Interview with Stephanie Schmid of the Portlaoise Panthers

Stephanie Schmid has arrived in Ireland to begin life as a Professional Basketball Player with Women’s Super League side Portlaoise Panthers after impressing during her 2-year college stint with the Nevada Wolfpack. Schmid 23, from Lake Zurich, Illinois played all 60 games in her two years averaging 12.4 points a game. 

The 5’ 10” guard describes herself as a shooter, “I am definitely a shooter. I love to shoot threes. I've also really worked on various different parts of scoring and ways to create my shot or create offense for others. I am also a gym rat. I love to be in the gym for hours and work on every aspect of my game to further benefit the team. I strive to be the hardest worker on and off the court in every aspect in basketball, as well as in life,” said Schmid.

When at Nevada Schmid had a 33% 3-point shooting accuracy which left her 6th all-time, which is a record to be very proud of. She says, “To be honest, I don't really focus too much on stats or percentages. Obviously, I want to shoot well and bring that accuracy to the Panthers, but I really want to help lead by example and always be the hardest worker no matter if I am playing well or not. I also want to be the best teammate and person I can possibly to everyone on this team.”

“I loved every second of my college basketball experience. I made some of my best friends and family for life through college basketball and I made memories that I will carry with me forever. Just being a student and an athlete representing a college is something really special. I am just so thankful and blessed that I got to experience some of the best years of my life while playing basketball, as well as graduate with a college degree.”

She fell in love with the game of basketball before the 7th Grade with the help of her dad Daniel, “I first started playing basketball during the summer leading up to 7th grade. I grew up in a neighbourhood with all boys who were close to my age, so I was always involved in all types of sports based on what season it was. Anyways, during that summer leading up to 7th grade, I finally asked my dad if he could teach me how to shoot and to play the game. From that day on, I was shooting and practicing those skills that he had taught me on our outdoor basket for hours each day. I fell in love with the game and simply the process of improving.”

Many players finish off college and leave the game behind, however some look to play professionally either at home or abroad and Schmid had her mind made up that the professional route was something she wanted to do. She told us, “Playing basketball professionally really became an ambition for me. I have always had the thought, but I never knew if I could get to that level. Anything that is at a professional level, whether that's athletics or simply any job, should require serious dedication to that field. So, the summer leading up to my senior year, I decided to put literally everything I had in me into the game as if it was my job for the rest of my life. I had always worked extremely hard during off seasons, but this was my last go at college ball, so you kinda just get a little more excited and there's just that extra push in the gas tank.”

“That summer, I honestly surprised myself at how much further I could push myself not only physically, but mentally and spiritually. During my senior season, I ended up improving my stats by quite a bit and I improved my overall game in general. Once the season ended, I just really wasn't ready to give the game up. So, I signed with an agent and really hoped for an opportunity to play and that is exactly what happened.”

We wanted to know how it came about that she ended up heading to Ireland to play for the Panthers and she said, “I signed with my agent (Matthew Krejci, an Ohio-based agent who specializes in negotiating contracts for women's basketball players in Europe) shortly after my college season ended and really he did all the work in helping me find a team. I had a few options, but playing in Ireland was the most intriguing to me; obviously an English speaking country was a huge plus and made the decision much more comforting. On top of that, I have had so many friends and family that have traveled to Ireland and they loved it. I had been in communication with the Portlaoise club and the fit was just perfect.”

Schmid confesses to not knowing too much about the game in Ireland before agreeing to join the Panthers, but she knows it’s an exciting time for the Women’s game here following the success of the Irish U-18 team in this summer’s European Championships, “I knew very little about basketball in Ireland. All I really knew was based on research and information my agent had shared with me. Regardless, I was given an incredible opportunity and I would’ve regretted it for the rest of my life if I did not take it.”

“I am definitely looking forward to being a part of the rise of Irish women's basketball. I think that the sport is rapidly growing in Ireland and the word is spreading. I cannot wait to be a part of growing this amazing sport in a such an amazing country.”

She will also line-up alongside two stars of that Irish team in Claire Melia and Maeve Phelan and is looking forward to that, “I am really looking forward to playing with Claire and Maeve. Both of them are such nice girls and are very talented as well. I hope to share success with them and create a lot of memories this season.”

Stephanie has settled in very well so far since arriving in Ireland, “It's crazy that it has only been a couple of weeks since I have been here, but I have definitely settled in very quickly. The Portlaoise club is very welcoming and family oriented, and everyone from my team-mates, coaches, fans, and everyone within the community have made this transition very easy. I've also had some time to explore all of Portlaoise, as well as travel to Dublin.”

“I am definitely going to travel and explore as much of Ireland as I can. I am so excited for our away games as well because we will be able to see some of the most beautiful and scenic parts of this country. I am also a huge foodie and, so far, the food in Ireland is amazing. I have to say, though, the ice cream is my favorite (two thumbs up for Murphy's sticky toffee pudding ice-cream). 

As for the ambitions for the season ahead Schmid said, “My ambition with the Panthers this season is to definitely win as many games as possible, win the cup, and make a strong push through playoffs. I also really want to grow as close as possible with my team-mates and have a really great season on and off the court with them. I obviously hope to develop my game as much as possible and create more opportunities for myself within the professional basketball circuit.”

Portlaoise Panthers tip-off their Super League season with a home game against Super Valu Brunell in St Mary’s Hall on Saturday October 7th at 6pm.