Liberty coach Bill Laimbeer: Shoni Schimmel taking 'time off'

NEW YORK -- Liberty guard Shoni Schimmel has missed the first few days of training camp and isn't expected with the team any time soon.

"Shoni has decided to take some time off," coach Bill Laimbeer said.

She suffered a concussion in late August that sidelined her for the remainder of the 2016 season. As far as how much time Schimmel is planning to take, Laimbeer didn't want to say.

"You'd have to call and ask her," he said. "I'm not going to speak for her. She's on the roster, she's under contract. It's her choice."

Her agent, Allison Galer, declined to comment.

Schimmel, the eighth pick in the 2014 WNBA draft, played in 17 games last season for New York after being acquired from Atlanta and averaged 2.1 points. The former Louisville star was the MVP of the 2014 WNBA All-Star Game and is a talented 3-point shooter.

While she was in Atlanta, she struggled to stay in shape. She improved her fitness while in New York.

The Liberty have the option to cut or suspend Schimmel.

"There comes a date in training camp when a team has an ability to suspend a player for the entire season and retain their rights," Laimbeer said.

New York, like many other teams in the league, is missing many of its key players because they're playing overseas. Kia Vaughn, who New York acquired in an offseason deal with the Washington Mystics, is expected back later this week. Epiphanny Prince and Amanda Zahui B., who were playing in the Russian league, should be back by the middle of next week.

Kiah Stokes and Shavonte Zellous are still competing in the Turkish playoffs. If their teams keep advancing, they could miss all of training camp and the start of the regular season.