Durbin restocks the cupboard. Blazer, as for Schmidt, I believe that she was the second leading scorer behind Natalie Gigler (13 ppg vs. 15 ppg) on a 7-20 team.
"We're really excited to have her come in," said Durbin about Schmidt, who is Champlin Park's career assists leader and all-time leading scorer. "She fits in our system. She is just an all-around good person and player. We are thrilled."
Women's basketball: Champlin Park star headed to CSB By Frank Rajkowski
frajkowski@stcloudtimes.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ST. JOSEPH — Mindy Schmidt made about 20 college visits. But in the end, the Champlin Park star decided on the College of St. Benedict.
Schmidt, a 5-foot-8 point guard/wing from Champlin Park, plays in this weekend's Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association all-star series.
The four-year starter, who finished her prep career as the leading scorer (1,381 points) in school history, is one of a group of players who have confirmed their intentions to enroll and play basketball for Blazers coach Mike Durbin next season.
Also heading to St. Benedict are 5-7 Apple Valley point guard Caitlin Ries, 6-1 Irondale post Natalie Alamat, 5-8 Mounds View wing Anne Kudak, 5-7 Holdingford point guard/wing Kendra Zapzalka, 5-9 Foley post Alyssa Kotsmith and 5-6 Big Lake point guard Jackie Beier.
In addition, St. Cloud Cathedral forward Ashlan Meyer said she will attend St. Benedict, but has not decided whether she will play basketball or dive for the Blazers swim team.
Schmidt was a three-time all-conference pick at Champlin Park and an all-state honorable mention pick this past season. She also finished her career as the school's all-time leader in assists with 454.
"There were a lot of things I liked," Schmidt said. "St. Ben's has a great reputation for academics and athletics, and when I talked to alumni and current students there, they all said they loved it. It wasn't just that they liked it, they all loved it.
"It's closer to home, which I also liked. I've watched a few of their games and it seems like they have a lot of talent. And everyone is so friendly there."
Ries, a two-time All-Lake Conference pick at Apple Valley, expressed similar sentiments.
"The school just seemed like a really good fit for me," Ries said. "I really liked it up there."
Alamat returned from a torn right anterior cruciate ligament and a cracked knee cap that kept her out her entire junior season to earn All-North Suburban Conference honors as a senior. She said she was initially skeptical about St. Benedict, but a visit to the campus won her over.
"When I first drove into St. Joseph, I was like 'Oh, my God. You've got to be kidding me,'" Alamat said. "I wasn't sure it was where I wanted to be at all. But I really liked the whole feel of the campus during my visit. I really ended up enjoying it there a lot."
Kudak, a three-time all-conference pick at Mounds View, said playing at the Division III level seemed to suit what she was looking for out of her collegiate experience.
"I like the approach there a lot," Kudak said. "It's competitive enough, but basketball isn't the only focus."
Zapzalka hopes to play both basketball and softball at St. Benedict. She was a four-year starter on the basketball court at Holdingford and earned All-Central Minnesota Conference and All-State and Times All-Area honorable mention honors this past season. In softball, she is a four-time all-conference pick and has made the Times All-Area team the past two seasons.
"I really liked the school and all the coaches there," Zapzalka said. "I've gone to camps there before and I've been to games. It just seemed like a great fit."
Kotsmith, a two-year starter at Foley, has a family connection. Her older brother, Nick, attends St. John's.
"It's close to home and my brother is at St. John's," Kotsmith said. "That helped a lot. The nursing program there is really good and that's what I'm looking at getting into."
Beier earned all-conference honors three times during her career at Big Lake. Like Zapzalka, she has also attended basketball camps at St. Benedict and enjoyed what she saw of the school.
"It's a great school academically and everyone there is really friendly too," Beier said.
The Blazers finished 21-6 overall last season and advanced to the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament.
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