Did you catch the WNBA All-Star Game this weekend? Once again Shoni Schimmel proves her star power by breaking the record for most points ever scored in an All-Star game: 29! Great job!
Some highlights below from ESPN:
It was also reported earlier this week that Rookie Shoni Schimmel of the Atlanta Dream has the top-selling jersey in the WNBA. With stats like that a lot of people have taken notice of Shoni's popularity with Native fans across the nation. Mechelle Voepel with espnW.com reported on the All-Star Game and interviewed some of her family members.
Schimmel, along with her sister and former Louisville teammate, Jude, has been an inspiration to Native Americans all over the country. Wherever Shoni is playing, there are always those who come to watch because of the powerful loyalty and pride she inspires in them. She makes their spirits soar, and she can feel their hopes riding along with her.
“In Indian country, she is changing lives,” her mother, Ceci, said in the swirl of ecstatic family members surrounding Shoni after the game. “They look up to her. We've gotten letters from girls who say they are inspired to do things because of her.”
Schimmel is just the third player in league history to be voted an All-Star starter despite not regularly starting games for the Atlanta Dream. She's a rookie who is still learning what's needed on the defensive end for a veteran team with standouts such as Angel McCoughtry and Erika de Souza, who were both All-Stars.
But in the All-Star Game, where defense doesn't usually make an appearance until late in the fourth quarter, offense is the show. And that is Shimmel's place to shine.
“It's the same old Shoni, just a different stage,” said Jude Schimmel, who will be a senior for Louisville this season. “She's been playing like this since she was 4 years old. To see her do it on a stage like this, it's crazy, and I'm so happy for her. And I'm thrilled that so much of my family was here to see it.”
