impress fans by July, when she was voted as a starter in the 2014 All-Star Game. Schimmel capitalized on the spotlight, scoring an WNBA All-Star Game-record 29 points
Photo Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Shoni Schimmel, a basketball star on the Umatilla Indian Reservation as a youngster, was a standout high school player in Oregon before playing at the University of Louisville. She was drafted to the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream and now plays for the New York Liberty.
in ridiculously fun fashion. In the fourth quarter and overtime, Schimmel was draining deep threes, flipping in runners, and banking fadeaway jumpers; her East squad edged out the West 125-124 in overtime after she cut a four-point deficit to one with 41 seconds left.
By season’s end, Schimmel’s was the league’s most popular jersey. But the success she had in producing the occasional excellent game came less often in her second season with the Dream. Schimmel’s points, assists, and win shares per 48 minutes all dropped; she still went for 7.6 points, 2.5 boards, and 3.2 assists, earning her a secondstraight All-Star Game appearance. The second nod from the fans was not enough for Atlanta, though, which traded Schimmel to the Liberty for a second-round pick at the end of the season, reportedly in part because Schimmel appeared for training camp and games during the regular season out of shape. Schimmel seemed to be in fine condition this past season, but she struggled to earn minutes or produce on the court with the Liberty, coming off the bench to play in 17 games before a concussion sidelined her for the remainder of the season. She finished the season averaging 2.1 points and 0.6 assists per contest. Nick Martin writes about the WNBA for The Early Lead. He has written sports articles for a number of on-line publications as well as The Washington Post.
Stewart 1A Player of Year PORTLAND – Mary Stewart was named Oregon’s Class 1A Player of the Year and Jeremy Maddern was named Coach of the Year, topping off a state title for the Nixyaawii Community School girls basketball team. Milan Schimmel joined Stewart as one of the five girls named to the first team by the 1A Oregon Basketball Coaches Association. Her brother, freshman Mick Schimmel, received honorable mention on the boy’s side of the all-star list. He was the only player on the allstar squad that wasn’t a junior or senior. Stewart and Milan Schimmel, Mary Stewart averaged 23 points with a game high of 41 in which she made 10 of b o t h j u n i o r s , 11 three-pointers in the Old Oregon League. were joined by In the state title game she scored 34 Mollie Lewanpoints,with 7 steals, 6 rebounds, 3 assists dowski, a junior and 3 blocked shots. from Country Christian, and two seniors, Claire Hammond from Crane and Kalli Frieze from North Douglas. Sherman County’s Max Martin, a senior, was named Oregon’s Class 1A Player of the year and Sherman County Coach, Bill Blevins, earned top honors. Sherman County, which won the state title, added junior Jacob Justesen to the first team, and two players to the second team. In addition to Martin and Justesen, the first team included seniors JJ Echave from Jordan Valley, Isaac Colton from Powder Valley, and Colton Fuller from Days Creek.
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Members of the state champion Nixyaawii Golden Eagles girls’ basketball team were feted May 19 in a ring ceremony at Wildhorse Casino. The girls went unbeaten in Class 1A and ran away with the state title in Baker City in March. The girls in attendance were, front row from left, Stacy Fitzpatrick, Susie Patrick, Ermia Butler, Alyssa Tonasket, Tristalynn Melton, Kyle Mountainchief, Tyanna Van Pelt. And back row from left, Kaitlynn Melton, Sunshine Fuentes, Coach Jeremy Maddern, EllaMae Looney and Milan Schimmel. Not pictured is Mary Stewart, the Oregon Class 1A Player of the Year. Wildhorse sponsored the event and a plated dinner. The Board of Trustees for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation made a cash contribution to purchase the rings. Another donation for the event came from Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center. Photo contributed by Andi Scott
Jada Burns all CBC second baseman Jada Burns, second baseman for the Irrigon Knights softball team, was named to the all-Columbia Basin Conference team. Irrigon finished second in the district after a win over Stanfield and a loss to Weston-McEwen. Burns made two highlight-reel double plays. In the game against Stanfield, Burns made a diving catch and then tagged second base to catch a runner who left early. At Athena, with a runner at second base, Burns fielded the ball in the short-stop area, faked a throw to first but tagged out the runner who was heading toward third base.
Confederated Umatilla Journal
June 2017