A day in the life with Green Bay’s Cassie Schiltz and Maddy Schreiber
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – “It looks like we just show up for a basketball game. But we really show up every morning.” Green Bay Phoenix guard Cassie Schiltz has learned over her five seasons as a student-athlete just how much goes into being a collegiate basketball player.
From stretching, training, shoot-around, film study, practice, and rehab, the Luxemburg-Casco graduate estimates she thinks about and works on basketball “about 5-6 hours a day” – all on top of college classes.
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Her teammate and best friend Maddy Schreiber joked that some days her “alarm goes off and I’m like ‘oh man, gotta get up and do it all over again.'” Though basketball is often exhausting, Schreiber also called the sport her “escape” and views the court as a place to get away from the distractions in her life.
Schreiber and Schiltz have played in all 30 of Green Bay’s (24-6) games this season, as the Phoenix were runners-up in the Horizon League and will now contend for a conference tournament title as the second seed. Not only has the team had success on the court, but also in the classroom. Green Bay had the sixth-highest GPA (3.758) in collegiate women’s basketball last year, according to WBCA.
Both athletes agreed they wished more people knew what it takes to be a Division I basketball player. “Just knowing that we are human too and that we are more than just basketball players,” said Schiltz, who’s pursuing a graduate degree in business management, on top of her bachelor’s in business administration.
“Just constantly on the go. Go, go, go, go. I don’t think people realize that’s your life,” chimed in Shreiber, who studies education and adds student teaching to her jam-packed schedule. The Kimberly graduate credits former football coach Steve Jones as the person who first taught her she was more than just a basketball player.
But despite the countless hours, the added stress (“I get very worked up” Schreiber said with a smile), and the lack of a social life per Schiltz, neither basketball star would trade their time as college players.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Very few people get to experience what you experience,” said Schreiber, whose return from season-ending shoulder surgery last year has given her an extra appreciation for basketball.
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When asked how she would describe these hectic days, through tears, Schiltz said: “There’s a lot of highs and lows, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Even on the bad days. Because I don’t know what I’m going to do next. I’m very grateful.”
The Green Bay women’s basketball team will host the Horizon League Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday, March 7.
