Jude Schimmel Joins TRW Youth Basketball Clinic

September 2, 2022

Emma Hughes

Community Newsperson

Gila River’s Tribal Recreation & Wellness Department and Brown Performance Strength & Conditioning (BPSC) hosted their second basketball clinic for youth in the Community.

BPSC is owned by brothers Ryan and Maurice Brown from the Navajo Nation.  They specialize in sports performance, personal conditioning, and basketball skills development training programs. 

Through fundamental skills development, they can identify weaknesses, build strength, and guide players towards effective ways to improve their game play. 

Twenty youths, ages 10-12, signed up for the basketball clinic at the District 2 Service Center on Saturday, Aug. 27. The clinic instructed everyone on the basics of movement, handling, dribbling, and conditioning drills.  

“We provide incentives as in shirts and a little snack for them after they do their drills, which Coach Brown and Brown oversee,” said Cael Bennett, Sports Coordinator for Tribal Recreation & Wellness.

The basketball clinic also included a special guest athlete, Jude Schimmel, from the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Schimmel is a former basketball player from the University of Louisville, where she played in the NCAA Division 1, won the NCAA Elite 89 award for having the highest grade point average, and earned her Bachelor’s in Sociology.  She’s also an ambassador for Nike N7.

“I know what it’s like to be a young kid, growing up on the rez, and basketball is a good, healthy outlet,” said Schimmel, who’s been playing basketball since she was four-years-old.

“It means a lot to me to be able to be here with them and just share a little bit of my knowledge and just give them some time to have fun and hopefully learn a few things and then carry it on with them as they move forward in life,” she said.

While Schimmel was growing up, she recalls not seeing many native athletes.  Now, she hopes to be that source of light and inspiration to show youth growing up on the rez with athletic ambitions.

“You can go places and do things.  It is possible and, in the end, it’s going to be worth it,” she added. “It gave me a lot of experiences that I probably would’ve never had if I didn’t go off to school, go to college and play basketball.”

Schimmel will be returning for the next basketball clinic, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Boys & Girls Club Gila River- Komatke Branch in District 6. This clinic will be geared towards youth 13-17 years old.  The next clinic will be more advanced and provide additional drills and training. For more information or to register, call (520) 562-6087.