Kara Shimko

High School Achievements

4 Year Varsity Basketball Player
Plainfield North High School ‘13-’14
Queen of Peace High School ‘14-’17
Led team to best record in school’s history and turning the program around from 2-28 to 28-4
All Time Leading Scorer at Queen of Peace High School
Retired #14 Jersey
2x GCAC Player of the Year ‘16 & ‘17

College Achievements

Philosophy

Player development is an important aspect of my coaching philosophy. I believe off court development is just as important as on-court. From personal experiences, I understand the importance of being a student first, athlete second. Taking care of business in the classroom can open up additional opportunities for athletes to utilize their time to work on developing their on court skills outside of practice time.
I love to instill confidence in my players. I am a big advocate of mental health and reminding my athletes that everyone goes through battles on a daily basis, but being able to communicate and overcome allows further success on and off the court.
We have what I like to call a “Next-Play Mentality”. We are all going to make mistakes, but understanding that those mistakes are in the past and all we can do now is to focus on the next play. We learn, we move forward and we grow.
My athletes understand that in order to become great players, we need to do things that no other players or teams are doing. We do not remain the same player or team as the game or season before. We are constantly learning and growing individually and as a team.

Coaching