Lindsay Schnell announces she’s joining The Athletic

As the college basketball season enters the heart of conference play, The Athletic is bolstering its coverage.

Taking to X on Monday, Lindsay Schnell announced that she’s joining the New York Times-owned outlet as a senior writer covering college basketball.

“Some personal news, as the cool kids say: so so SO excited to share that today is my first day at @TheAthletic,” she wrote. “I’m joining the A team as a senior writer covering college hoops.”

Schnell, who most recently served as a national enterprise reporter at USA Today, with previous stops at Sports Illustrated and The Oregonian, added: “I was so fortunate to have an amazing 7 years at @USATODAY covering sports & news. I helped increase our women’s sports coverage, got to cover my first Olympics, etc. I will always root for @USATODAY & its network (support local journalism!).”

I was so fortunate to have an amazing 7 years at @USATODAY covering sports & news. I helped increase our women’s sports coverage, got to cover my first Olympics, etc. I will always root for @USATODAY & its network (support local journalism!)

— Lindsay Schnell (@Lindsay_Schnell) January 13, 2025

Schnell’s hiring is a welcome addition at The Athletic, whose national college basketball coverage has largely been anchored by Brendan Marks, CJ Moore, and a mix of local and NBA Draft-focused reporters. Based in Oregon, Schnell will also provide a much-needed presence on the West Coast, with much of the outlet’s college basketball coverage primarily focused on the Southeast and Midwest.

Given her versatility, one would imagine that Schnell will also contribute to The Athletic’s women’s basketball coverage, which is currently led by Sabreena Merchant, Chantel Jennings, and Ben Pickman. This past October, The Athletic announced that it had partnered with Yahoo Sports on a free women’s sports hub.