Schimmel a kid magnet during visit to Lapwai

LAPWAI - Imagine LeBron James dropping into a Cleveland-area middle school unannounced.

Shoni Schimmel doesn't pack quite the star power that the Cavs star does, certainly not on a national level, but the influence that the Atlanta Dream point guard has on American Indian youth is at least comparable. That much was evident when Schimmel popped up in the heart of the Nez Perce Reservation on Saturday, and in a gymnasium no less.

Unannounced, unplanned and for the youngsters in attendance who consider Schimmel their idol: unbelievable.

Schimmel's parents reside in Lapwai and the two-time WNBA All-Star made a cameo at the annual Play in Your Moccasins basketball tournament - which might as well be second Christmas in this town - to root on younger brothers Jobe (18), Mick (14) and Saint (11).

"I'm actually getting ready to head back to Atlanta here in a couple days," Schimmel said, "so just to be able to get a fresh start and kind of leave with some joy to Atlanta, it's going to stay with me and be able to help me continue to be me."

Schimmel doesn't go unnoticed in these parts.

As soon as a game featuring her youngest brother ended, fans, along with players from both teams, flocked to the former Louisville All-American for photos and autographs.

She signed T-shirts, Nike sneakers and forearms, obliging every request while making only one of her own.

"I don't have a marker. Get a marker and come back," she told one group of unprepared signature seekers.

Schimmel was raised on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Mission, Ore., but her family traces its roots to north central Idaho.

Since she was drafted with the eighth overall pick of the 2014 WNBA draft, Schimmel's reach has spread nationally. Shortly after the Dream picked up Schimmel, jerseys with her name and number became the league's top sellers.

And on two occasions, her loyal fan base has ensured she'd play in the WNBA All-Star Game, voting Schimmel into both the 2014 and '15 games. She was crowned the game's most valuable player in 2014 after a 29-point outburst.

"To see these players, these kids play, it's just something that makes me want to keep going," Schimmel said. "They think I inspire them, but they inspire me, so it's just one of those full-circle type things."

Schimmel has vivid memories of the American Indian tournaments she played in as a youngster. And after some long thinking, she convinces herself that she did participate in the PIYM tourney.

"I was in high school," she said. "I don't even remember what year it was. But yeah, I think I did play in this one actually. Is there a women's league in this one? I might have played in that one."

Schimmel's lessons in "Rez ball" aren't lost on her. That much is obvious by her game. She's prolific from the 3-point line and often coils and contorts her body while driving to the rim to beat bigger defenders. See: Brittney Griner 2013.

It's an unorthodox way of playing the game, but Schimmel has never been asked to change. And she'd ask the same of the younger players who look up to her.

"I've played the same way since I was however young I was playing," Schimmel said. "And it's definitely just staying true to yourself and believing in yourself that even if you are different, people are going to accept you for who you are because lets's say I didn't play the way I did now - just a robot like everybody else - how would that look? It'd be kind of boring, right?

And if her entrance was any indication, Schimmel certainly isn't that.

Nearly everyone who wanted a piece of her got it. Schimmel understands that she represents something far more than a point guard with a dazzling dribble and a silky 3-point shot.

"There's so much talent out there in Indian country and there's more Shoni and Jude (her younger sister, who also played for Louisville) out there in the world," she said. "That's something that me and my family do as a whole when we go out to speak to different Native American tribes and stuff like that, to let them know that it's OK and you can go be that and step off the reservation because the reservation's always going to be there."

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Lawson may be contacted at tlawson@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2260. Follow him on Twitter @TheoLawson_Trib.