Lindenwood Junior Turns Life, Career Around

ST. CHARLES - Sarah Schnieders looks back on her first year at Lindenwood University in horror.

The five-foot-11-inch forward hardly recognizes the girl she was just two short years ago.     

"A stupid freshman with a terrible attitude," she recalls. "That was me. I can't believe some of the things I did."       

Thanks to a second chance from a forgiving coach, those child-like misgivings are nothing but a laughable memory.

Schnieders, a St. Dominic High grad, is averaging 11.1 points and 3.6 rebounds for the Lions, who sport a 3-4 record heading into Tuesday's game at Harris-Stowe State College.      

The Lindenwood basketball program has done a complete about-face with the St. Peters native making a major contribution. The Lions, who sported an 8-23 mark in 2008-2009, won 21 of 32 games last winter and are a solid bet to record a second successive above-.500 campaign this time around.      

Most importantly, Schnieder's life–and her basketball career–are finally heading in the right direction.     

"Right now, I really feel blessed," the junior says. "Blessed to have a second opportunity like this one. When people give you another chance, it makes you feel like they believe in you. And you just can't let them down."     

Schnieders could not have envisioned a worse start to her college career. After leading St. Dominic to its first ever trip to the state tournament as a junior, Schnieders chose to attend Lindenwood over several smaller NAIA and NCAA schools.     

But the self-admitted, "goofball," struggled from the outset. She did not get along with then-coach George Little and her on-court performance suffered greatly. She also struggled academically, skipping class and ignoring her studies.     

"It wasn't fun, but that was because I made it that way," she said. "It was about (me) growing up and doing the right things."     

So Schnieders simply left, dropping out of school after her freshman year with an embarrassing 1.7 grade point average.    

 "I can't believe I was such an idiot," she said.    

Schnieders enrolled at and had all but given up on basketball. She was hoping to bring her grades up so she could attend Missouri State University in Springfield the following year.     

But somehow, the sport, which she had played most of her life, wouldn't let her walk away. Schnieders decided to attend several open gymnasium workouts at Lindenwood to keep in shape. It was there that she realized she still loved to play.     

Her workout performances caught the eye of new coach Tony Francis, who was hired on April 6, 2010 in an effort to resurrect the sinking program. Francis, who was well aware of Schnieder's skills as a high school player, felt she deserved a second chance.     

"Everybody makes mistakes," Francis said. "I make mistakes every day and I'm glad that people have given me a second chance. I felt like she deserved one too."     

Francis accepted Schnieders back on the team, but only under certain conditions.     

"He told me what would be expected of me and that I had to do things the right way," she said. "He also had a vision of what he wanted the program to be and I liked that."    

Schnieders agreed to return. On Oct. 23, 2010, in just her seventh game back, she scored a career-high 25 points against Hannibal-LaGrange College. She went on to average 10.9 points and 5.0 rebounds last winter after a full season on the sidelines.    

Now, the 21-year-old Schnieders is a much more mature, confident person. She raised her GPA to 3.8 and has become one of the team captains. Ironically, the once bad girl is a shining example for other players to follow.    

"If anything good came out of this, it's that I'm now able to talk to the younger girls and make sure nothing like this happens to them," Schnieders said.    

Junior guard Morgan Harrington, who began her career at Missouri State, arrived last season just as Schnieders returned to the team. The two have become friends and roommates. Together they helped mold the club into a winner.     

"Being able to come back, I admire her greatly for that," Harrington said. "She's committed herself and it shows."     

Harrington calls Schnieders, "a funny character," and admits that she still has that goofball mentality she had as a freshman. "But in a different, more positive way," Harrington said.     

Schnieders has done a complete turnaround on the court as well. Francis, who excels at working with post players, says Schnieders is showing steady improvement on the offensive end.     

"I think all of us here cared about her as a human being first," Francis said. "The basketball part came next. I always tell everyone that I'm not a basketball coach–I'm an educator."      

An avid ping-pong player, Schnieders has topped the club in scoring three times through the first seven games. She scored a team-high 17 points in a 75-70 win over South Dakota Mines on Nov. 25.     

The versatile Schnieders also leads the club with 13 steals and is second with 16 assists. Most importantly, she is having fun and excelling on the court and in the classroom.     

"I've taken to heart what the coach and other people have asked me to do," she says. "I'm not about to mess up this time."