LadySwish contributor Bob Flynn shares the latest from former LadySwish blogger Chelsie Schweers, who can’t seem to get enough of playing hoops.
When Chelsie Schweers was named the director of basketball operations at William & Mary in 2017, she thought her playing career was over.
She had played in Greece, Australia, Iceland and Portugal since leaving Christopher Newport University in 2011 as the Division III national player of the year, the school’s career points leader and its first four-time All-American. She was closer to 30 than 20.
“I thought I was over it,” she said of playing professionally. “I was ready to give it up.”
Much of that was because of her physical condition. She had suffered a broken nose playing in Portugal in 2016-17, and practicing twice a day for six months caught up to her.
“I think it just took a toll on me,” she said. “I was 27 then and I think it was a lot on my body, and my body just got run down a bit.”
About a year later, she learned retirement was not for her, at least not yet.
“I just really missed playing,” said Schweers, who was a standout at Hickory High School in Chesapeake before heading to CNU.
In her year at W&M, she said she turned down a chance to play in Europe, but when she had the opportunity to return to Australia, she couldn’t pass it up.
“I really like Australia, the living side of things and basketball,” she said. “So I decided I would give it another go.”
However, the decision wasn’t an easy one.
“I feel bad about leaving William & Mary,” she admitted. “It was a very tough decision. I went back and forth, and back and forth. I just kept having those second thoughts.”
She talked to a number of her mentors, and they all said the same thing: If you still have thoughts about playing, you should pursue that.
“You need to play until you can’t anymore,” she said. “Once that window closes, you can’t go back and play.”
Her second trip to Australia (she played in the South East Australian Basketball League in 2016) ended in late summer with another stellar season.
Playing for the Sutherland Sharks, she led the Championship Division of the Waratah League, the top professional women’s league in New South Wales, in scoring at 29.23 a game and was MVP of the league. Her team finished third in the regular season, then lost in the championship game of the playoffs.
“A disappointing last game but a good season,” Schweers said.
Statistically, she finished in the top five in eight offensive categories, including scoring (the second-leading scorer averaged just over 20 points), free throws made and 3-pointers made. She made 50 percent of her 2-pointers and 42 percent of her 3-pointers.
When her playing career does finally come to an end, she’s not sure what she will do. In a 30-minute phone interview from Australia, she mentioned at least three times what a great experience she had at W&M, but she doesn’t know if coaching is for her.
“I’ve spent so much time away from my family, I’m not sure I would take a coaching job anywhere. I want to be close to home. I’m just not sure right now,” she said. “It’s just been crazy because I’ve been on this journey since graduating from CNU, going back and forth and coming home.”
She admits as she has gotten older, she thinks more long term, which she said as recently as a few years ago, she never did.
“I’m just not settled,” Schweers said. “Some days it worries me, and I don’t know what I’m going to do when I’m done. Then I look outside and it’s Australia, so it’s all good.”
CHELSIE SCHWEERS’ PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY
2012: Panathinaikos (Greece)
2013: Toowoomba (Queensland Basketball League)
2014: Hamar (Iceland)
2014-15: Ipswich Force (QBL)
2015: Stjarnan (Iceland))
2016: Hobart Chargers (South East Australian basketball league)
2016-17: CAB Madeira (Portugal)
2018: Sutherland Sharks (New South Wales basketball league)
HONORS, ETC.
+ QBL MVP in 2015
+ Three-time QBL All-League team (2013-15)
+ Urvalsdeild (Iceland) scoring champ (2014)
+ SEABL scoring champ (2016)
+ New South Wales MVP and scoring champ (2018)