Beaming with excitement waiting for
the Schimmel sisters to come to Red Lake High School gym sits Amber
McNeal and her sister Diane. With a big smile on her face Amber says,
“Guess What? Last season I told my mom I would be so excited if
they ever came to Red Lake to show me some basketball moves and I
could get their autograph, and it came true!” Amber McNeal is ten
years old and in the 5th grade at Red Lake Elementary where she plays
on the basketball team. Amber had her wish come true that Jude and
Shoni Schimmel (Umatilla Tribe) would visit Red Lake.
The famed Native American basketball
stars showed up with their parents to a packed gymnasium on Sept. 21
at the Red Lake High School in Red Lake, Minn.
Shoni, 21, is a senior at Louisville
and is the first enrolled member of Oregon’s Umatilla Tribe to win
a college basketball scholarship. Jude, 19, is a sophomore and
followed her older sister to college and basketball fame.
Amber said she was happy to see the
sisters talking about when they played in the Final Four. “When I
watched their games they played so well. Even though they lost they
still played like really good. I just sat there and watched them
play, I didn’t get up during the commercials, not even to get a
drink!”
The morning began with a welcome,
drumming, invocation and remarks from Eugene Stillday and songs sung
by Anna Gibbs. The audience was full of Native people who traveled
from the Twin Cities, Duluth, Fond du Lac, Cass Lake and Bemidji.
Nelson Hernandez a coach and family friend and producer of Off the
Rez (a documentary of the sisters) kicked off the presentation with
the highlights of last seasons Final Four.
Watching the Baylor game the audience
started cheering as Shoni and Britney Griner were going toe to toe
and Shoni took it to the hoop over Griner. After the highlights
Hernandez introduced the Rick Schimmel. Rick addressesd the Baylor
highlights saying, “Some people ask where you were when JFK was
shot, or where were you when 9/11 happened. And now we have ‘where
were you when you watched the Louisville versus Baylor in the final
four?’
Both parents and sisters give
inspirational information for youth and parents. Their mother, CiCi
Schimmel, said to the parents “Be strong, be tough” and to the
kids she says “Listen to your parents.”
Jude emphasized “Be proud of who you
are, cherish it.” Jude also said, “There are always ups and
downs. Try to get the most positive thing you can get out of it.”
The audience listened attentively to
the presentation and then had several questions for the Schimmels. A
young girl asked Shoni, “What is your dream?” Shonie replied, “My
dream is to play in the WNBA!”
Another audience member asked Shoni
who she would want to play for in the WNBA? Shoni, who is in her
senior year, has draft thoughts on her mind and she said, “Actually
they did a mock draft and I was predicted to go 11th in the First
Round to the MN Lynx.” Applause and cheers erupted from the
audience.
Shoni won over everyone when she said,
“We are just like you. We come from a rural reservation with 1
store and the only other place you could go is to the casino and the
gym. We are the same, so I don’t you to think maybe I can be as
good as Jude and Shoni. Be better than us.”
The Schimmels wrapped up the youth
event with signing autographs and taking pictures, and they made
themselves available to the entire audience. The event ended with a
positive note from Rick Schimmels who announced that Shoni’s last
home game is March 3rd 2014 in Louisville and everyone is invited to
come and show support.
