Alison Renee Schwagmeyer (born July 31, 1990) is an American former professional basketball player. She played college basketball for the Charleston Southern Buccaneers and the Quincy Hawks before playing in Germany, Australia, Romania, Spain, and Serbia. In Australia, she helped the Lakeside Lightning win the SBL championship in 2018 and earned three consecutive SBL Most Valuable Player awards. She also played in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) for the Perth Lynx, Sydney Uni Flames and UC Capitals.

Alison Schwagmeyer
Schwagmeyer with the Perth Lynx in 2017
Personal information
Born (1990-07-31) July 31, 1990 (age 34)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Listed weight80 kg (176 lb)
Career information
High schoolCentral (Camp Point, Illinois)
College
WNBA draft2012: undrafted
Playing career2012–2023
PositionShooting guard / small forward
Career history
2012–2014GiroLive Panthers
2014Kalamunda Eastern Suns
2014CSBT Alexandria
2014Cadí La Seu D'urgell
2016–2019Lakeside Lightning
2017–2020Perth Lynx
2020Sydney Uni Flames
2021Crvena zvezda
2022–2023UC Capitals
Career highlights and awards

High school career

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Schwagmeyer attended Central High School in Camp Point, Illinois. She earned four varsity letters in basketball and holds school career records for points (1,950) and steals (500).[1] She was a two-time all-state selection for basketball[2] and was the Herald-Whig Player of the Year in volleyball in 2007.[3]

College career

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Schwagmeyer played her first two college basketball seasons with the Charleston Southern Buccaneers. She averaged 8.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and earned Big South All-Freshman Team honors in 2008–09, and averaged 6.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game as a sophomore in 2009–10.[1]

Schwagmeyer transferred to Quincy University for the 2010–11 season and went on to be named the GLVC Player of the Year as a junior. She also earned GLVC First Team All-Conference honors and was named Daktronics First Team All-Region. In 28 games for the Hawks, she made 27 starts and averaged 17.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.[1]

In 27 games for Quincy as a senior in 2011–12, Schwagmeyer made 26 starts and averaged 18.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game.[1] She subsequently earned first-team All-GLVC honors for the second year in a row.[3]

College statistics

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Source[4]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP Points FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008–09 Charleston Southern 30 254 40.9% 32.3% 63.6% 6.8 1.2 1.7 8.5
2009–10 Charleston Southern 28 192 42.6% 17.9% 60.7% 7.6 1.5 1.4 0.2 6.9
2010–11 Quincy 28 493 50.4% 28.9% 73.9% 6.6 4.3 1.6 0.1 17.6
2011–12 Quincy 27 485 45.4% 39.0% 79.2% 7.9 3.2 2.1 0.1 18.0
Career 113 1424 45.6% 11.1% 71.7% 8.8 2.5 1.7 0.1 12.6

Professional career

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Germany (2012–2014)

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In July 2012, Schwagmeyer signed with the GiroLive Panthers of the German Damen-Basketball-Bundesliga.[3] In 30 games in 2012–13, she averaged 14.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.

After suffering an ankle injury in the off-season, Schwagmeyer returned to the GiroLive Panthers in January 2014.[2][5] In 11 games to finish the 2013–14 season, she averaged 15.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

Australia (2014)

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In April 2014, Schwagmeyer moved to Australia to play for the Kalamunda Eastern Suns in the State Basketball League (SBL).[6][7] She was named Player of the Week for Round 15 for her back-to-back 20-point games.[8] She averaged 19.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.4 steals per game for the Suns,[9] earning All-Star Five honors.[10]

Romania and Spain (2014)

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For the 2014–15 season, Schwagmeyer moved to Romania to play for CSBT Alexandria. She played just one game for Alexandria, scoring 30 points in 20 minutes, before accepting an offer from a first division team in Spain.[2] She joined Cadí La Seu D'urgell, but she left the team in December 2014 to return home following the death of her sister.[2]

Return to Australia (2016–2020)

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After some time away from the game, Schwagmeyer returned to Australia in 2016 to play for the Lakeside Lightning in the SBL.[2] She produced a number of standout performances[11] despite playing through injury most of the season.[12] She averaged 20.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.5 steals per game in 23 contests,[13] and was named the SBL's Most Valuable Player.[12]

Schwagmeyer returned to the Lightning in 2017 as co-captain.[12][14] She helped the Lightning improve from 11–11 to 17–5; played for the South All-Stars in the WSBL All-Star Game; won five Player of the Week awards;[15] and won her second straight SBL MVP award to go with All-Star Five and All-Defensive Five honors.[16] In 27 games, she averaged 21.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.[13]

 
Schwagmeyer signing autographs in October 2017 following her WNBL debut for the Perth Lynx

Following the 2017 SBL season, there were hopes of Schwagmeyer joining the Perth Lynx of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) for the 2017–18 season after she had applied to become a permanent resident in Australia.[17] The lengthy process meant she was unable to be part of the full squad due to import restrictions,[17] but an injury to import guard Courtney Williams[18] led to Schwagmeyer making her WNBL debut on October 27, 2017.[17] She stepped straight into the starting five and had a big impact with her defensive energy against the Dandenong Rangers.[19] She finished with 10 points in the 88–78 win,[20] including seven consecutive points from late in the third quarter to early in the final period.[21] Delays in her permanent residency application saw Schwagmeyer watch from the sidelines for the remainder of the season.[22] She was subsequently named the recipient of the Perth Lynx Coaches' Award.[23]

Schwagmeyer returned to the Lightning in 2018 for a third season.[24] She won Player of the Week for rounds 5 and 10,[25][26] won MVP of the All-Star Game,[27] and helped the Lightning win the minor premiership and reach the SBL Grand Final. In the grand final, the Lightning defeated the Mandurah Magic 75–64 behind a 25-point performance from Schwagmeyer that garnered her Grand Final MVP honors.[28] To conclude the year, she was named league MVP for the third straight year to go with All-Star Five honors.[29] In 24 games, she averaged 22.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.[30]

Having received her Australian residency, Schwagmeyer signed a full-time contract with the Perth Lynx as an unrestricted player on June 14, 2018,[31] rejecting European contracts and the chance to be closer to her partner to play in the WNBL.[32] She averaged 14 points, 4.59 rebounds, 1.95 assists and 1.14 steals in the 2018–19 season, and was selected in the WNBL Team of the Week in round eight. Round eight featured her best game of the season, with 22 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals in a four-point win over the UC Capitals.[33]

Schwagmeyer returned to the Lightning in 2019, but only for the first seven rounds.[34][35]

Schwagmeyer returned to the Lynx for the 2019–20 season.[33] She took a different approach to training in the off-season, shedding 10 kg to enter her second full WNBL season looking to play lighter.[36][37] She missed the last three games of the season with a right foot injury.[38][39] For the season, she earned WNBL Sixth Woman of the Year honors after averaging 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game with predominately a bench role.[40]

On July 1, 2020, Schwagmeyer signed with the Sydney Uni Flames.[41] During the 2020 WNBL Hub season in Queensland, she averaged 13.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game.[42]

Serbia (2021)

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On October 9, 2021, Schwagmeyer signed with Crvena zvezda of the Basketball League of Serbia for the 2021–22 season.[43] After the team's EuroCup season ended on December 22,[44] Schwagmeyer was rested for team's December 26 match[45] and then did not appear again in the new year.[42] In six league games, she averaged 10.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game.[42] In five EuroCup games, she averaged 9.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.[46]

Return to Australia (2022–2023)

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On December 9, 2022, Schwagmeyer signed with the University of Canberra Capitals.[47] She played two games for the Capitals in the 2022–23 WNBL season.[42]

Coaching career

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In June 2024, Schwagmeyer was named head coach of the John Wood Community College women's basketball team.[48][49]

Personal life

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Schwagmeyer is the daughter of Mike and Sherry Schwagmeyer. She has one brother, Corey, and three sisters, Lori, Kim and Angie (deceased).[1] Her sister Angie died in a car crash in St. Louis in 2014.[2]

Following the death of her sister, Schwagmeyer remained in the United States throughout 2015 and served as an assistant coach for the Hannibal–LaGrange University women's basketball team while also working at the Quincy YMCA.[2]

In February 2018, Schwagmeyer received her Australian permanent resident status.[50]

In July 2019, Schwagmeyer married long-time boyfriend and fellow basketball player Courtney Belger.[36][37] He too has played in Germany and in the State Basketball League.[2][51]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Ali Schwagmeyer – 2011–12 Women's Basketball". quhawks.com. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Adam, David (February 27, 2016). "Sunday Conversation with Ali Schwagmeyer". whig.com. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Schuckman, Matt (July 5, 2012). "Schwagmeyer signs pro contract with German club". whig.com. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  4. ^ "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
  5. ^ "GiroLive-Panthers holen Alison Schwagmeyer zurück". noz.de (in German). November 25, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  6. ^ "Kalamunda Eastern Suns add Schwagmeyer to their roster, ex Osnabruck". australiabasket.com. April 18, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  7. ^ "Kalamunda add Schwag to lineup". SportsTG.com. April 29, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  8. ^ "Kickz101 Perth SBL Players of the Week". SportsTG.com. June 27, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  9. ^ "SBL season preview – Kalamunda Eastern Suns". SportsTG.com. March 12, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  10. ^ "2014 BASKETBALL WA AWARD WINNERS". BasketballWA.asn.au. September 9, 2014. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  11. ^ "2017 Women's SBL season preview". SportsTG.com. March 17, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  12. ^ a b c "Mansfield backs smaller Lightning to have big impact". SportsTG.com. March 1, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  13. ^ a b "Player statistics for Ali Schwagmeyer". SportsTG.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018.
  14. ^ "WSBL Squad 2017". Lakeside.asn.au. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  15. ^ "PLAYERS OF THE WEEK". SBL.asn.au. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017.
  16. ^ "2017 SBL AWARD WINNERS". SBL.asn.au. September 9, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  17. ^ a b c O'Donoghue, Craig (October 29, 2017). "Long wait over for Alison Schwagmeyer's Perth Lynx debut". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  18. ^ O'Donoghue, Craig (October 27, 2017). "Lynx race to sign Schwagmeyer". The West Australian. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  19. ^ "LYNX SET TONE EARLY, PULL AWAY FROM RANGERS". PerthLynx.com. October 27, 2017. Archived from the original on October 30, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  20. ^ "Lynx vs Rangers". FIBALiveStats.com. October 27, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  21. ^ O'Donoghue, Craig (October 30, 2017). "American debutant to earn Lynx contract". The West Australian. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  22. ^ O'Donoghue, Craig (January 18, 2018). "Courtney Williams named Perth Lynx's most valuable in debut WNBL season". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  23. ^ Perth Lynx (January 17, 2018). "Coach Andy Stewart has presented Alison..." Twitter. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  24. ^ "2018 WOMEN'S SBL SEASON PREVIEW". SBL.asn.au. March 14, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  25. ^ "WSBL PLAYER OF THE WEEK – ALI SCHWAGMEYER (LAKESIDE LIGHTNING)". SBL.asn.au. April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  26. ^ "WSBL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ALI SCHWAGMEYER". SBL.asn.au. May 22, 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  27. ^ "SBL ALL-STAR GAMES HAILED A HUGE SUCCESS". SBL.asn.au. June 5, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  28. ^ "LIGHTNING CLAIMS CHAMPIONSHIP OVER MAGIC WITH 21–0 RUN". SBL.asn.au. August 31, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  29. ^ "2018 SBL AWARD WINNERS". SBL.asn.au. September 9, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  30. ^ "Player statistics for Alison Schwagmeyer – SBL 2018". SportsTG.com. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  31. ^ "HARD WORK PAYS OFF FOR ALISON SCHWAGMEYER". PerthLynx.com. June 14, 2018. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  32. ^ O'Donoghue, Craig (December 5, 2018). "Lynx ace Alison Schwagmeyer lands at Perth after series of tough decisions". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  33. ^ a b Perth (April 6, 2019). "SCHWAGMEYER RETURNS TO THE LYNX". WNBL.com.au. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  34. ^ "EASTER SPOTLIGHT | LIGHTNING TOO STRONG FOR COUGARS". SBL.asn.au. April 20, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019. Ali Schwagmeyer, in her second last week of the season with Lakeside, top-scored for the Lightning with 21 points, three rebounds and three assists on an efficient 9/14 shooting.
  35. ^ "MANSFIELD HAS LIGHTNING FOCUSED FOR BIG FINISH". SBL.asn.au. April 26, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  36. ^ a b O'Donoghue, Craig (October 6, 2019). "Weight of expectation Lynx star aims for massive year". The Sunday Times. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  37. ^ a b O'Donoghue, Craig (October 12, 2019). "Long name but means the world to Alison". The West Australian. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  38. ^ Perth (January 23, 2020). "ALISON SCHWAGMEYER-BELGER RULED OUT FOR FRIDAY". wnbl.basketball/perth. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  39. ^ "Alison Schwagmeyer-Belger has been ruled out for the..." twitter.com/PerthLynx. January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  40. ^ Perth (February 18, 2020). "LYNX STARS HONOURED WITH WNBL AWARDS". wnbl.basketball/perth. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  41. ^ Flames, Sydney (July 1, 2020). "FLAMES BOLSTER 2020–21 ROSTER WITH SCHWAGMEYER SIGNING". wnbl.basketball/sydney-uni. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  42. ^ a b c d "Alison Schwagmeyer-Belger". eurobasket.com. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  43. ^ "АЛИСОН ШВАГМЕЈЕР БЕЛГЕР НОВО ПОЈАЧАЊЕ ЦРВЕНЕ ЗВЕЗДЕ". kkzcrvenazvezda.rs (in Serbian). October 9, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  44. ^ "КРАЈ ЕВРОПСКЕ СЕЗОНЕ". kkzcrvenazvezda.rs (in Serbian). December 22, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  45. ^ "УБЕДЉИВА ПОБЕДА ЗА КРАЈ УСПЕШНЕ ГОДИНЕ". kkzcrvenazvezda.rs (in Serbian). December 26, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  46. ^ "Alison SCHWAGMEYER". fiba.basketball. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  47. ^ Uccapitals (December 9, 2022). "ALISON SCHWAGMEYER-BELGER JOINS THE UC CAPITALS". wnbl.basketball/uc-capitals. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  48. ^ Bordenga, Victoria (14 June 2024). "Alison Schwagmeyer was named the new John Wood women's head basketball coach". www.wgem.com. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  49. ^ "JWCC Announces New Women's Basketball Head Coach". JWCC. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  50. ^ O'Donoghue, Craig (June 14, 2018). "Redemption drives returning Perth Lynx trio ahead of 2018–19 WNBL campaign". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  51. ^ Adam, David (February 25, 2017). "Sunday Conversation with Courtney Belger". whig.com. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
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