Deandra Schirmer

The Eckerd Tritons women’s basketball team at St. Petersburg, Fla., was ranked No. 17 nationally in the final NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll this season, it was reported.

The Emporia State University women’s basketball team was ranked No. 8 in the nation and Pittsburg State University’s women’s basketball team was ranked No. 16 in the nation.

Deandra Schirmer, a Holton High school graduate and daughter of Susan Schirmer and the late Charlie Schirmer, is the assistant coach of the team.

The Tritons finished the season 27-5 and claimed the program’s first-ever Sunshine State Conference regular season and tournament championships.

Eckerd was the No. 1 seed in the NCAA DII South Region  Tournament, where the team won its first ever national tourney game, an 84-77 win over Lee (Tenn.) University in the first round.

The Tritons earned the program’s first national rankings this season, reaching No.12 in the coaches’ poll and No 10. In the media poll.

The Tritons set new team records for wins (27) and conference wins (16) during the season while going on an 11-game winning streak from Nov. 25 through Jan. 11.

After leading the Eckerd women's basketball team to a record-setting season, head coach Paul Honsinger was named one of eight finalists for the U.S. Marine Corps/WBCA National Coach of the Year.

Schirmer just completed her third season as the assistant coach of the Eckerd women's basketball program.

Schirmer, most recently a graduate assistant coach at Division I-affiliated Georgia State University in Atlanta, started her playing career with Cloud County (Kan.) Community College before transferring to the University of South Carolina Aiken.

She officially joined the Eckerd women’s basketball coaching staff for her first season with the program in July of 2014 in an assistant role.

Schirmer was an all-conference and all-region selection at Cloud County and was a two-year starter with a strong USC-Aiken program that finished No. 8 in the nation her senior season. 

Originally from Holton (HHS class of 2007), Schirmer was an all-state performer in basketball and volleyball while attending Holton High School. She was also a team captain for both sports and additionally lettered in cross country and softball while receiving the Naismith Award from the foundation.

After serving in a role as Athletics Marketing Graduate Assistant for Georgia State, Schirmer transitioned to the coaching side for the 2013-14 campaign.

At USC-Aiken, Schirmer was a forward who carved out two-year averages of six points and nearly six rebounds per game from 2009-11. She appeared in 61 games and also averaged close to two assists and over one steal for the Pacers, members of the Peach Belt Conference.

In the classroom, she was picked to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District (District III) First Team in her senior year.

Schirmer shined for Cloud County on the junior college level, helping her team to a 26-7 overall record as a sophomore. She was named to the Kansas Jayhawk Western Division Conference Second Team and was an all-region selection as well.

She also has experience and success coaching on the AAU circuit, working with Aiken Elite, a team consisting of girls ages 11 through 14 in the area.

Schirmer majored in business marketing at USC-Aiken before earning her master’s of sports administration from Georgia State. She currently resides in St. Petersbur