Schimmel visits Navajo Country, motives youth at basketball clinic

Posted by Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi | Jun 11, 2015 | Basketball |

Jude Schimmel answers questions during a youth basketball clinic held on June 6 at Chinle High School Wildcat Den. Schimmel, a former University of Louisville women’s basketball standout, conducted a one-hour clinic teaching young Diné athletes about the fundamentals of basketball. (Times photo – Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi)

CHINLE

As Jude Schimmel made her way down the stairs of the Chinle High School Wildcat Den, few realized the Native American basketball star had entered the room.

It was the kind of entrance that Schimmel likes to make – quiet and unassuming.

“I’m really, really shy, but I think as I’ve gotten more and more comfortable, it’s surprising, it’s gotten better than what it used to be,” she said. “I consider myself shy, I’m a pretty quiet person unless I’m around my family.”

Her timid nature is one many may find odd as the 21 year old recent University of Louisville women’s basketball standout and her sister WNBA Atlanta Dream forward Shoni Schimmel have become household names in Indian Country.

But that same timid nature is one of the many reasons she connects well with those who attends her camps.

Jude Schimmel made her first visit to the Navajo Nation on June 6, to conduct a youth clinic at the Wildcat Den. The camp was held just before the first 2015 Northland Basketball All-Star games featuring local Arizona high school basketball players.

The event was hosted by The Sports Zone and sponsored by Tate’s Auto Group and Cellular One, to name a few.

To kick off the full-day event, Schimmel hosted a one-hour open basketball clinic, where she shared her favorite fundamental drills and gave campers one-on-one instruction and advice.