Player Profile: Erin Schmidt of Fillmore Central

Erin Schmidt has been playing basketball as long as she can remember. "When we were in third grade, my dad and Jeff Theis started coaching us. We played in a local league called GAED, in which every Sunday in the winter we would play teams in our area. This was the beginning of a great relationship that I still have with my current teammates. We really have something special that not a lot of teams have because we have been best friends and all played together since 3rd grade." That togetherness has spurred on Schmidt and her classmates to great success at Fillmore Central (NE) last season, finishing their season 23-6 and a fourth place finish this past spring.  This season, Schmidt and her fellow Panthers want more; more specifically, they want to cut down the nets at Pinnacle Bank Arena the first Saturday in March. "I am really excited about this year’s team," Schmidt said.  "We have our top 7 players returning this year. This is our last year of all playing together, so we want to go out with a bang. With being from such a small town too, it’s the best feeling having your whole town cheering the team on. Our goal is to win conference again, and build off of what we did last year at state by winning the championship. Another goal we have is to win our holiday tournament because it did not go the way we wanted it to last year." After averaging 12 points and six rebounds a game last year, along with a team-leading 15 blocks, Schmidt knows that she cannot rest on those laurels.  If she wants to punch her ticket to another state tournament birth, she's going to have to pick up her game as well. "I feel like on the floor I do a really nice job of finding the open person on the court. We have a nice inside and out game. I know that I need to work on is finishing around the hoop every time and using different post moves to increase my scoring." A dual-sport athlete, Schmidt is looking at a few schools for both basketball and track and field.  Although she's not sure what she wants to compete in, she does know she wants to compete at the next level and major in public health and fitness.  Along with track and field and basketball, Erin also participates in volleyball, FCA, student council and is an elementary school mentor at Fillmore Central schools. This season will be full of challenges, but Schmidt knows that her and her teammates are up to the challenge. "One of our biggest opponents for this upcoming season is St. Cecilia. We have never beat them in basketball before, but we plan to this year. Lincoln Christian is also really tough because they have Olivia Hollenbeck and they return their entire team. Overall, we have one of the toughest conferences in C2 with Milford, Superior, and Centennial. "I know we can get back to the state tournament; we just have to do it together."