Shoni Schimmel facts for kids

Shoni Schimmel (born May 4, 1992) is an American former professional basketball player. She was a top college player at the University of Louisville. In 2014, the Atlanta Dream picked her eighth overall in the first round of the 2014 WNBA draft.

Early Life and High School Basketball

Shoni Schimmel is 5 feet 9 inches tall and played as a shooting guard. She first became known for her basketball skills in high school in Oregon. Shoni grew up on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. A movie called Off the Rez was made about her journey. It showed her working to get a college scholarship through basketball.

She moved from Hermiston High School to Franklin High School in Portland. This move helped her get noticed by bigger colleges. After her senior year, she was named one of the best high school players.

Shoni was chosen for the 2010 Women's Basketball Coaches Association High School Coaches' All-America Team. Only the top twenty high school players in the country get this honor. She played in the 2010 WBCA High School All-America Game and scored six points.

College Basketball Career

Shoni chose to play college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals. She was a starting player for all four years. In her junior year (2012–13), she helped her team reach the championship game. This was during the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

In her final year, Shoni led her team in scoring with 17.1 points per game. She was named an All-American by the USBWA and Associated Press. She finished her college career with 2,174 points. This made her the second-highest scorer in Louisville's history.

College Statistics

Here are Shoni Schimmel's college basketball statistics.

Playing for Team USA

Shoni Schimmel was chosen to play for the US team in the 2013 World University Games. These games were held in Kazan, Russia. The team, coached by Sherri Coale, won their first four games easily. They scored over 100 points in each game.

After winning against Sweden, they played Australia in the semifinal. The US team was ahead by 17 points in the fourth quarter. But Australia came back and took the lead with less than a minute left. Crystal Bradford scored a basket with 14 seconds left, giving the US a 79–78 win.

In the gold medal game, the US played Russia. The US team never fell behind and won 90–71. This earned them the gold medal and the World University Games Championship. Shoni averaged 4.6 points per game during the tournament.

Professional WNBA Career

On April 14, 2014, the Atlanta Dream picked Shoni Schimmel in the WNBA draft. She was the eighth player chosen overall. Even though she usually started games from the bench, Shoni had a great first season. She averaged 8.3 points per game. Fans voted her to be a WNBA All-Star starter. She was only the third player in league history to do this while coming off the bench.

In her very first game, Shoni scored 7 points and had 11 assists. This was a record for the team. She scored a career-high 24 points in a game against the Phoenix Mercury. Twenty of those points came in just one quarter! This made her one of only six players in WNBA history to score 20 or more points in a single quarter.

Shoni also won the 2014 WNBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award. She scored 29 points in that game, which was a new All-Star Game record at the time. In 2014, her team jersey was the best-selling in the league. Other WNBA teams even held events to honor Native Americans when the Dream visited.

With Shoni's strong play and help from teammates like Sancho Lyttle, Érika de Souza, and Angel McCoughtry, the Atlanta Dream finished first in their conference. However, they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Chicago Sky.

In the 2015 season, Shoni averaged 7.6 points per game. She started more games that year and was again voted a WNBA All-Star starter. She led her team in assists for the whole season. However, the Dream did not make it to the playoffs that year.

Before the 2016 season, Shoni was traded to the New York Liberty. She had a smaller role on this team. She averaged career lows in playing time (4.5 minutes per game) and points (2.1 points per game). She also suffered a concussion during the season. This injury caused her to miss the rest of the year.

In April 2018, Shoni returned to the Liberty for training camp. But she was waived by the team a month later. On May 15, 2018, Shoni signed with the Las Vegas Aces. However, she was waived by the Aces just eight days later.

Personal Life

Shoni Schimmel has a younger sister named Jude. Jude was also her teammate at Louisville. Her youngest sister, Milan, played basketball for the University of Cincinnati. Shoni also has five brothers: Shae, Mick, Saint, Job, and Sun. Her parents are Ceci and Rick Schimmel.

WNBA Career Statistics

Here are Shoni Schimmel's WNBA career statistics.

Regular Season

Postseason

See Also

• Ryneldi Becenti
• Angel Goodrich
• Tahnee Robinson