Leadership displays itself in many forms. On the basketball court, the obvious signs are unveiled with points scored or rebounds collected. But in every sport, there are a few team-oriented individuals whose contributions to the team’s success don’t necessarily measure in points scored. Instead, their contributions are measured in different ways.

Meet Senior Karl Schneider. He’s a 6-foot, 5-inch forward and is, according to Head Coach Scott Heady, one of those players for the Greyhounds.

“Karl is everything that we want to represent our basketball program,” Heady said. “He is a high character person. He is somebody that we can trust and that is something really important in our program. We have to trust each other. Karl has worked hard to get where he is right here.”

Schneider said he knows his role and looks to help his team, however possible, as much as possible.

“I’m always looking to do the little things out on the court like rebounding and setting the other guys up,” he said. “When my opportunity comes to score, I take advantage of it.”

Schneider said he works hard in practice and games, and his work ethic is one positive aspect of his game.

“Hustling is something that I like to do – just playing until the whistle sounds – like taking charges. There are a lot of different little things you can do like getting deflections and just basically giving it your all,” Schneider said.

Last year Schneider averaged 1.5 points per game, 1.9 rebounds per game and shot 88.9% from the free throw line.

Even though he doesn’t possess the top statistical numbers on the team, Schneider is, according to Heady, a critical part of the team because of his leadership and effort in doing what Heady calls the “dirty work.”

“You know, he can’t jump real high, he is not the quickest guy on the court, he is not the strongest guy on the court, but he has a high basketball IQ,” Heady said. “He has worked really hard to get himself to this point to be a player at Carmel High School in the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference, playing the toughest schedule in Indiana night-in and night-out. He competes every night, and we are counting on him to do a lot for us.”

Schneider, a self-proclaimed well-rounded player, will have that statement challenged this season by his coach.

“Karl is going to be a guy that we rely on to do a lot of things,” Heady said. “Number one, he has got a high basketball IQ so he is going to be a guy that screens a lot for us. He is a good passer from the post area and he will be a leader on the court. Lack of effort has never been an issue with Karl, and I think that’s going to be his role just to be consistent with his rebounding and defending and being a leader on the court.”

The classroom is another court where Schneider excels, and his success in school has not escaped Heady’s notice.

“From a student standpoint, it’s something that is very important to him, and it is something that we emphasize in our program,” Heady said. “If you really are dedicated as a student, I don’t think that there are going to be any problems being dedicated as an athlete.”

According to Heady, Schneider shows his effectiveness in many intangible ways other than scoring.

“Right now, I don’t think we are looking for Karl to come out and get 20 points a night, but I think that he has improved his skills to a point that he could score for us,” Heady said. “He could be a guy that could be our leading scorer on any given night because he can score around the basket. He is very crafty with the ball inside. On any given night, his role may change. I’ve had players where the role you thought they would occupy at the beginning of the year may change a little bit. As the season goes on, you have to have guys do other things than what they were originally expected to do.”

It appears Schneider is ready to fit into whatever role is expected of him.

“I’ve always been a player that’s been well-rounded and plays tough defense and sets other guys up. It’s a role I am accustomed to,” Schneider said.
Schneider’s leadership also affects the younger players on the team. Sophomore teammate Zach McRoberts said Schneider does a good job of leading without having to be the loudest guy in the locker room.

“I would consider Karl to be a leader on the team,” McRoberts said. “He doesn’t need to talk a lot for him to have an impact on his teammates. As far as how his leadership has affected me, he knows how to play to my strengths, and we are very good at playing together.”

According to Heady, players like Schneider are crucial to the success of the team, and it will rely on him to help propel the team to another level this year.

“I think when you have high-character guys that work hard, are unselfish and try to help each other out – they bond to form a tightly-knitted group – those are the teams that are usually the most successful,” Heady said. “That is the ideal we are looking to build on, and Karl exemplifies everything that we want in a basketball player in our program.”