The NC State women’s basketball team has had a solid season so far, compiling a record of 12-8, including 3-4 in conference. Though there were doubts about the team’s interior presence, the Wolfpack has found its next post threat in junior college transfer Carlee Schuhmacher.
Schuhmacher was recruited by head coach Wes Moore to fill the enormous void left in the interior after the departure of three post players, including Markeisha Gatling, the 10th overall pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft.
Though she was fresh out of junior college, Schuhmacher had to tackle the steep learning curve of being a starter in the premier conference for women’s basketball as soon as she arrived in Raleigh.
“It was definitely big shoes to fill because I’m nothing like the post players that were here before me,” Schuhmacher said. “I was up for the challenge, and I feel like I’m doing a decent job.”
The center has been producing well for the Pack this season, averaging 9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and starting 19 of the team’s 20 games.
Schuhmacher was raised in Watertown, Wisconsin, a small town in the southeastern part of the state, where she ended up a three-sport athlete in high school, excelling in basketball, volleyball and soccer during her time at Watertown High School.
When Schuhmacher first arrived at NC State, head Moore said that he was amazed with her hustle and excellent work ethic. Schuhmacher attributes that to her years at Watertown High School.
“I’ve never liked to lose,” Schuhmacher said. “It’s always come natural to me to work hard.”
Since she started playing, Schuhmacher wanted to pursue basketball onto the collegiate level. However, at the time, mobility was an issue for the center.
“I had always wanted to play Division I college basketball,” Schuhmacher said. “But at the weight I was at, it was difficult finding Division I programs that were interested in me because I couldn’t run the floor.”
Prior to her senior year of high school, Schuhmacher said she weighed close to 230 pounds, so the 6-foot-1 center undertook a weight loss program to shed the weight and improve her stamina on the court.
“I worked hard on my diet, and I started running a lot because that was the only way I was going to get recruited,” Schuhmacher said.
By the time her basketball season was over, Schuhmacher was 60 pounds lighter and primed to play on the next level. In her final season at Watertown, the center averaged 13.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
However, at that time, only smaller Division III schools and junior colleges were showing interest. With the goal of Division I ball still on her mind, Schuhmacher chose to attend the nearby Des Moines Area Community College.
“I knew if I went to a junior college, I could get recruited to go D-I,” Schuhmacher said.
At the time, Schuhmacher expected to put in her two years at DMACC and transfer to one of the mid-major programs in the surrounding Midwest states. However, playing at the collegiate level greatly improved the center’s game.
“I got a lot better, and I learned so much,” Schuhmacher said. “I learned that I was a lot better than I thought I was. I never thought that I could do the things that I did there, especially on the offensive end.”
Under the direction of two former Iowa State post players, Schuhmacher developed a strong set of post moves and became a first-option for scoring on her team, a role that the center was not used to playing.
“I was never a big scorer in high school,” Schuhmacher said. “Once I got to junior college, my coach stressed that every time I got the ball, I needed to score.”
The center’s new offensive ability along with her strong work ethic caught the eye of State assistant coach Gene Hill at a junior college all-star game in Florida. Hill invited Schuhmacher on a campus visit, and the center was immediately ready to sign on.
“For most of my years at junior college, I had only local mid-major schools interested in me,” Schuhmacher said. “[State] was the only ACC school to see me play, so I took a chance.”
Now that she is a part of the Pack, Schuhmacher said she has achieved her goal.
“It’s something you dream of as a little girl,” Schuhmacher said. “You never really think it’s going to happen until it actually happens. I’m blessed to be here, especially at State with its rich traditions.”
