Corey Schaefer

Classroom

Schaefer has posted a strong 3.51 cumulative GPA in Lehigh’s renowned business school. The finance major has been named to the Dean’s List on multiple occasions while also earning a spot on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll every season. He’s garnered the Faculty Athletics Council Award and was named to the NABC Honors Court for meeting a high academic standard. Schaefer was part of a Lehigh business project team that finished first out of 75 teams. His team created a business plan which included financials, marketing and industry analysis. This past summer, Schaefer also interned for Principal Financial in Iowa with their Advanced Solutions department, creating a marketing piece from data collected through buy/sell reviews for the department. As part of the experience, he learned, conducted and generated company business variations for business owners. Schaefer handled and organized incoming requests for business valuations and buy/sell reviews. He also conducted ESOP calculations for life insurance.

Character

Schaefer has been named captain for the 2014-15 season and has represented the ideals of a Lehigh student-athlete ever since stepping foot on campus. He is looked up to by his teammates and can always be counted on to do the right thing. Schaefer has progressed through the Lehigh Athletics’ leadership program, beginning in the Lehigh Pride Program when he was selected to participate in weekly workshops involving leadership techniques and development. Schaefer then participated in Emerging Leaders as a sophomore and Leadership Legacies as a junior. Those programs focused on developing detailed leadership techniques before shifting focus to building strong team environments. In addition, Schaefer gives back as an instructor at basketball camps.

Community

Schaefer has made a difference in the local community. Lehigh men’s basketball is heavily involved in the NABC Stay in to Win program, which highlights five keys to success: (1) stay in school and graduate, (2) create a success team and success plan, (3) learn and practice decision-making skills, (4) improve academic performance, and (5) focus on personal development. The Mountain Hawks take part in kickoff assemblies at local Bethlehem middle schools and leave the schools with workbooks that reinforce the concepts covered. In addition, Schaefer has been involved with C.O.A.C.H. at Lehigh (Community Outreach by Athletes who Care about Helping), which is a service program to help middle and high school student-athletes and their peers make informed choices regarding their education, drug and alcohol issues and other factors that may affect their ability to reach their potential. Schaefer and other Lehigh student-athletes talk about substance abuse, time management, academic motivation and other concerns of younger students. The C.O.A.C.H. program also handles numerous presentations to student groups in settings ranging from team meetings to school assemblies and sports banquets. They run sports clinics with an educational theme, group outings to Lehigh athletic events and more. One special event is an annual Adopt-a-Family program around the holidays. Each Lehigh Athletics team adopts an underprivileged family and raise money throughout the semester to purchase holiday presents for their adopted family. The program wraps up with an event at which all the student-athletes present the gifts to the families. The Mountain Hawks raise nearly $30,000 annually.

Competition

On the court, Schaefer has made his mark from day one. During his freshman season, the Mountain Hawks won the Patriot League Tournament and earned a historic upset over Duke in the NCAA Tournament. Schaefer served as the backup point guard that season and averaged 2.8 points per game. He averaged 4.6 points in a sophomore season in which the Mountain Hawks eclipsed 20 wins for a second straight year while advancing to a second-straight national postseason tournament (the College Basketball Invitational). Schaefer followed with a career-high 8.3 points per game last season. Schaefer was the only Mountain Hawk to start all 32 games as a leader for a young Mountain Hawks’ squad. Schaefer owns 501 career points, 186 assists and 173 rebounds. He’s hit 43 percent of his field goals, including 46 percent as a sophomore and 45 percent as a junior. Schaefer reached double-figure points 14 times last season, led by a career-high 16 points on two occasions, including a double overtime thriller at Colgate to begin Patriot League play. Schaefer received the Coaches Award at the team’s annual end-of-season banquet, which recognizes the player with an outstanding work ethic, attitude and leadership characteristics, both on and off the court.