UAA taps former Louisville standout Schimmel as assistant coach

Anchorage (July 15) - With the Seawolves' roster for 2025-26 now taking shape, UAA women's basketball head coach Matt Thune made the first addition to his staff Tuesday, announcing that Jude Schimmel has been named assistant coach.

Originally from Pendleton, Oregon, Schimmel begins her collegiate coaching career after competing professionally in three different leagues, following an impressive college playing career at the University of Louisville.

Alongside her athletic endeavors, Schimmel has led more than 75 basketball camps nationwide, in addition to one-on-one player development. A published author, public speaker and a leader in the Native American community, she has also been an ambassador for the Nike N7 brand, highlighting indigenous excellence and advocacy in sports and culture.

"I'm thrilled to welcome Jude to our program and the Anchorage community," Thune said. "She brings experience from the highest levels of basketball and truly understands what it takes to be elite - both on and off the court. As a player, she competed for a national championship and went on to gain valuable professional experience in the WNBA, overseas, and most recently with Athletes Unlimited. Beyond the court, Jude has made a profound impact as a leader in her community, and there's no doubt she'll bring that same influence to our student-athletes. We share the same vision for what the student-athlete experience should look like, and I'm excited to see the difference she will make in our program."

At Louisville, Schimmel finished her four-year career top-10 on the Cardinals' lists for games played (135), steals (221) and assists (392), while tying the program record with 15 NCAA Tournament games played. As a sophomore in 2012-13 she averaged 5.7 points and 2.8 assists for Louisville's national runner-up squad, and as a senior she ranked fourth in the ACC in both assists and assist/turnover ratio.

Schimmel began her professional playing career in the 2016 WNBA preseason with the Dallas Wings, before moving to the Spanish first division the following year. Most recently she competed this year with Athletes Unlimited.

Schimmel earned her bachelor of arts in sociology from Louisville in 2015, along with a minor in communications. An honors graduate, she was the NCAA Elite 89 award winner for the highest GPA among Final Four student-athletes in 2013 as well.