The center of attention

Barry Faulkner

Pete Newell would love Kelly Schmidt. The Naismith Memorial

Basketball Hall of Fame coach, whose annual summer big man camp has

polished generations of post players, couldn’t teach Schmidt much she

doesn’t already know and employ as a freshman star for the Vanguard

University women’s basketball team.

Vanguard Coach Russ Davis continually marvels at, and thoroughly

enjoys, the knack Schmidt has for getting ideal position inside,

whether backing a defender down, sealing off to accept a pass, or

blocking out to collect rebounds.

“She’s a very intelligent player, who is real physical and real

strong,” said Davis, who has seen the 6-foot center consistently

dominate taller opponents. “She uses her body well and can shoot with

either hand. She’s just very creative and you can’t stop her

one-on-one.”

Schmidt’s 21.6 points per game ranks second among NAIA Division I

players and she is also among the national leaders in field-goal

shooting (seventh at 60.4%) and rebounds (17th at 8.6 per game). Her

seven double-doubles this season (double-figure points and rebounds

in the same game), rank 11th nationally through 19 games. And, most

important of all, she has helped lead the Lions to a 17-2 record, a

No. 4 national ranking, and first place in the Golden State Athletic

Conference, heading into tonight’s 5:30 home date with Concordia.

“She’s legit and she’s going to be an All-American,” Davis said.

“And, as great of a player as she is, she’s even more awesome as a

person. She’s unbelievable. I started telling her about a month ago

the best thing about her is that she’s a freshman. She’s going to

tear up this conference. She already is. Whenever I have trouble

sleeping, I just think to myself ‘Kelly’s a freshman.’ ”

Schmidt’s development began at home, where 6-7 father Dan, who

played collegiately in the NAIA at Grand Canyon University in

Phoenix, Ariz., encouraged both she and brother Ryan to pick up the

game at an early age.

Pickup games of one-on-one, between Kelly and Ryan, two years her

elder who played briefly as a 6-3 guard at Manhattan Christ College

in Kansas, became a regular ritual in the Schmidt driveway.

Struggling to compete against her stronger, taller, older brother,

Schmidt believes, increased her skill development exponentially.

“I started playing against [Ryan] when I was in the third grade,”

Schmidt said. “He would take me down low and push on me. And I had to

really work to find different ways to shoot, without him blocking

it.”

Schmidt also refined her play against top club competition. It was

during a club tournament, she first came to the attention of Davis.

“My [club] team played against her two summers ago,” Davis

recalled. “We lost one game the whole summer and it was to her team.

She scored 29 points against us. I talked to their coach afterward

and he said most [NCAA] Division I schools weren’t recruiting her,

because she was too small. That was perfect for me.”

Schmidt’s desire to attend a Christian school didn’t hurt, either,

but the product of Ironwood High in Glendale, Ariz. said her initial

interest in the GSAC did not include Vanguard.

“I was looking at The Master’s, Point Loma [Nazarene] and

Westmont,” Schmidt said. “I really didn’t think I was going to come

to Vanguard. But when I visited, the girls got along so well. I

really liked the amazing team chemistry and there was Coach Davis.”

Despite her success in the post, Davis believes she could be even

more valuable as a forward. And, with 6-3 freshman Rachel Besse

developing rapidly, as well as the expected arrival next season of

6-4 University of San Diego transfer Andrea Jacobson, Davis said

Schmidt’s quickness, strength and mid-range shooting touch will make

her an even tougher matchup at the three or four spot.

“It’s scary to think what she could do at her natural position,”

Davis said.

Schmidt, who plays with her hair pulled tightly into a pony tail,

exhibits a wide-eyed facial expression on the court that is

reminiscent of a screaming horror-film victim.

But, when she gets the ball, it’s opponents who are victimized.

Her driveway survival has spawned the type of body control unique in

the women’s game. She often falls away or drifts to one side when

leaping to attempt a shot inside, confounding those who try to get a

hand in front of her. Her ability to create angles against defenders,

frequently allows her to convert, even when fouled.

“She gets a lot of traditional three-point plays,” said Davis, who

saw Schmidt make good on three such and-one chances en route to a

school single-game record 34 points in a Jan. 28 conference home win

over Cal Baptist.

Schmidt is pleased about the team success and genuinely surprised

by her individual prowess.

“She’s not the kind of player who is going to brag about dropping

30 on another team,” Davis said. I told her a while ago, she had 24

points in the second half, and she said, ‘Yeah, Lisa [Faulkner, a

junior point guard who leads the nation in assists at 9.8 per game]

had some nice passes.’

Schmidt said seeing her name among the nation’s leaders has not

yet sunk in.

“I’m just trying to be consistent and give all I have, whether it

be a practice or a game,” she said. “I can’t do any of this on my

own. Lisa is an amazing passer and we have some amazing three-point

shooters, who help keep the defense honest. It’s a little unreal to

me [to be the second-leading scorer in NAIA Division I]. It’s just

weird to me, like it shouldn’t be happening.”

Vanguard is counting on Schmidt to keep making it happen for years

to come.