A four-year starter, Schoff Waters began her basketball career with a long win streak and capped it with All-America honors. In between, she became a 1,000-point scorer, an incredible rebounder, a top-notch thief, and an intimidating shot blocker.
Schoff Waters compiled 1,195 points (10th at William Smith), 858 rebounds (4th), 216 steals (12th), and 63 blocked shots (3rd). She shot .437 from the floor (14th) and .780 from the free throw line (2nd).
During her career, the Herons were an impressive 98-9 on the hardwood, including an unblemished 43-0 in Bristol Gym. She helped William Smith win four UCAA championships and make four NCAA tournament fields.
A starter from Day 1, she helped the Herons rattle off 17 consecutive wins to start the year. She notched the first of 23 career double-doubles in her second college game, burning Albany for 11 points and 13 boards. Schoff Waters averaged 10.3 ppg and 8.6 rpg for a squad that went 23-3 and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, earning the conference rookie of the year award and William Smith’s Barbara Easton Regan Coach’s Award.
As a sophomore, Schoff Waters helped the Herons go 25-2, matching the program record for wins in a season. She averaged 12.4 ppg and 7.4 rpg on her way to All-UCAA honorable mention. Her .846 free throw percentage that year is second in Heron history.
In 1996-97, Schoff Waters and the Herons won 27 games in a row to start the season, suffering their only loss of the campaign in the NCAA quarterfinals. She contributed 12.1 ppg and 9.0 rpg. Her 251 rebounds that season put her fourth on the school’s all-time list.
As a senior, Schoff Waters led William Smith to a third consecutive Chase Scholarship Tournament Championship. She matched her career-high for points with 23 in the title game win over Geneseo, earning her a second straight all-tournament nod. Later in the season, she, not once, but twice, matched her career-high for rebounds, collecting 15 caroms against Union and Lycoming. For the year, Schoff Waters averaged career-highs of 13.1 ppg and 9.1 rpg. She received WBCA All-America honorable mention and the Winn-Seeley Award.
Schoff Waters is one of only three Heron basketball players to be named an Academic All-American. She also earned an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. A member of Hai Timiai and Phi Beta Kappa, Schoff Waters graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. In 2003, she earned a master’s degree in mathematics from the University at Albany.
A math teacher at Fonda-Fultonville High School, Schoff Waters coached the Braves’ girls basketball team to a 222-95 record in 15 seasons. She inherited a program that hadn’t won a league title in 10 years and lead it to nine championships, earning three coach of the year awards.
