SPORTS
16 january 16, 2025
dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com
special delivery Through transfer to DME Academy, Olivia Schmitt became a pass-first point guard
By Noah Nussbaum
N
asst. sports editor
early 30 college coaches watched 5-foot-5 high school junior Olivia Schmitt square off against five-star prospect Maddy McDaniel. The then“little, no name” Schmitt went toeto-toe with the future South Carolina point guard, which instantly sparked a jump in her recruiting interest, according to Do More Everyday Academy head coach Michael Panaggio. “When I left that game, even though we lost, I said, ‘I have a legitimate Power Five starting point guard,’” Panaggio said. Offers began flooding in. About two months later, after a stellar performance against Life Center Academy and Kiyomi McMiller, ESPN’s 27thranked player in the 2024 class, St. John’s, Clemson and Syracuse offered Schmitt. SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack and associate head coach Kristen Sharkey attended the game and were impressed by Schmitt’s distribution. The next day, Schmitt noticed Panaggio was “acting weird” before revealing a coach would contact her. Sharkey then texted her with the Orange’s offer. Schmitt immediately wanted to play for SU, a program close to home that’d featured undersized guards in the past, most recently Dyaisha Fair. In March 2023, she visited and committed on the spot. Transferring to DME was vital for Schmitt’s development and advancing her career to college basketball’s highest level. She transferred to the prominent Daytona Beach, Florida, prep school after averaging 21.0 points per game as a sophomore at Staten Island Academy. Though surrounded by a Division I
caliber supporting cast at DME, she became a passfirst point guard, averaging over four assists in both her seasons there. It’s translated to Schmitt’s freshman year at Syracuse, where she ranks fourth on the team with 1.9 assists per game. “When I got to DME, I was surrounded by highlevel athletes. I knew in order to win basketball games, I had to be selfless and hit all these really talented players beside me,” Schmitt said. Schmitt, a Staten Island native, began her high school journey at SIA, where her freshman season was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic before breaking out as a sophomore. Because much of the previous year’s team had graduated, Schmitt became the Tigers’ most reliable scorer. SIA is a historic women’s basketball powerhouse, so Schmitt had big expectations on her shoulders. Still, per head coach Alison Ryan, she efficiently ran its offense as a three-level scorer. “(Schmitt) was a great spark for our team,” Ryan said. “Anybody would want to have an Olivia on their team.” Schmitt showed qualities of a pure point guard, too. Ryan said she played “tenacious defense,” often bagging layups directly off steals. She also flashed potential as a distributor on the perimeter. Her prowess led SIA to a 17-7 record and a 78-70 victory in the NYSAIS/PSAL Class A State Championship over Brooklyn Law and Tech, another top program in New York. Schmitt stayed composed through constant pressure, finishing with 24 points. Afterward, she and her teammates celebrated by filling a water jug with their bottles, and then Schmitt dumped it on Ryan. see schmitt page 12
football
Fran Brown awarded Bear Bryant Newcomer Coach of the Year By Cooper Andrews managing editor
Syracuse head coach Fran Brown has won the Bear Bryant Award for the top Newcomer Coach of the Year after leading the Orange to a 10-win campaign in 2024. Brown is the award’s second-ever recipient, given out by the American Heart Association since last season, following Northwestern head coach David Braun. Brown’s hiring in November 2023 sparked hope, and his execution in Year 1 of building a program at SU reaped historic rewards. The Orange returned
to their northeast recruiting roots, with Brown being a Camden, New Jersey, native; defeated three AP Top 25 teams, won double-digit games for the third time in the 21st century, had 12 players named to All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams and won a bowl game for the first time since 2018. The former 247Sports’ National Recruiter of the Year has established Syracuse as a place where players can maximize their potential. In 2025, Brown’s first true recruiting class, the Orange have a nation-leading 35 commitments. He’s also rescued multiple
players from the transfer portal who went on to have their best collegiate seasons under his guidance.
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Syracuse won 10 games in Fran Brown’s first season as head coach.
Quarterback Kyle McCord, who finished top-10 in Heisman voting after breaking SU’s single-season passing records, edge rusher Fadil Diggs (career-high 7.5 sacks) and wide receiver Jackson Meeks (career-best 1,021 yards) all dominated in their lone seasons after transferring. Among others, those three helped set the standard for Brown’s tenure in 2024. Brown tied Paul Pasqualoni in 1991 as the winningest first-year head coach in Syracuse history and helmed the Orange to their first AP Top 25 finish in six seasons. The highest
point of Brown’s debut year came on Nov. 30, when SU stunned then-No. 6 Miami in a 42-38 win at the JMA Wireless Dome. It was Syracuse’s highest-ranked victory since 2017. Yet, as he rarely seems to be, Brown wasn’t satisfied. “I wanted to win a national championship. I wanted to go to the conference championship,” Brown said after defeating the Hurricanes. “Those two things didn’t happen, but I guess it’s progress.”
ccandrew@syr.edu @cooper_andrews