When former Benet basketball star Brooke Schramek finished her playing career at Wisconsin in 2024, she thought she was done with the sport.
Schramek was ready for new challenges and a career as an interior designer with FCA in Naperville.
Then Benet coach Joe Kilbride called her last summer. The Redwings had an opening for an assistant coach.
“I honestly never thought I would coach,” Schramek said. “I did basketball my entire life. I was ready to try something new. I wanted to see if something else was out there for me.”
But Kilbride, who had kept in touch with Schramek over the years, was persuasive.
“The more I talked with him, the more I got really excited, and then there was no hesitation in my mind that I would coach, especially going back to Benet and back to Kilbride,” Schramek said. “He’s probably one of the only people that I would coach with because I loved him as a coach and I loved the Benet culture and the atmosphere.”
Schramek’s father, Jim, an assistant for Benet’s sophomore team, encouraged her to take the job. Schramek did, joining Kilbride and veteran assistant Keith Bunkenburg on the varsity team, and she didn’t need long to make an impact.
“The girls love her,” Kilbride said. “You’ve got me and Bunks, two grumpy old men, and we’ve got Brooke. So if you’re a high school girl, you’re delighted to see Brooke coming around.”
Schramek, 24, has managed to work around her job schedule to attend most practices and games. She brings valuable experience and an infectious positivity.
“She shows up every day with good spirits,” Kilbride said. “She’s happy to be there, and she’s a delightful human being, which is on top of everything else that she offers.
“Of course, the girls are enamored of her fit and fashion. They’re always looking for fashion tips. ‘And what’s that scent you’re wearing? And how do you do your hair?’ They have a great time.”
So does Schramek.
“It gives me that atmosphere and environment that I had for 20 years of my life,” she said. “I tell the girls, ‘You guys are bringing so much joy back into my life because I get to see you guys every day.’
“It’s just a bunch of girls who have the same goal. I haven’t been around that since I was at Wisconsin.”
The Redwings (24-4), who are the No. 1 seed in the Class 4A East Aurora Sectional and are ranked No. 5 in the poll by The Associated Press, are thrilled to be coached by a former Big Ten player and program legend.
“She’s very personable, so when she first came in, we clicked really quick,” Benet senior center Emma Briggs said. “It didn’t take us long to become friends, and I trust her a lot.
“Every time I’m looking for advice, I go straight to her, and she’s very understanding. If I have any issues, she will understand and explain it to me in the easiest way for me to understand.”
Schramek and the Furman-bound Briggs have much in common. Both are guards who had to play in the post for the Redwings, and they have similar personalities.
“I always tell Emma, ‘You are me in high school,’” Schramek said. “Talking to Emma, I see so many similarities to myself.
“It is so weird. It’s like I’m talking to my younger self. Even some other girls on the team will be like, ‘Oh, my God, that’s such an Emma comment. You two are so similar.’”
Both have been team captains known for their work ethic and drive to excel.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Briggs said. “She’s kind of just coach Brooke to us, not so much that she started three years at Wisconsin.
“But you can tell that she was that high of a caliber player. She practices with us and pushes us to get better. She shows up everyone, but it helps me a lot because it shows me what type of player I should be.”
The Redwings have been dealing with several injuries recently, so Schramek’s ability to play with the scout team during practice has been vital.
“There have been days where we didn’t have 10 live bodies, so Brooke was able to jump in and play, which is great,” Kilbride said. “It changes the whole dynamic of the second team when Brooke Schramek is part of it.”
The dynamic between Schramek and Briggs has been especially helpful.
“In practice, I’ll be guarding Emma and say, ‘Hey, make this cut. If you can post up on me and do this, you’ll be good,’” Schramek said. “Or if she’s guarding me, I’ll make a read, and she’s like, ‘Oh, I didn’t even think of making that read for that play.’
“That has helped her as an all-around basketball player. Emma definitely has a special place in my heart because she’s me in the past.”
Is more coaching in Schramek’s future? Kilbride hopes so.
“We’ll take whatever we can get from her for as long as we can get it,” Kilbride said. “I’m just incredibly grateful that she’s here. She’s making the season better for everyone.”
Schramek said coaching is making her better.
“This is definitely something I will keep doing,” she said. “It’s been awesome with these girls.
“I tell them, ‘Let’s soak in all the experience. You never know what your last opportunity is, so every day, play like it’s your last game. Soak in every moment.’”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
