Jason Schmitz
Jason Schmitz
Title: Head Coach
Phone: (318) 841-7312
Email: jschmitz@centenary.edu

Jason Schmitz begins his fourth season as head coach of the Ladies in 2021-22. Schmitz was named the 10th head coach in Ladies Basketball history on October 12, 2018.

Centenary saved its best for last in the abbreviated 2020-21 season as the Ladies defeated the St. Thomas Celts 70-69 in overtime on Feb. 27 in the regular-season finale for their lone win of the season, making the postgame Senior Day celebration even sweeter at the Gold Dome. Sophomore forward Jazzmyn Jones (Normangee, Texas) tied the game at 59-59 with a shot off the glass with .006 on the clock to send the game to overtime after a back and forth final quarter of play. Centenary then outscored St. Thomas by a score of 11-10 in OT to clinch the win.

Ladies' freshman guard Addy Tremie (Sulphur, La.) was named the 2020-21 SCAC Co-Newcomer of the Year and also earned Honorable Mention recognition following her superb true freshman season. She finished the season averaging 15.7 PPG, third-best in the conference, and led the team. Tremie reached double figures eight times in nine games this past season, ranked third in the league in three-point field goals made (21), and third in minutes played (324 total minutes/36.0 MPG). She also finished tied for 12th in defensive rebounds (45), and tied for 14th in overall rebounding with 54 total and an average of six per game. She wasted no time in establishing herself as a scorer as she poured in 18 points in her collegiate debut at home versus Texas Lutheran on Jan. 16. She shot 7-16 from the floor in 38 minutes and made four of her 10 three-point attempts and grabbed seven rebounds. Tremie was also recognized as one of the top players in the state as she earned Honorable-Mention All-Louisiana honors.

The Bismarck, North Dakota native owns an 11-49 record after his first three seasons with the Maroon and White. The Ladies finished 8-17 and 6-10 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play in Schmitz’s first season in 2018-19. Centenary experienced a tough 2019-20 season as they only won two games but thirteen of Centenary's losses last season were by 14 points or less, with nine by 12 points or less and six by single digits displaying how hard the Ladies played and how competitive they were.

The Ladies finished the 2019-20 season as one of the top rebounding teams in the conference, ranking third in defensive rebounds, fourth in defensive rebounding, and fifth in offensive rebounding. Junior Bre Frierson (Shreveport) was the offensive star for the Ladies during the 2019-20 season. Frierson was named to the All-SCAC Third Team after averaging a team-leading 12.1 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game, second on the team. She capped off her great individual season with 21 points and 12 rebounds in 23 minutes on Feb. 22 in the Ladies' dominant 22-point home victory over Dallas in the regular-season finale at home in which Centenary scored a season-high 73 points.

Frierson posted five double-doubles during the 2019-20 season and ranked in the top 10 in the SCAC in points, rebounds, field goal percentage, and offensive rebounds. She was also twice named the LSWA Women's Basketball Player of the Week by the Louisiana Sportswriters Association during the season.

Schmitz previously served as an assistant coach at Michigan Technological University, an NCAA Division II institution in the upper peninsula of Michigan. In his short time with the Huskies, he was tasked with developing a budget, scheduling exhibition contests, and assisting with the planning and coordination of new offensive and defensive schemes for the 2018-19 season. He also helped with recruiting and was responsible for the development and growth of the Michigan Tech Women's Basketball social media presence.

Prior to his tenure in Michigan, he served four seasons as the assistant women's basketball coach at his alma mater, the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. With the Marauders, he was responsible for assisting with all aspects of the program. Those duties included producing and implementing game plans, player development, recruiting, game management, schedule construction, and budget, travel, and camp coordination. In his coaching duties, Schmitz specifically served as a defensive specialist.

In his tenure with the Marauders, Schmitz helped mentor All-American and Northern Sun single-season scoring record holder Brittany Dietz. U-Mary also claimed Northern Sun Freshman of the Year and DII Bulletin All-Freshman team honoree Gabbie Bohl.

Schmitz received his first head coaching experience as the girls head coach at Oakes High School (2013-14) and Gila Ridge High School (2014). As an assistant coach at Oakes for 2012-13, he also served as interim athletic director. Before serving as an athletic director and assistant girls basketball coach at Wilton-Wing Co-Op in 2011-2012, he began his coaching career as an assistant boys basketball coach at St. Mary's Central High School from 2003-2006.

After Schmitz graduated from the University of Mary with a degree in social behavioral science education in 2008, he attended graduate school at Worcester State College. Schmitz coached as a graduate assistant for baseball for 2008-09 before serving as the graduate assistant to the athletic director for 2009-2010. Schmitz obtained his graduate degree from Worcester State in 2010 in secondary education.