University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Women's Basketball Completes Staff
10/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 1, 2009
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss Women's Basketball Head Coach Joye Lee-McNelis announced the hiring of Stephanie Schueler as director of basketball operations for the Lady Eagle program. This hiring is subject to approval by the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning.
"We are very excited about having Stephanie join the Lady Eagle family. Her experience as a player, administrator and coach will be an asset to our program," McNelis said. "She has had much success as a player, collegiately and professionally, and has faced some challenging times which will be an inspiration to our players and staff."
Schueler comes to Southern Miss following a season with the Stetson Hatters as an assistant coach. While there, her duties included working with the team's guards, being the academics coordinator and assisting in recruiting and strength and conditioning.
"I'm very excited to be here at Southern Miss to work with Joye and learn under her," Schueler said. "I'm very excited for the new challenge and new adventure."
Schueler's duties include coordinating team travel, directing public relations and speaking events for the program and assisting with monitoring the players' academic progress.
Prior to joining the Stetson, Schueler was the head coach at Lancaster (N.Y.) High School (suburban Buffalo) in 2007-08. She spent four seasons on the staff at the University at Buffalo from 2001-05, directing summer camps, organizing team travel, film exchange and scouting as well as strength and conditioning workouts.
Recognized as one of the best women's hoops talents to ever come out of the state of South Dakota, Schueler brings a decade of coaching experience as well as a decorated playing career at the highest levels of the game.
Schueler was an assistant at Missouri (1997-98) before moving on to Western Illinois for three years (1998-2001). Working with the team in the weight room was a part of her responsibilities at these stops and she used these skills to become a personal trainer with the Lockport and Buffalo Athletic Clubs while living in the Empire State.
Schueler was a standout guard for legendary coach C. Vivian Stringer at the University of Iowa from 1987-91, helping lead the Hawkeyes to three straight Big Ten championships, a #1 national ranking and four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.
She was a First Team All-Big Ten selection as a senior in 1991 (earning Honorable Mention All- America honors in the preseason) and Second Team during her junior campaign, ranking third in Iowa career history for assists and steals upon graduation. Her college success led her to a successful professional career in Luxembourg and Belgium, at the conclusion of which she served as the head coach for the Cadet Belgian National Team and ran a co-educational basketball school in the European nation as well.
Schueler's high school career in Sioux Falls, S.D. was just as spectacular, earning her induction into the Lincoln High School Hall of Fame in 2003. She won two state track titles each in the 100, 200 and 400 meters and was the South Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year for both basketball and track and field. In 1997 she became the youngest person ever inducted into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame and came in #37 for the Mount Rushmore State on Sports Illustrated list of All-Time Greatest Athletes by State, published in 2000.
