Former UWGB basketball star Cassie Schiltz finds her calling in coaching

Kevin Borseth knows as well as anyone what it takes to be a basketball coach, considering his legendary run that included 21 seasons leading the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women’s team.He saw a future coach in former Luxemburg-Casco standout Cassie Schiltz when she arrived for her freshman season with the Phoenix in 2019.Borseth asked what she planned to do with her life. Schiltz was 18 and had no idea.He told her he believed she was going to be a good teacher and coach.Schiltz simply nodded her head. If you say so, Coach.“It wasn’t something I always knew,” Schiltz said. “But I think my last couple years playing, I was like, I think I could be a coach one day. It’s really cool to be able to use your knowledge you were taught from other people and give that back to them. To be like, this is how it goes here. This is the culture here.”After helping lead the Phoenix to the NCAA Tournament as a senior in the first season of the Kayla Karius era in 2024-25, she is back working for her former coach after being hired by UWGB as an assistant in May.It has been a whirlwind for Schiltz since graduating as the Phoenix’s all-time leader in games played – she is tied with former teammate and fellow UWGB assistant Jasmine Kondrakiewicz at 151 – and second with 195 3-pointers.Schiltz might be playing professionally overseas had she not sustained a knee injury in November of her senior season.She played in pain throughout her final campaign, with her knee progressively getting worse.Schiltz refused to sit out and played all 35 games while averaging 29.3 minutes. An MRI revealed her cartilage was completely gone, her knee was bone on bone and she had a torn meniscus.A pro career would have been delayed a year with surgery.Schiltz wanted to remain in the game she loves, even if playing was out.Cassie Schiltz finds role with one of the best DIII teams in the nationShe spoke with Borseth and learned there was an opening at NCAA Division II UW-Parkside for a graduate assistant.Schiltz earned a Master’s degree in business administration at UWGB but asked if she could still be a GA for the Rangers.Parkside coach Jen Conely hired her for the position.Schiltz had the job for a month and hadn’t even moved to Kenosha when she went to coach in a tournament in Minnesota for the Wisconsin Legends, an AAU program she worked for in the past. Wisconsin Legends president Todd Bierowski told Schiltz about an assistant opening at UW-Oshkosh under Brad Fischer.She knew about it, but she also had just been hired at Parkside.Bierowski still put in a call to Fischer, who then called Schiltz.Going from a GA to an assistant was a step up. Fischer asked her if she wanted to visit campus and interview.And that’s how Schiltz kicked off her collegiate coaching career after being hired by the Titans and helping the team go 28-4 and advance to the Final Four of the DIII tournament last season.VOTE NOW: Vote for Cellcom Press-Gazette high school athlete of the weekHer one year at Oshkosh was a whole new education.Players and coaches are involved in the same game, but in many ways, they are in different worlds.Schiltz had an appreciation for her coaches but had no idea all the things they do when players aren’t around.She did a little of everything, from coaching the guards, getting the gym ready, ordering meals and helping with travel arrangements.Perhaps more than anything, she put together scouting reports so detailed they were big enough to be in packets.Schiltz is not too proud to admit that both preparing, and presenting one, was intimidating. There were a couple times she called longtime Phoenix assistant Sarah Bronk to ask if what she had put together made sense. The good news is that it always did.“You have to grow, for sure,” Schiltz said. “I didn’t have that moment where I didn’t think I should be doing this, but it was a lot. Being a player, sometimes you just don’t know what the coaches fully do until you are back in the offices being a coach.“I’m so grateful for everything that my coaches did, because now I’m doing it.”It’s a surprise to absolutely no one that Schiltz is doing just fine early in her coaching career.Borseth saw something in his pupil years ago, well before she even did. Bierowski and Fischer witnessed the same things.“During Cassie’s two seasons coaching with Wisconsin Legends, I had the opportunity to see firsthand the qualities that I believed would make her an outstanding fit to Coach Fischer’s staff at UW–Oshkosh,” Bierowski said. “Cassie has a unique ability to connect with players, build meaningful relationships and effectively teach the details of the game while holding players accountable to high standards.“What impressed me most was her understanding of the highs and lows that athletes experience and her ability to coach, encourage and challenge them through those moments. Cassie sees potential in players, and she makes players feel valued, supported and confident in their abilities. She understands that coaching is about much more than basketball. It's about developing people, building confidence and creating a culture of trust and accountability. I felt strongly that Cassie’s core values, character and approach to player development would be a tremendous fit for Coach Fischer’s program.”Cassie Schiltz makes her way back home UWGB had openings on its staff after assistants Kate Peterson Abiad was hired as coach at Purdue Fort Wayne and Patrick Bowlin left to be an assistant at the University of Washington.Schiltz contacted Karius. The two had good conversations. She only had one season of collegiate coaching experience, but the flipside was that she knows the Phoenix program inside and out.When an offer was presented, Schiltz left Fischer and Oshkosh to join her alma mater.Not only was it a jump from DIII to DI, but it might have helped keep her employed. A month after Schiltz was hired at UWGB, Fischer left Oshkosh to become an assistant at Nebraska. A new coach often wants to bring in their own people, so it’s anyone’s guess what that would have meant for Schiltz.Her role with the Phoenix is as expansive as it was with the Titans.She not only is helping on the court but off it, which includes coordinating volunteer events players take part in. Schiltz is surprised how much she already has put her business degree to use in the job.“We had a dinner last week, and it was a lot of business stuff behind the scenes,” Schiltz said. “It’s like, oh, being a coach is being a businessperson, being a counselor, being everything.”Karius was impressed with Schiltz during her one season coaching her, and she is just as impressed with Schiltz in her first five months on the staff.The future is bright.“I think she is even better at coaching than I was hoping for,” Karius said. “She is not only smart and understands the game, but she knows this program and this standard. There have been several times already where she has brought to the table, ‘This isn’t how it should look. We need to do something about this.’ She is not afraid to coach these kids. Even with one year of experience, as far as coaching goes, she knows what the standard looks like here.“We are thrilled to have Cassie on staff.”This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Former UWGB basketball star Cassie Schiltz finds her calling in coaching