Calling new Oak Park High School girls basketball coach April Schilling overqualified is an understatement. As a former collegiate player and coach, Schilling will be taking the lead of a team that is one of the best in the state. While her journey into basketball started a long time ago, Schilling always knew she would be a coach stemming from her time playing collegiate basketball at Tennessee and Santa Barbara.
“I was a point guard, so you’re kind of a coach on the floor anyways. Coaching was always in the back of my mind,” Schilling said. “So I went right from graduating at Santa Barbara after playing there for one year to coaching the WNBA in the summers. During the winter, I went right into coaching at Santa Barbara as an assistant after playing there.”
Schilling’s transition to college basketball was also made easier by the learnings she picked up from her former coaches and teams. Schilling played under legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summit—a three time coach of the year winner—for three years and got the opportunity to really pick her brain.
”I could write a book on [my experience with Pat]. My years at Tennessee really showed me how to consistently play with intensity,” Schilling said. “With Pat, what I bring with me is her passion and intensity of doing whatever it takes to make her athletes better.”
Schilling was also a member of the fabled UCSB Gauchos team that reached the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.
“UCSB was a lot of fun. We had one of the best, well, the best year in school history and went to the Sweet 16 and lost there,” Schilling said. “UCSB was a lot different [than Tennessee] in that they had never been past even the first round before. And so it was building something new. And I knew I wanted to go into coaching, so learning from the ground up and how to build something was a really meaningful experience.”
After concluding her playing career, Schilling began to coach in the professional ranks.
“One thing working with the pros is that if you say something in shoot around, for instance, like a tweak to their game or a read, they will immediately understand and will do it in the game that night,” Schilling said. “Their turnaround time and IQ is amazing to watch.”
Schilling’s experience coaching the professionals will prove to be valuable as she plans to incorporate those teachings in order to help the team.
“We run a kind of a pro-style offense, which is going to score in six seconds and want to play as fast as our skill level will allow,” Schilling said. “I also want to teach that what contributes to winning is so much more than scoring. It’s a part of it, but it isn’t everything.”
Due to her experience switching her role after entering college, Schilling understands and empathizes with players who have to make similar switches. With such a talented roster, not everyone will play the whole game which is why she is trying to instill these ideas early.
“I think the toughest challenge was also the best learning experience I had, which was playing different roles coming out of high school. I was a high school All-American, one of the best players in America and then I’m on a team filled with All Americans,” Schilling said. “I went from being one of the best to a role player and working my way up, coming off the bench. Now I get to share that ’cause not every one of these players plays all of the minutes. So I feel where they are, whether their role is to play every minute, or to contribute off the bench.”
Along with bringing her former experiences to the team, Schilling has a wealth of knowledge at her disposal. She has perfected her coaching technique throughout her years and is ready to bring it to OPHS.
“What I aim to do is to be demanding, but not demeaning,” Schilling said. “I think it’s a fine line sometimes with coaches because you’re so intense and passionate. But demanding, not demeaning, is kind of my whole mindset in terms of coaching and maximizing competition.”
Schilling also understands that as a new coach, she needs to put in even more work to ensure that team chemistry stays high. This is especially prevalent considering that the team underwent a roster overhaul this offseason, adding many new players to varsity.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s a lot of work. We already built team captains, so allowing space for them to lead also, because we do have really strong leaders on this team, with different personalities,” Schilling said. “So the beauty of coaching is, it’s different every year, different roster and different challenges, but I love working with this group. They are hungry to learn, hungry to get better and their work ethic is off the charts, so as a coach, I don’t know what else we could ask for.”
Even though it has only been a couple of months, the team has already established a strong, winning culture under their new coach’s guidance.
“Overall, these girls have hunger to get better and hunger to be their absolute personal best. That’s fun to be around,” Schilling said. “I would venture to say, almost our entire varsity roster will play at the next level, I think six to seven at D1. So for someone to play on that level, you have to be talented, but you also have a work ethic and a hunger to get better. I also have two girls. 10 and 12, so they get to see and get to model what that looks like if someone is chasing their dreams. And so having my own girls around that environment, a great bonus.”
OPHS girls basketball has won CIF for the past three years. However, Schilling is pitting her team against competition that will prepare them to raise their standards even higher.
“We played the state champs from Oregon, Arizona, and California,” said Schilling. “And we went three and one. We’re right there going for a state championship.”
Schilling’s investment into OPHS is evident from the work she is putting in. From buying new top line equipment, working her players with strength and conditioning coaches, and even partnering with NBA star Chris Paul to build a youth travel team that directly filters into Oak Park, Schilling has both the present and the future in mind.
“I am building a feeder program called CP3 where I partnered with Chris Paul,” Schilling said. “We have six teams and it is from around fifth to eight grade. It is a really fun group.”
Outside of coaching, Schilling is an avid basketball fan herself.
“My favorite WNBA player currently is Napheesa Collier,” Schilling said. “What she just accomplished joining the 50-40-90 club was amazing, I think only less than five players have accomplished that.”
Outside of basketball, Schilling likes to be with her family. Her husband, Ed Schilling, is the head coach of Pepperdine University’s men’s basketball team.
“Outside of basketball. I love to go to the beach. My girls love the beach. I love hanging with them, doing what they’re doing,” Schilling said. “They’re in a lot of different other sports, too, so being with family is probably the best and highest on my list of priorities.”
Come support Coach Schilling and the OPHS girls basketball team in action on Nov. 17, 2025, at the Conejo Tip-Off.
