Olivia Schmitt parents, Arthur and Tracy Schmitt, have been her biggest supporters from the very start of her basketball journey.
The Syracuse University women’s basketball guard made headlines in March 2026 for her explosive performance in the NCAA Tournament.
Olivia Marie Schmitt was born in 2006 in Staten Island, New York. She’s the middle child in a close-knit family, raised alongside her older sister Ashley and younger brother Aidan.
The Schmitts have always called Staten Island home, and it’s where Olivia first fell in love with the game.
Her mom, Tracy Buchanan Schmitt, grew up as the daughter of Marie and Mr. Buchanan.
Tracy attended Notre Dame Academy High School and later graduated from Seton Hall University in 1994 with a BA in Political Science and Government.
Professionally, she spent nine years at Atlantic Federal Credit Union before transitioning in 2013 to Thursday’s Child Inc., where she works as an Early Intervention Provider.
On the other hand, Olivia’s dad, Arthur “Artie” Schmitt Jr., comes from a sports-minded background too.
He was born to the late Arthur D. Schmitt Sr., who worked in operations at the New York Daily News, and Patricia Schmitt.
Artie lost both parents, and he was raised alongside his sister Sarah, who has also passed away.
He attended Saint Peter’s Boys High School (class of 1988), where he was active in sports.
Artie went on to Monmouth University, earning a degree in Business Administration and Marketing, followed by an MBA from Rutgers Business School.
His career has spanned financial services, with experience in technology, trading, and relationship-building. These days, he teaches at St. Peter’s Boys High School (since 2024) and Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School (since 2023), where he also coaches baseball and basketball while teaching VEI and Physical Education.
The whole family has a strong connection to sports, especially basketball.
The Whole family has a Strong Connection to Sports, Especially Basketball
Olivia isn’t the only one who’s played. Her older sister, Ashley Schmitt, attended Dominican College (class of 2021) and majored in Childhood Education.
At Staten Island Academy in high school, Ashley played guard in basketball, softball, and soccer.
She earned the Coaches Award as a freshman and both the Coaches Award and Sportsmanship Award in her junior year.
Her younger brother, Aidan Schmitt, graduated from Saint Peter’s Boys High School in 2025.
He played varsity basketball there as a shooting guard wearing #11 and is now committed to SUNY Maritime College.
Growing up, Olivia has often shared how her family shaped her love for the game.
In a “My Basketball Journey” feature for Syracuse women’s basketball, she recalled receiving her first basketball at age 3 under the Christmas tree.
She was thrilled because her older sister, Ashley, played, and she wanted to do everything Ashley did.
The siblings practiced together at Sacred Heart in West Brighton, Staten Island, with their dad Artie usually coaching them as kids.
During COVID, the family set up a backyard hoop, and Olivia challenged her brother Aidan to 1-on-1 games almost every day.
She usually came out on top. Those competitive moments built her toughness and skill.
Olivia started at Staten Island Academy, where she helped win a state championship in 2022.
She then transferred to DME Academy in Florida, where she became a 1,000-point scorer, won a conference championship, and earned conference MVP honors.
She developed into a pass-first point guard there, which helped her game mature.
She committed to Syracuse University in 2024, where she is majoring in Advertising.
As a freshman in 2024-25, she appeared in 24 games (including one in the ACC Tournament postseason), started three during the regular season, and showed flashes—like shooting 60% from three with a season-high nine points against North Carolina, a career-high 26 minutes against California, and 67% field goal shooting versus Creighton.
Now a sophomore in the 2025-26 season, Olivia has stepped up big in March Madness.
Coming off the bench against No. 8 Iowa State in the Round of 64, she exploded for a career-high 15 points—all on five three-pointers in a hot second-quarter stretch—plus five assists and three rebounds with zero turnovers in 31 minutes.
That bench spark powered the ninth-seeded Orange to a 72-63 upset win, advancing them to face top-seeded UConn next.
Through every step, backyard battles, high school titles, college starts, and now NCAA heroics, Olivia’s parents, Arthur and Tracy, along with siblings Ashley and Aidan, have been right there cheering her on.
Their support, from coaching practices to daily encouragement, has helped turn a little girl excited about her first hoop into a key player lighting up the tournament.
The Schmitt family bond is as strong as Olivia’s deep shot.
