Carol Menken-Schaudt

Carol Jean Menken-Schaudt (born November 23, 1957 ) is an American All-American basketball player from Jefferson, Oregon, who won a gold medal on the U.S. team at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Menken-Schaudt later played basketball professionally for eight seasons, including six years in Italy and two in Japan.

Menken-Schaudt is a 1993 inductee into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame.

Biography

Collegiate career Carol Menken, born in Albany, Oregon, During her time at the small school Menken was unable to play high school basketball every year as a coach was not always available. She registered double-doubles for points and rebounds in 55 collegiate games and recorded a career scoring high of 51 points.

Menken-Schaudt played on the 1983 World University Games team, coached by Jill Hutchison. She averaged 11 points per games, and had a 25-point contribution in the semi-final against Yugoslavia, a game the USA won by only a single point. She helped the team go on to win the gold medal.

In 1984, the USA sent its national team to the 1984 William Jones Cup competition in Taipei, Taiwan, for pre-Olympic practice. The team easily beat each of the eight teams they played, winning by an average of just under 50 points per game. Menken-Schaudt averaged 4.1 points per game.

Professional career Following graduation, Menken-Schaudt played professionally for eight years, logging six seasons in Italy and two more in Japan. She credits playing professionally with helping to extend her playing days, thereby allowing her the opportunity to make the gold medal-winning 1984 American Olympic team.

Legacy Carol Menken-Schaudt was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Pac-12 Conference Hall of Honor in 2017.