Before the National Championship, the Spartan star was just a local girl

By Sudsy Cheroot
Sun sports writer
A Big Ten standout, a finalist for the USA World University games team, and nearly a national champion, Liz Shimek has achieved unparalleled success over the course of a magical basketball career, the latest chapter of which will appear in the June 16 issue of the Glen Arbor Sun as her junior year in East Lansing culminated in her Michigan State Spartans reaching the NCAA Championship game. Threaded and intertwined through all her thoughts in a recent interview with the Sun was the love and passion for her Leelanau County home, her family, her friends and how grateful she is for, in her words, “the small community support where everyone cares for each other”. In this first chapter of a two part-interview, Liz traces her small-town start, influential coaches and other contributing factors in her amazing basketball journey.

It should not surprise anyone familiar with the local hoops scene that Liz’s first organized basketball memory was attending Don Miller’s Glen Lake School summer camp. “I remember Coach Miller stressing two things: ball handling and having fun,” she remembers, “and how great of an opportunity it was to work with him.” This experience the summer after third grade started her on the way to really committing herself to basketball excellence. Miller recently retired from a legendary career as head coach of the Glen Lake boys basketball team, highlighted by a state championship and an induction into the Michigan High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. Liz spoke fondly of coming back in later years to work at “Mill’s” summer camp.
Liz underscored how lucky she has been to receive fundamentally sound coaching throughout her basketball life when she brought up another Glen Lake and Leelanau coaching legend, Paul Christiansen, and his influence on her development. “Coach C,” as he has always been affectionately called, “was so much fun to play for because he could go from joking to serious so fast,” she noted.
Coach Christiansen was also her track coach. Liz contributed mightily to Glen Lake School’s 2002 State Track Championship, and Shimek feels strongly that track has had a big impact on her athleticism, strength and conditioning, helping her reach such a high level of basketball success in the tough and physical Big Ten conference. Christiansen coached her not only as an eighth grader in basketball, but for four years of great success in Girl’s Track.
Ted Swierad coached Liz as a ninth grader on the Glen Lake varsity team, where she was the first player off the bench. “Coach Swierad was fun to play for,” she reminisces,” and the kind of coach you wanted to play well for and give your heart to.” As Liz spoke about Coach Swierad, she showed a genuine fondness and respect for another member of the Michigan High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame.
The Miss Michigan Basketball Award winner in 2002 explained other elements of her athletic excellence, starting with the importance of her superiority in the classroom. Her accolades there include her title as co-valedictorian of her high school graduating class and her recent naming to the first-team Academic All-American squad.
She stressed the importance of academic excellence contributing to her basketball I.Q. “I felt like even though I may not have been as big as my opponents, I was smarter.” She believes in the idea of the mind pushing the body to an “all out effort, reaching past barrier, mind over matter.” The importance of giving 100 percent all the time in everything contributed to a mental toughness that she needed to play in the Big Ten conference known for its big, strong defensive mindset. Her work ethic learned from long days of working on the farm evolved into a mental and physical toughness necessary to juggle academic and athletic excellence at the highest level.
Separating the good athlete from the great athlete capable of excelling in the Big Ten also took superior strength and athleticism. Playing volleyball, still one of her great loves, contributed to quickness, reaction time, hand-eye coordination and her jumping ability. Her four years of track gave her leg strength and the will to cross barriers of physical pain and exhaustion. Playing three sports in high school put her in a multitude of competitive situations to gain confidence in her ability to overcome adverse conditions in pressure situations.
Liz Shimek is a world-class athlete whose success is hard to fathom, but is easy to see after talking with her — it comes from a combination of coaching expertise, superior athletic ability, mental and physical strength and toughness, and a commitment to excellence. In her mind, just as important as these components are to her success, is the continued support of the people of Leelanau County. She emphasized that the incredible amount of ‘thank you’ notes, congratulatory phone calls and flowers that have been sent inspire her each day. She is so grateful and thankful to all.
In the second chapter of this two part-story on Liz Shimek — who will travel to Izmir, Turkey in August as part of the 12-member USA World University Games squad — read the inside scoop on her amazing year that mesmerized area residents and thrilled the college basketball world on the path to the national championship game.