Milan Schimmel (Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation) picked a good year to become a Florida Gulf Coast University Eagle.

The 5-foot-8 guard from Oregon played in 24 games for the women’s basketball team, which generated their most successful season in history.

FGCU went 30-3, notched regular season wins against LSU and Michigan State, won the Atlantic Sun Conference and upset Virginia Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before being ousted by Maryland in the second round March 20.

Nine years ago, Schimmel’s sisters – Jude and Shoni – sparked interest throughout Indian Country in the tournament as they helped Louisville make a memorable run all the way to the championship game.

Milan Schimmel saw limited playing time as a reserve throughout the season. The only games she played more than 10 minutes came in an opening night rout against Florida Memorial and a win against Ave Maria on Dec. 11 when she scored a season-high six points in 16 minutes.
She played two minutes against Maryland.

She averaged one point and 4.3 minutes per game. She finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds for the season.

FGCU is Schimmel’s fourth college team. She previously played for Cincinnati, Eastern Florida State College and Hutchinson Community College. She has one year remaining of eligibility.