10B
LATE NIGHT IN THE PHOG
KANSAN.COM
JAMES HOYT/KANSAN
Women's basketball coach Brandon Schneider addresses reporters at media day on Wednesday
Late Night in the Phog is a recruiting tool for both men's and women's basketball coaches
DYLAN SHERWOOD
@dmantheman2011
Late Night in the Phog is one of the University's biggest recruiting tools when it comes to athletics. For Kansas women's basketball coach Brandon Schneider, this is one of the biggest opportunities to recruit future players.
"I think there might be a few recruits here," Schneider said at women's basketball media day.
Schneider said he thinks that Friday night is a big night for both for the men's and women's teams, the entire athletic
department and the Lawrence community in general. This will be the first chance for fans to see both teams in action before the regular season starts in the beginning of November.
Ever since he was hired in April as the sixth head women's basketball coach at the University, Schneider has brought in two freshmen and three transfers.
Schneider said he thinks Late Night could be a good night for the program for recruits.
"From a recruit standpoint I hope everyone has a terrific experience at Late Night," Schneider said.
Schneider also said he thinks the Big 12 Conference is a draw
for recruits, adding the Big 12 has been one of the toughest conferences to play in over the past few years. He also said the state of the program played a big role in recruiting as well.
"I love our location," Schneider said. "I feel like we are basically three hours away from anywhere in the country. Kansas basketball is our biggest selling point."
And it goes far beyond that. Schneider said the facilities that Kansas has to offer are some that other schools can't beat, and that's what brings players to Lawrence. Largely because of this, the team has nine newcomers, six of whom are freshmen.
Two of the newcomers, who will have to sit out the season because of NCAA transfer rules, are sophomore guard McKenzie Calvert and junior guard Jessica Washington.
Some of the new freshmen on the team, like guard Kylee Kopatich and forward Tyler Johnson, have had multiple experiences attending Late Night as a fan and as a recruit. Both players committed to Kansas last November when Bonnie Henrickson was the Kansas head coach.
Junior guard Sydney Benoit, a transfer from Hutchinson Community College, was recruited by Kansas because of her junior college's success in
the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament. Benoit tore her ACL last February while playing for the Blue Dragons, which left her on the bench during a recruiting time for Division I coaches.
"Nationals, is kind of like where everyone recruits and since I was out with an injury, my coaches [at Hutchinson] helped me get to Kansas," Benoit said.
For freshman guard Kelea Dennis, Schneider saw the guard in practice and then offered Dennis a chance to come to Kansas the following day. Dennis was also recruited by Henrickson before she left.
The situation was different
for freshman forward Chelsea Lott, however, as she originally committed to Schneider at Stephen F. Austin before choosing to come to Kansas. Dennis said she was enticed to become a Jayhawk because that's where Schneider went.
"When I got this opportunity, I could not pass this up," Lott said.
After Late Night, Kansas will have 22 days to prep for its first of two exhibition games of the season. The first will be held on Nov.1 against NCAA Division II school Pittsburg State.
- Edited by Maddie Farber
Freshman guard Kylee Kopatich talks to the media at Kansas women's basketball media day on Oct. 7.
JAMFS HOYT/KANSAN
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