Student Athlete’s Name: Michael Schmidt
Hometown: Glencoe, IL
Grad Year: 2004
College Attending: Grinnell College
Michael Schmidt joined the NCSA family in 2003 in order to realize his dream of playing college basketball. Not only did he achieve this dream, he most recently became a part of history while playing in the first ever nationally televised Division III basketball game on ESPN2. The former New Trier (IL) High School shooting guard is the second leading scorer for the Grinnell (IA) College Pioneers who hosted the Beloit Buccaneers on February 3 in front of a sold out crowd and ESPN2 cameras in the Darby Gym in Grinnell, Iowa.
ESPN2 televised the game because of the let-it-fly, high scoring style of basketball that the Grinnell Pioneers play. The Pioneers put up 59 three pointers per game on average and have led Division III in scoring ten years in a row, averaging over 100 points per game. Last year, Grinnell set a Division III record averaging 126.2 points per game.
When he first joined the program, Schmidt's NCSA Scouting Report showed he was averaging 2 points per game for New Trier. He is now the second leading scorer for a team that averages 110 points per game. It looks like Schmidt found the right college fit.
