Nov. 10, 2004
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame women’s basketball coach Muffet McGraw announced Wednesday that Lindsay Schrader, a 6-0 guard from Bartlett, Ill., has chosen to continue her career with the Irish, signing a National Letter of Intent to attend Notre Dame beginning in the fall of 2005. Schrader is the first player to commit to the Irish during the early signing period, which began Wednesday and continues through Nov. 17.
“We’re really excited to have Lindsay joining us next year,” McGraw said. “She brings tremendous versatility as both a great three-point shooter and someone who posts up and rebounds well. She’s also got a lot of confidence, a great work ethic and a scorer’s mentality. Lindsay is exactly the player we were looking for this year and I believe she is going to be a tremendous addition to our program and our University.”
Schrader has been widely regarded as one of the top all-around players in the state of Illinois while attending Bartlett High School the past three seasons. She is a three-time all-state selection, a two-time Illinois Miss Basketball finalist, and a two-time Street & Smith’s All-America selection who has averaged 20.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game in her prep career. Her finest all-around season came as a junior in 2003-04, when she averaged 20.8 ppg., 10.8 rpg. and 2.0 bpg. while earning first-team all-state honors from the Associated Press, Chicago Tribune and Champaign News-Gazette. She also was a sixth-team All-America selection by Street & Smith’s and was a finalist for Illinois Miss Basketball honors, an award she will likely contend for once again this season.
On the summer camp circuit, Schrader was an Underclass All-Star at the 2002 adidas Top Ten Camp, before attending the Nike All-America Camp in both 2003 and 2004. She is ranked among the top 30 high school seniors in the nation by three separate recruiting services — Blue Star Index (14th), All-Game Sports (21st) and All-Star Girls Report (26th overall — eighth among shooting guards).
In addition, Schrader made a significant impact at the 2004 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs. Playing for the North Team that won the silver medal, she ranked third at the Festival in scoring (14.8 ppg.) and rebounding (8.6 rpg.), as well as second in field goal percentage (.542). All three figures were team highs, as were her 2.2 steals per game. For her efforts, Schrader was invited to attend the 2004 USA Women’s Junior World Championship Qualifying Team Trials, where she was one of 17 finalists for the 12-player team that won the gold medal in Puerto Rico in August.
The current edition of the Irish, ranked 10th in the preseason Associated Press poll and 11th in the preseason ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll, will open its 2004-05 season Friday at 9 p.m. (ET) against Illinois State at the Joyce Center in the first round of the Sportsview.tv Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
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