+
Volume 128 Issue 113
kansan.com
Thursday, April 23. 2015
COMMENTARY Schneider is the perfect hire for Kansas
+ Vc
Rock chalk. It has been 20 years since Brandon Schneider made the vow that he'd utter those two words when the time was right. Driving back from a Roy Williams basketball practice, the young basketball junkie knew exactly where he saw his career path going.
On Tuesday, in front of his friends and family in the media room of Allen Fieldhouse, he finally uttered those two sacred words.
After being a head coach for 17 seasons that included 401 wins, 14 postseason appearances, consecutive Southland Conference Championships and an NCAA Division II National Championship, Schneider became a Jayhawk.
Kansas Director of Athletics Sheahon Zenger made that possible, inking Schneider to a five-year contract with a base annual salary of $300,000 with incentives based on conference success.
Schneider stood out of a starting list of 60 names because he was the perfect fit.
The list goes on why Schneider is the perfect fit as he becomes the first male in program history to direct the women's team. Arguably the top reason on that list is the identity this team will take with Schneider at the helm.
MISSY MINEAR/KANSAN
Schneider has built his teams on four principles that he has used dating back to his first head coaching gig at Emporia State at age 26: His players will play hard, exude toughness, be coachable and have team unity.
Instead, Kansas is equipped with an abundance of young and agile guards, led by soon-to-be sophomore point guard Lauren Aldridge, who seems very capable of directing an up-tempo offense.
No one knows how long the rebuilding process will take. But with his track record, it's not unimaginable to foresee Schneider one day cutting down a pair of nets.
This up-tempo style of offense seems ideal with the team Schneider inherits. Gone is the towering Chelsea Gardner who anchored the Jayhawks for several years.
Edited by Callie Byrnes
Schneider understands the challenges that await him in the Big 12. The "fire-breathing dragon"-filled conference has gotten the best of Kansas with its superior talent. It's one of the many reasons why his predecessor failed to accomplish a conference-winning record in 11 seasons.
That is why Schneider doesn't promise any wins, but instead promises his team will out-hustle and be more conditioned than its counterparts. In a sport in which there is no real parity, the difference might just come down to who is willing to dive for the loose ball.
Schneider compared his style of coaching to another new Jayhawk, football coach David Beaty. Both coaches prefer to score and score quickly in their respective sports.
SPRING GAME
Junior center fielder Briana Evans throws the ball to the infield at Arrocha Field on March 27 against Texas. In a midweek matchup against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Wednesday, the Jayhawks defeated the Cougars 6-4.
Kansas holds off SIUE in midweek game
DEREK SKILLETT
@derek_skillett
The Jayhawks (34-8, 4-5) got back to their winning ways Wednesday afternoon with a huge 6-4 victory against the Southern Illinois-Edwardsville Cougars (35-11, 16-4). This was the final game in the out-of-conference break for the Jayhawks, who were defeated by Tulsa on Sunday and will face No. 5 Oklahoma on Friday.
It seemed like Kansas would cruise to a blowout victory after the third quarter when the Jayhawks held a 5-1 lead. But after the sixth inning, the Cougars had cut Kansas' lead to 6-4.
"We played a team that is a top-40 team in the country," said Kansas coach Megan Smith. "We knew that they were going to continue to put pressure on us. They're the type of team that the further the game goes, the more they fight and scrape. They're a very scrappy team.
"We anticipated a tough battle today," Smith added. "We got a little comfortable lead, but none of us felt comfortable because we knew the type of team that was in that dugout."
Junior Shannon McGinley led the Kansas offense Wednesday, recording two hits against an extremely tough Cougars pitching staff. McGinley also recorded an RBI. Freshman Erin McGinley, receiving her first extended action of the season, only recorded one hit, but knocked in two RBIs.
"They were great today. Shannon has hit a little rough
patch in her hitting, but is working out of it and has done really well the past few weeks," Smith said. "Erin has just gotten her opportunity and has taken advantage of it the past two games. Today, both of them were great."
Freshman Bryn Houlton got the start at pitcher for the Jayhawks, recording two strikeouts in the five innings she
Senior Alicia Pille replaced Houlton in the sixth inning, but uncharacteristically struggled to put away batters, allowing two hits while only recording one strikeout.
pitched. Houlton allowed six hits and four runs during her time in the circle.
With the Cougars threatening in the seventh inning, the jayhawks turned to sophomore Sophia Templin, who kept SIU-Edwardsville off the boards with a go-ahead strike-out to end the game.
“[Templin] was great,” Smith said. “We noticed with Bryn throwing that they struggled with off-speed and thought that she could come in and save the game for us, and she certainly did that. She was tough and came through for us.”
Over the past few games, the Jayhawks have struggled to put away teams in the later innings, allowing teams like Texas Tech and Tulsa to make late comebacks and win. This was not the case Wednesday.
"We lived winning one-run games at the beginning of our season," Smith said, "and then the last few we've dropped. It's good to come out and win a tough, close game against a quality opponent like SIUE."
Up next, the Jayhawks will receive their toughest test of the Big 12 conference schedule: a three-game weekend series against the No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The first game against the Sooners will be at 5 p.m. Friday.
FACE OF THE STREAK
Edited by Mitch Raznick
Cole Aldrich vs. Jeff Withey
Cole Aldrich is a proven shot blocker, elite rebounder and a dominant scorer on the block. Aldrich is most remembered for helping lead Kansas into the NCAA National Championship game by playing only 16 minutes, during which he earned seven points, eight rebounds, and four blocked shots playing against the National Player of the Year, Tyler Hansbrough.
BPG: 2.3
RPG: 7.7
PPG: 9.4
COLE ALDRICH
- Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2009
- Second Team All-American in 2010
JEFF WITHEY
Jeff Withey is known for being one of the best big men coached by Bill Self. Withey was known for his blocks and is the all-time leader in blocks at Kansas. He averaged eight points and 5.4 rebounds per game during his four years. Withey recorded a triple-double on Nov. 26, 2013, with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 blocks. He averaged 14 points and 9 rebounds during his senior season.
BPG: 2.7
RPG: 5.4
PPG: 8.0
- Ranked first in the NCAA in blocks in 2012-13
- Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2012-13
Jayhawks hit the road for critical WVU matchup
EVAN RIGGS
@EvanRiggs1E
After a big win over in-state rival Wichita State, the Jayhawks (17-24, 4-8) will hit the road this weekend to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers (23-15, 5-7) in a critical conference series.
@EvanRiggs15
"It's a huge series because they are ahead of us in the standings," coach Ritch Price said. "There's a lot riding on this series for us. We need to get the younger guys into the tournament so they experience it, so when I have more experience a year from now, we are capable of being in the top 25."
Kansas just finished a 10-game home stand with a 6-4 record, but will have to embark on a long 14-hour trip to Morgantown.
The Jayhawks have struggled to a 3-10 record on the
"Thursday bus leaves at 9:30 in the morning and doesn't get there until 11 at night. I'm still trying to figure out how they are in the Big 12," Price joked.
Both teams have a similar style of play: high-powered offenses and average pitching staffs.
road this season and 1-5 in the Big 12. However, the Mountaineers offer a good matchup for the Jayhawks in that regard. In conference play, they are just 1-2 at home, but have been better (9-3) for the season.
Kansas senior infielder Justin Protocio hits the ball near the end of the game against Wichita State on Tuesday. The Jayhawks defeated the Shockers 11-6.
The Mountaineers batting lineup will present a big challenge for the Jayhawks pitching staff. They ranked sixth in the Big 12 with a .277 batting average, but first in home runs with 39. Every player in their starting lineup has hit a home run this season, and five players have more than 20 RBIs.
Shortstop Taylor Munden has had a spectacular hitting season with nine home runs and 24 RBIs, and he poses the biggest threat to the Jayhawks pitching staff.
Kansas ranks fourth in the Big 12 with a .281 batting average and sixth in home runs with 25. Senior first baseman Blair Beck has been the most
ANNA WENNER/KANSAN
Neither pitching staff has been great this year, but both have elevated their play as of late. The Mountaineers pitching staff has given up an average of just four runs in their past seven contests, and the jayhawks have given up just five runs per game in the same time frame.
consistent threat for the jay-hawks this season with six home runs and 28 RBIs.
Junior Ben Krauth and sophomore Stephen Villines have been the lajhawks' most consistent pitchers this season. Krauth is 5-3 with a 4.09 era and 60 strikeouts in 10 starts. Villines, who was recently named to the Midseason Stopper of the year Watch List, has been excellent out of the bullpen this season. In 20 appearances, he is just 2-3, but he has a team best 3.72 ERA, 10 saves and 42 strikeouts.
West Virginia doesn't have the bullpen presence Kansas does, but it does have two starting pitchers in sophomore Chad Donato and junior Ross Vance who will give
Kansas problems. Donato is 5-4 with a 2.69 ERA while Vance is 6-2 with a 3.15 ERA.
Last weekend, the Jayhawks lost two out of three games against Texas and are looking to get back on track in conference play. The Jayhawks will play at 5 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.
Edited by Callie Byrnes
4
+