November 28, 2025
Always a great shooter, Ferris State basketball player Emma Schierbeek adds to her game and is a key part of team’s hot start
Emma Schierbeek says she’s always been “a shooter.” But now the Ferris State University women’s basketball player is adding more to her game and is a key part of the team’s hot start.
The Bulldogs are off to a 6-1 start, winning five in a row and ranked No. 19 in the nation.
"I was always known as 'just a shooter,' but now I'm driving to the basket more, and I think it is making it harder for teams to guard me than it was before,” she said. “I think that confidence in me developing my all-around game has been a big part of me growing as a player."
Schierbeek is a 5-foot-9 guard from McBain, a northern Michigan community with a strong basketball tradition. She’s respected for being close to automatic from outside the three-point line.
Schierbeek's scoring average has increased from 2.5 as a freshman to 3.3 as a sophomore. Her scoring average jumped again – this time by a bigger margin – to 7.2 during her junior year. So far, through seven games this season, Schierbeek is averaging a career-best 10.9 points.
Having already faced a high-powered non-conference schedule, Schierbeek is shooting a career-best 46.7 percent from beyond the three-point arc for head coach Kurt Westendorp's squad.
Schierbeek's all-around game is built on an accurate outside shooting touch with nearly unlimited range that helps spread the floor for the Bulldogs' potent offensive attack, which is putting up nearly 80 points a contest.
"I think it all just goes with confidence. I'm never afraid to let it fly when I'm out there on the floor," said Schierbeek. "It helps to know that my teammates have confidence in me."
She grew up in a rural Missaukee County community, firing up shots about as far back as she can remember as she set the state to become an all-state player for the Ramblers.
As a high school hardwood standout, she reached the 1,000-point mark for her career with the Ramblers, thanks to her ability to knock down shots.
Fast-forwarding to 2025-26, her senior year at Ferris State, Schierbeek is a key contributor to a Bulldog basketball program blessed with an experienced core of players poised to fuel its success during the 2025-26 season.
Among Schierbeek's fellow seniors are standout Kadyn Blanchard, who has returned this season from an injury and is off to a great start; versatile shooting guards Elle Irwin and Mia Riley, guard Ally Schultz and senior post Mya Hiram, who the Bulldogs will look to for inside scoring and rebounding production.
"We're definitely veteran-heavy, which is good for us," she said. "We know a lot, we're smart, and our freshmen are also smart, and they're really good. If we keep working hard and staying focused, I think it's going to be a great year."
The depth is paying off.
"We've been really fast paced, but I think it's really good for our team because we're getting fresh legs every couple of minutes," Schierbeek said. "It's been going really well so far."
The incoming freshman class includes guard Charlotte Miller, an Ann Arbor native who has started every game this season for Ferris State. The Bulldogs' rookie class also includes forwards Kenzie Garner, from Sheridan, Indiana, and Melena Glysch, from Muskego, Wisconsin.
Schierbeek is excited about the return of Blanchard and redshirt freshman point guard Mara Mitchell, who also missed most of last season because of an early injury. Blanchard and Mitchell have successfully returned to the court.
"It's great having them back on the floor with us," she said. "Mara is a great point guard. She's quick and loves to hustle. She's great on defense for us. Kadyn is our best offensive threat, and she always plays hard. We're so happy to have them both back."
Schierbeek, a Business Administration major, is newly engaged to Andrew Eisenga.
"I'm planning on taking over my family's business back in my hometown someday.” She said. “My dad's a heavy equipment mechanic, and my mom does the bookwork. I think I may end up taking over that part."