(Editor’s note: This is the third installment of brothers Michael and Matthew Bland’s sports blog series “Give and Go.” Check out their first and second post if you missed them.)
A record crowd of 22,163 celebrated both the final home game in the career of University of Louisville Senior basketball star Shoni Schimmel and Native American Appreciation Night on Monday, March 3, at the KFC Yum! Center against the University of Connecticut.
According to Indian Country Today Media Network, fans traveled from at least 40 different states to attend the game — and the crowd included many Native American fans who held signs declaring their heritage.
Unfortunately, the impressive fan support did not lead to a victory, as the Cardinals lost 68-48. The team finished the regular season with an impressive 28-3 record, losing only to the University of Connecticut (twice) and the University of Kentucky.
Louisville will look to rebound in the American Athletic Conference tournament with its first game at 6 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, March 8, which will be broadcast on ESPN3.
Shoni Schimmel has been one of the most famous Native American athletes in recent years. She led the Cardinals in scoring with 16.9 points a game. She is one of 15 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award given to the nation’s best player.
Shoni and her sister Jude, a junior on the basketball team, are members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla in Oregon and were the subject of a popular documentary titled “Off the Rez.”
Congratulations to Shoni and her teammates and good luck in the conference tournament, the NCAA tournament and the WBNA!