BIG 12 National Letter of Intent Signings
November 8, 2017




BAYLOR
http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/110817aaa.html




IOWA STATE
http://www.cyclones.com/news/2017/11/8/womens-basketball-iowa-state-signs-no-15-recruiting-class.aspx?path=wbball






KANSAS
http://www.kuathletics.com/news/2017/11/10/womens-basketball-schneider-inks-a-pair-of-guards-in-third-signing-class.aspx




KANSAS STATE
http://www.k-statesports.com/news/2017/11/8/womens-basketball-k-state-wbb-signs-four-to-nlis-for-2018-19-season.aspx?path=wbball




OKLAHOMA
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=750397&SPID=127261&DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=211677467




OKLAHOMA STATE
http://www.okstate.com/news/2017/11/8/womens-basketball-cowgirls-add-three-during-fall-signing-period.aspx?path=wbball




TCU
http://www.gofrogs.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/110817aaa.html




TEXAS
https://texassports.com/news/2017/11/8/womens-basketball-signs-nations-no-2-recruiting-class.aspx






TEXAS TECH
http://www.texastech.com/news/2017/11/8/womens-basketball-two-lady-raiders-welcomed-to-2018-signing-class.aspx










WEST VIRGINIA
http://wvusports.com/news/2017/11/8/womens-basketball-carey-inks-four-for-2018-19.aspx?path=wbball

`


Friday - Nov 10
Opening Day for Non-Conference Season

Incarnate Word 35 @ Oklahoma State 86
South Dakota 76 @ Iowa State 81
Stephen F. Austin 49 @ Kansas State 74
Central Connecticut State 52 @ West Virginia 102
Lamar 62 @ Baylor 121
Belmont 73 @ Oklahoma 96

Who is In Car Nate? Is he the new navigation voice?

Malbec said:

---

Who is In Car Nate? Is he the new navigation voice?

---

In Car Nate is yet another San Antonio In Ten Eighty that will school Rhule in the footsbah.

Malbec said:

---

Who is In Car Nate? Is he the new navigation voice?

---

IOWA STATE

November 10, 2017

"With a roster full of inexperience and fresh faces, Iowa State women's basketball coach Bill Fennelly knew he was going to have to lean on Bridget Carleton. The junior didn't disappoint in Iowa State's first game of the season.

Carleton scored a game-high 24 points and helped the Cyclones navigate through a bumpy 81-76 season-opening win over South Dakota at Hilton Coliseum on Friday afternoon.

"In the fourth quarter, it was kind of like one of those NBA games like, 'Here, give Bridget the ball and get the hell out of the way and let her make a play,'" Fennelly said. "And I think to her credit she accepts that responsibility."

With Iowa State trailing 54-51 heading into the fourth quarter, Carlton took over. She scored 19 fourth-quarter points, including eight of Iowa State's final 12 points and guided the Cyclones to the finish line with three freshman and a junior-college transfer gulping up big minutes. Iowa State was also without guard Emily Durr at the end of the game after she was injured.

"I knew with my experience, I just had to do what I could to help them out and do whatever I can and lead them and help get the win," said Carleton, who added seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Iowa State got to the finish line without Emily Durr. Fennelly said after the game that Durr hyperextended her knee. Durr went down with 6 minutes, 8 seconds remaining in the third quarter. She had been one of the big bright spots for Iowa State early on, scoring 14 points. Durr is a starter, Fennelly's lone senior and a versatile guard who would have been a huge asset at the end of the game.

With Carleton and Adriana Camber battling foul trouble in the first half, Fennelly had to take the training wheels off his three freshmen early on. Freshmen Madison Wise, Rae Johnson and Kristin Scott combined to log 92 minutes in the win. Wise scored 10 points. Johnson added 10 points and four assists. Scott chipped in with six points and nine rebounds. While Fennelly would have liked to have his experienced players on the court for longer stretches, it may be have been a blessing in disguise.

"There were moments where all three of them were pouting, feeling sorry for themselves and on the verge of making it worse," Fennelly said, "and then they turned it around."

Junior-college transfer Bride Kennedy-Hopoate got the start and scored six points, tallied four rebounds and played 17 minutes.

Camber has quickly earned the trust of Fennelly, who has put her in a bigger role this season. After getting limited playing time last season, Camber is expected to be an important part of Iowa State's plans. The sophomore played 14 minutes amid foul trouble all game and finished with nine points. Camber also connected on a clutch 3-pointer in the fourth quarter that gave Iowa State some breathing room with a 74-69 lead.

"It was an absolute great experience," Camber said."

- Tammy Birch, Des Moines Register, 10 Nov 2017

OP NOTE
Bride Kennedy-Hopoate is from Brisbane, Australia.

TCU



November 8, 2017

"The TCU basketball team enters the 2017 season looking to reach the postseason after missing it last season for the first time in head coach Raegan Pebley's three seasons.

The Horned Frogs return 10 players from last season, including three starters, senior Toree Thompson, junior Jordan Moore and sophomore Kianna Ray. Junior Amy Okonkwo, who averaged 10.2 PPG and started 14 games, also returns. However, the team lost their top two scoring and assist leaders from last season in Jada Butts and AJ Alix, who each averaged over 12 points a game.

Pebley said in a press conference on Tuesday that the gap left by Butts and Alix at the guard position will be filled by a committee of players, naming freshman Lauren Heard and sophomores Amber Ramirez, Kianna Ray, and Jayde Woods specifically. Pebley expressed her excitement for Heard, who led the team in scoring in their exhibition against Texas Wesleyan.

"[Heard] had a really good showing for the first time she's put on the uniform at Schollmaier Arena," she said.

The team also returns all 5 players from its 2016 recruiting class plus redshirt freshman Adeola Akomolafe and Oregon transfer Woods, giving them a total of seven sophomores on the 2017 roster. The group of sophomores are led by Ray and Ramirez. Ray started 28 games last season. Ramirez was the second-ranked guard in her recruiting class and a member of Team USA, but missed seven games as a freshman due to an injury.

"Kianna Ray has developed some confidence," Pebley said. "Confidence as a scorer and we are going to continue to look for her to establish herself that way."

Ray averaged 6.7 points per game last season. Pebley also spoke highly about Ramirez.

"She is in some of the best shape she has been in in a long time and our team has been able to really gel with her," she said.

Ramirez missed summer practices last season due to USA Basketball commitments and the preseason due to an injury. She totaled seven points and six assists as the starting point guard in the exhibition against Texas Wesleyan.

The Horned Frogs went 4-0 on their August trip to Australia, gaining an extra 10 practices and experience for their young core. Pebley called the trip "a chance to continue to grow them up," as the seven sophomores look toward bigger roles in 2017.

"The practices is like a third of our entire preseason, so we got to add that on top of our preparation and then had the competition as well," Pebley said.

Woods, who is ineligible to play until the end of the fall semester, impressed the coaching staff during their overseas trip.

"Jayde is really a special player. She is tough, physically, just mean, and I love that" Pebley said. "Not only was she a great defensive presence for us but also a really great scorer. She brought in the mid-range shot we were lacking last year."

The team will be playing in a Big 12 Conference that features four teams in the initial AP Top 25 rankings, with Texas and Baylor ranked No. 2 and No. 3 overall.

"This is a league that could get six or seven into the NCAA tournament when it is all said and done," Pebley said. "It is one of our strongest top to bottom years that we've had since I've been a part of the league."

Pebley also commended her team's offseason focus.

"This group is all staying really committed to what we're doing, the mission at hand, to each other, and I think speaks volumes to the chemistry in the locker room right now," she said.

- Benton McDonald, tcu360.com

BIG 12

Saturday - Nov 11

Oral Roberts 58 @ TCU 72

Sunday - Nov 12

Coppin State 54 @ Baylor 100
Stetson 59 @ Texas 95
Campbell 48 @ Kansas 66
Texas State 87 @ Texas Tech 70

TEXAS TECH

Texas Tech Loses in Lubbock to Texas State

FINAL
87 Texas State
70 Texas Tech

slimecap said:

---

TEXAS TECH

Texas Tech Loses in Lubbock to Texas State

FINAL
87 Texas State
70 Texas Tech

---

WOW...what a thrashing. Sux to be Tech.

RioRata said:

---

slimecap said:

---

TEXAS TECH

Texas Tech Loses in Lubbock to Texas State

FINAL
87 Texas State
70 Texas Tech

---

WOW...what a thrashing. Sux to be Tech.

---

Total shocker. I feel bad for Coach Candy.

TEXAS TECH



Sheryl Swoopes (22)
Krista Kirkland (21)

Texas Tech wins 1993 NCAA championship

TEXAS TECH



Candi White played for Texas Tech for 2 years (2000-2002)
Played her first 2 years for Jim Littell at Seward County KS Community College
Hired as head coach for Texas Tech in May 2013

December 8, 2015

"Texas Tech Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt announced Tuesday that Lady Raider head basketball coach Candi White Whitaker has agreed to a contract extension.

Whitaker's deal, which now totals five years, has her slated to be the head coach of the Lady Raiders through 2020.

"We see a bright future for Lady Raider basketball under Coach Whitaker," Hocutt said. "It is apparent she and her staff are building something special. We look forward to continuing to see this program develop under her direction. We have the highest standards and expectations for the program and look forward to competing at the highest level."

Under Whitaker, the Lady Raiders have already shown drastic improvement on the court, while securing elite-level talent for future campaigns.

Eligible to play beginning 2016-17
Whitaker & staff brought 3 high-profile transfers to Lubbock:
Recee' Caldwell McDonald's All-American who came to Lubbock from UCLA
Jada Terry imposing post player who transferred in from Texas A&M
Larryn Brooks All-Big 10; first Indiana freshman to score 500 points in a season

Back in November, Whitaker's staff signed two highly-regarded high school seniors in Brittany Brewer and Grayson Bright, both of which are slated to join the Lady Raiders for the 2016-17 season. Both athletes are ranked among the top-75 in their position group nationally by ESPN HoopGurlz. Brewer is the No. 97 player overall in the nation to go along with being the nation's No. 14 post player.

"I appreciate the support and commitment Kirby Hocutt and Texas Tech have shown me and the Lady Raider program," Whitaker said. "There is a process to rebuilding. We are proud of the progress we have shown and are so excited about the future. We have the highest standards and expectations for the program and look forward to competing at the highest level. I am honored to be at Texas Tech and to lead the Lady Raider program."

During the 2014-15 season
.. experienced a 9-win increase overall
.. 5-win increase in conference play

During the 2015-16 season
.. quick 5-1 start
.. win over Southeastern Louisiana; Tech broke the 100-point barrier (first time in 11 years)
.. only loss was 77-73 defeat by Washington (which is receiving votes in the AP poll)

- Texas Tech WBB website

from the University of Central Arkansas

BIG 12

Monday - Nov 13

Omaha 60 @ Kansas State 81
Oklahoma 108 @ DePaul 111 OT

Tuesday - Nov 14

Sacramento State 47 @ West Virginia 101
Central Arkansas 55 @ Baylor 86
TCU 64 @ SMU 58
Wichita State 67 @ Oklahoma State 91
Iowa State 53 @ Northern Iowa 57

Wednesday - Nov 15

McNeese 34 @ Texas 100
Florida A&M 63 @ Texas Tech 82
Texas Southern 37 @ Kansas 72

Friday - Nov 17

Florida A&M 57 @ Kansas State 81
SMU 75 @ Oklahoma 87
UTRGV 38 @ Oklahoma State 80
UTSA 70 @ Texas 120

Saturday - Nov 18

Baylor 68 @ UCLA 82
Texas State 58 @ TCU 82

Sunday - Nov 19

Yale 75 @ Kansas 81
Northwestern State 44 @ Oklahoma State 78
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 47 @ Texas Tech 74
Kansas State 55 @ North Texas 54
North Florida 59 @ West Virginia 87

Oklahoma State full game replay on youtube
Game begins approx 30:00 on meter


`

KANSAS STATE



November 19, 2017

"North Texas fell to Kansas State 55-54 Sunday afternoon at the Super Pit in Denton TX after Kansas State rallied late and converted on a free throw with 13 seconds left in the game to take the lead.

"I'm disappointed and the women are too," head coach Jalie Mitchell said of her UNorth Texas Mean Green (2-1) team, that led the Kansas State Wildcats (4-0), who are receiving votes for top-25, for 29 minutes of Sunday's game. "This game we should have won and we didn't end up making enough plays to do so. We will learn from it and bounce back."

K-State opened the game with a 6-0 run. North Texas answered with seven straight points to give them the lead. Both teams exchanged leads a handful of time before freshman Lauren Holmes knocked down a three-pointer at the end of the first-quarter to give the Mean Green a 14-11 lead.

North Texas continued this rhythm for the rest of the first half, extending their lead to as much as 11 points. Terriell Bradley was able to convert on a trio of field goals which included a three-pointer. The double-digit lead would be short lived as K-State rallied with a 9-0 run which would send the Mean Green into halftime with a 30-28 lead.

The Mean Green struggled offensively for much of the third quarter, which Mitchell described as "uncharacteristic" of her team. However, the North Texas defense was able to hold the Wildcats to under 10 points in the quarter.

Along with Holmes, junior Grace Goodhart were both able to knock down a couple quick three-pointers to extend the Mean Green lead. After a K-State rally to tie the game at 49, Bradley hit a three-pointer to once again give North Texas a late lead.

With under a minute left in the game, K-State guard Rachel Ranke hit a three-point shot that put the Wildcats up 54-52. Bradley answered with a drive into the paint to force a layup and tie the game. K-State drew a foul with 13 seconds left in the game, making only one of the two free throws. The Wildcats were able to escape Denton after a missed jumper by Micayla Buckner at the buzzer.

In her second career start, guard Trena Mims was able to showcase her skills by scoring 11 points in 30 minutes of play. A true freshman from Muskogree OK, Mims, has started the previous game in place of junior Brittany Smith who is out dealing with a family matter.

"As a freshman, it's a great opportunity to step and gain some valuable experience especially today against a Big XII Program," Mitchell said. "She learned some things from the last game that she was able to apply today and was very good defensively."

"It was a very competitive game," Mims said. "I learned a lot tonight and I'm going to try and apply it the rest of the season and grow."

- UNorth Texas WBB website




"With 6 minutes to go, Kansas State found themselves facing an unfamiliar situation.

Trailing the host North Texas by 8, something had to happen. That something was Kaylee Page, who scored seven straight points to get the Cats back in striking distance, and who then pulled down the rebound which led to Rachel Ranke's go-ahead three with a minute to go.

North Texas tied the game on their possession, but a foul on Kayla Goth with 13 seconds to play gave her the opportunity to sink the winning free throw as the Cats (4-0, 0-0 Big 12) took a 55-54 win in their first road game of the season."

- Kansas State WBB website

OP NOTES


Former Baylor player Micayla Buckner
started this game and played 34 minutes for North Texas


Former Baylor player Justis Szczepanski
Aug 2016
Joined the North Texas team
2016-17
Redshirted due to NCAA transfer rules
2017-18
Listed on North Texas roster; no statistics for any games played.

2017-18 season UNT Statistics link
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ntex/sports/w-baskbl/auto_pdf/2017-18/stats/season_stats_20171120aaa.pdf


North Texas head coach Jalie Mitchell
1998-2002
UNT's all-time leading scorer. Started all 4 years as a highly regarded recruit out of Duncanville.
2011-2012
Mitchell was an assistant coach for then UNT head coach Karen Aston. When Aston left UNT to coach the University of Texas in 2012, Mitchell followed. She coached at Texas for 3 seasons on Karen Aston's staff.
April 9, 2015
Accepted her first head coaching job at North Texas.

Both TCU & OKLAHOMA played SMU in the past week




April 7, 2016

"Travis Mays opened a new chapter in his basketball life Thursday, becoming the head coach of the women's team at SMU.

Mays, 47, is one of the top players in the history of men's basketball at the University of Texas. He spent three years in the NBA, played for four teams overseas and was an assistant women's coach at Georgia, LSU and Texas. While many remember Mays for a prolific college career - his 2,279 points from 1986-90 rank second in UT men's history behind Terrence Rencher (2,306) - he also was partly responsible for the resurgence of the Texas women's team these past four seasons as an assistant to head coach Karen Aston.

At SMU, Mays will take over for longtime coach Rhonda Rompola, who retired after the past season. Rompola, who has a career mark of 439-317, coached at SMU for 35 years, the past 25 as the head women's coach.

Aston said there were "lots of tears shed" when she informed the team of the impending departure of Mays, whose hiring was announced by SMU on Thursday afternoon.

"When you have a close-knit group like we have, it's always sad to see someone leave," Aston said. "In the same breath, they knew Travis was deserving of this opportunity."

"Travis has a lot of strengths as a coach," Aston said. "First, he's tremendous with people, with building relationships with players and recruits. And he has a presence on the court. It's obvious he's ready to move to the next phase of his life. If I had to pick one positive attribute, it would be how trustworthy he is."

A 2002 inductee into the Men's Hall of Honor at UT, Mays was the first Texas player to earn back-to-back Southwest Conference Player of the Year honors (1989-90).

Mays was drafted by Sacramento with the 14th pick of the 1990 NBA draft, and he was a second-team all-rookie selection after averaging 14.3 points per game. Mays then played for the Atlanta Hawks for two seasons, during which he ruptured two tendons in his right foot. He recovered and enjoyed a successful eight-season career overseas in Greece, Israel, Turkey and Italy.

A native of Ocala FL, he received his bachelor's degree in psychology from Texas in 1990. Mays and his wife, Mirella, have two children: a daughter, Cherrell, and a son, Trevor."

- Rick Cantu, Austin American-Statesman

WEST VIRGINIA



#11 Teana Muldrow


"You don't often see what has happened with this year's West Virginia's women's basketball team occur in college sports. The team's star player, Tynice Martin, goes down with a serious injury. We're talking about an All-American quality player who was a candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year after averaging 18.8 points a game last season. You lose a player like that and everyone is scrambling to make up the points and leadership and confidence that comes with having such a player. There is not a fall off in talent but in all aspects of the game.

Coach Mike Carey, though, had an idea that this was one of those many almost yearly major injuries that he might be able to absorb for he had a special player hidden away in the wings.

Her name is Teana Muldrow, and he simply calls her "the most unselfish player I've ever coached."

A year ago she averaged 14.5 points a game while hauling in 8.5 rebounds per contest, just behind Lanay Montgomery's 8.9 that would lead Montgomery into the WNBA. Much of it went unnoticed as Martin dominated play.

But off this summer in camp with Team USA, Martin suffered a broken foot which will sideline her for most of the pre-Big 12 season, if not all, and that sent shivers down Mountaineer fans' spines...until Muldrow just shrugged and took over. She came in a different player, now averaging 23.5 points a game after blending into the background while first Bria Holmes and then Martin starred.

"I think it's just confidence," Carey said. "She always had the skill, but she always let other people take the limelight. Last year it was Tynice Martin, but this year she understands Tynice is injured so she has to step up. She's always had the talent and always been a scoring threat, but she's the most unselfish player I have ever coached. She is just a great young lady on and off the floor, a great family. Everyone needs a Teana on their team to be successful and we're fortunate to have one."

Muldrow knows all about the talent, and the scoring isn't very surprising to her.

"I've always been a scorer," she said.

At 6-foot-1 she's undersized as a post player, but it doesn't seem to matter.

"Even though I'm undersized (in the post) I have the strength of a 5 so that helps me out," Muldrow said. "I can body up and be physical, but sometimes when they just lob there's nothing I can do."

- Bob Hertzel, Times West Virginian, 2 Dec 2017

KANSAS STATE


`

December 21, 2017

"Rachel Ranke's impact on K-State women's basketball, in relative terms, took about as much time it takes her to get a shot off. Put another way: Not long at all.

The freshman guard led K-State in scoring in her second, third and fourth career games as a Wildcat, all wins that helped her earn Big 12 Freshman of the Week. That week included putting up 20 points against Omaha, 23 against Florida A&M and 14 in a tight win at North Texas, highlighted by a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:03 to play.

A Burnsville, Minnesota native, Ranke collected a career-high 24 points against Chicago State her 10th game on Monday when she hit seven treys.

The last Wildcat to make seven 3-pointers in a game for K-State was also from Minnesota. Her name? Brittany Chambers, who made seven in a game as a senior, finished second all-time in program history for made 3-pointers (350) and helped convince Ranke to become a Wildcat.

"I met her when I came on my visit down here. She was the one who helped actually persuade me to come here," Ranke said of Chambers, third on K-State's all-time scoring list. "She had nothing but good things to say about K-State."

Ranke enters K-State's final non-conference game against Northern Iowa on Thursday at 7 p.m., as the Wildcats' second-leading scorer, at 13.4 points a game to lead all Big 12 freshmen. Her rise has been quick and bolstered by an even quicker draw on the perimeter, which started many years ago.

"I was in third grade when I made my first 3-pointer. I just worked on it growing up," Ranke recalled. "I always worked on my own form."

About 10 years and hundreds of made treys later, Ranke is still looking for any way she can to continue cutting down on her release time. She's found a few already at K-State, where she's canned 31 so far to rank second in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made per game.

"When I got here, I worked on faster footwork. It wasn't as fast as it is now," said Ranke, the first K-State freshman to hit seven threes in a game since Laurie Koehn in the 2001-02 season. "I want to have a fast release like Steph Curry; he's always the big idol for 3-point shooting. I just want to make it better and keep improving. Obviously with the coaches' help, it's going to get better."

Ranke's coaches and teammates, alike, realized early on in their experience with the 6-foot-1 guard that she had a rare ability to not only shoot the ball from the perimeter but also do so with speed and precision.

"We felt like she was one of the top shooters in the country. You hear it all the time that there are fewer and fewer pure shooters out there, so it stood out right away," K-State head coach Jeff Mittie said of Ranke, rated as the No. 13 wing in the nation by ESPNU Hoopgurlz. "Her trigger kind of stood out more over the summers, though, as she played elite competition. She was able to get that shot off against virtually anybody."

Sophomore forward Peyton Williams, after her first basketball encounter with Ranke, said she recalls thinking: "This girl is not afraid. She is fearless."

Williams still had her concerns, as she remembered what it was like being a freshman. These faded fast, however, as Ranke led the team in scoring during a four-game trip in Europe, put up 20 points in her first exhibition and continued draining threes when the games began to count.

"I was worried that whenever she got in the game that she would tense up but she didn't," Williams said. "So when I saw that consistency I was, like, 'If she continues to be fearless in that way, she could be really good.'"

Ranke's fearlessness creates what's more commonly referred to as a shooter's mentality. A player who possesses this mindset does not let multiple misses affect whether or not they take, or even hesitate on, the next open shot. Ranke, shooting 36.5 percent from 3-point range, certainly fits this description. She has fired 10 or more shots up in all but one game this season.

"I love the confidence that she has," senior guard Karyla Middlebrook said. "She could be 0-for-7 but she's still going to shoot it and we still have confidence that it's going to go in."

While certainly not without self-confidence as a shooter, Ranke said the support she's felt from teammates, coaches and fans have certainly factored into her early success as well.

"Everybody talks about it and it is actually a family here. You don't understand that until you get here, and you realize what kind of support you have and all the people just care so much about you, not just as an athlete but off the court as well," she said. "Having all that support is just really important when you're going to a home away from home."

On the court, she's made another home along the perimeter. It's where she can do the most damage, which she's not hesitant or slow to inflict on opposing defenses.

"If I have room to shoot the ball, I'm going to shoot it every time. And they want me to shoot the ball, so DYJ Do Your Job," Ranke said, using an acronym to describe a message K-State's coaches have drilled into this team. "I'm just going to keep doing my job, playing my role."

- Corbin McGuire, Kansas State WBB website

BIG 12

Monday - Nov 20

UMKC 45 @ Iowa State 61

Tuesday - Nov 21

Yale 82 @ TCU 72
Oklahoma 78 @ Colorado State 46

KANSAS




April 21, 2015

"In the fall of 1995, a young basketball coach named Brandon Schneider walked into Allen Fieldhouse to watch Roy Williams run his team through an early-season practice.

Schneider, in his early 20s, was just months removed from graduation at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas. A psychology major, he had eschewed a graduate degree or a corporate gig to chase a dream in coaching, the family profession. Heeding the advice of his father, a long-time women's basketball coach in Texas, Schneider accepted an assistant coaching job at Division II Emporia State. The salary: $14,000.

After a few months in Kansas, Schneider figured it was time to take the pilgrimage to Lawrence, where he could inspect Williams' vaunted secondary break and jot down ideas and notes. As an admitted "basketball junkie", Schneider could also soak in the history of Allen Fieldhouse.

"Before I even stepped on the court, I began to feel it," Schneider said. "The goose-bumps; the hair on the back of your neck. There's a wave of something special about this place."

These words came on Tuesday morning, when Schneider, now in his early 40s, was introduced as the next women's basketball coach at Kansas. Standing inside the Allen Fieldhouse media room, in front of a crowd of assembled media, family and friends, Schneider chose to begin his tenure by recalling his first taste of KU basketball.

"As I drove back to Emporia," Schneider said, thinking back nearly 20 years, "any career goals and aspirations that I had were altered."

It took nearly two decades, of course, but Schneider believes he is now at home at Kansas. After a 12-year tenure as the head coach at Emporia State, followed by five years as the head coach at Stephen F. Austin, Schneider replaces Bonnie Henrickson, who was fired last month after 11 seasons on the job. According to KU officials, Schneider will sign a five-year contract that is worth $300,000 annually plus incentives for Big 12 success.

The marriage between coach and program appears to be a good fit. Schneider comes to Kansas with a glossy resume and a lifetime of experience in the women's game. His father, Bob, spent more than 25 years as the head women's coach at West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas, and Schneider grew up on the sidelines, watching his father break down film and diagram plays on an old chalkboard.

"He was always right there," said Bob Schneider, who sat in the front row of the press conference with his wife Barbara.

Schneider would become the head women's coach at Emporia State at the age of 26. (The funny story being that the star of his first team was a 27-year-old from Lithuania.) He would win a Division II NCAA title in 2010. And he would spend five years at Stephen F. Austin, leading the Ladyjacks to their first two Southland Conference titles in program history. In all, Schneider has compiled a 401-138 record in 17 seasons.

The success at multiple stops attracted Kansas athletic director Sheahon Zenger, of course, but so did the local ties and the family pedigree. On Tuesday, Schneider opened his press conference by acknowledging his wife, Ali, their two young boys, and the role his family played on his coaching career.

"Our formula," Schneider said, looking over toward his dad, "I learned from that man who won over 1,000 games. (It) has been successful long before I ever started coaching. And that's a formula that we will stick to, and we don't waver from."

The formula will have to translate to a Kansas women's program that has never approached the heights and history of the men's program that shares this same building. Henrickson, who replaced long-time coach Marian Washington in 2004, took the Jayhawks to just two NCAA Tournaments in 11 seasons and finished just 62-122 in the Big 12. The Jayhawks were competitive under Henrickson, and they did advance to back-to-back Sweet 16s in 2012 and 2013, but Zenger wanted more after consecutive losing seasons.

"We all know the importance of basketball at the University of Kansas," Zenger said on Tuesday. "And with that in mind, we sought to find the best person to elevate our women's basketball program to a higher level of competitiveness."

Schneider offered few tangible promises on Tuesday, but he hit on all the usual notes for an introductory press conference. He said his program would compete to recruit the best players from the state of Kansas and elsewhere. ("We're going to recruit the planet," he said.) He said he favored an uptempo style, citing that his teams have regularly scored more than 75 points per game.

He also recalled a conversation with Zenger during the interview process. In Schneider's view, there are five things a program must have to compete at a national level: A good conference, location, facilities, resources, and a coaching staff that can recruit and develop talent.

"When we were speaking," Schneider said, "I felt like this institution had four of them. And at the time, there wasn't a coach, so it was missing the fifth."

Can Schneider be that missing piece? Zenger is confident that he can. At the very least, Schneider appears to know exactly where he is. On Monday night, he says, he sat down with his two young sons Cash, 5, and Cole, 3 and delivered the news about his new job.

"Daddy's gonna coach a new team," Schneider said. "The Kansas Jayhawks."

Then Cole spoke up: "Boys or girls?"

For one day, Schneider had an answer. "The girls," he said.

- Rustin Dodd, Kansas City Star

BIG 12

Wednesday - Nov 22

UMass Lowell 65 @ Texas Tech 93
Delaware State 49 @ Kansas 81

Thursday - Nov 23

Missouri State 58 vs Baylor 100
Butler 68 vs West Virginia 75
South Dakota 68 vs Oklahoma State 76

Friday - Nov 24

Drexel 42 vs West Virginia 75
Tulane 64 vs Iowa State 67
Tennessee 79 vs Oklahoma State 69
UCLA 64 vs Kansas State 55
LSU 66 vs Texas 75
Arizona 59 vs TCU 68

Saturday - Nov 25

Georgia Tech 57 vs Baylor 80
Washington 68 vs Texas 92
Oklahoma 74 vs Oregon 92
Virginia Tech 61 vs West Virginia 79
Central Michigan 81 vs Iowa State 60
Penn State 65 vs Kansas State 70
Idaho 76 vs TCU 86

Wow, Iowa State.... Know Fennelly was made coach for life, essentially, but ISU might need to rethink that. Think the game has changed a lot over the last decade and a half, and programs like KSU and ISU are playing catch-up. Think KU has been trying to transition for awhile now, just not successfully...

Need the Big 12 to be more competitive.

Caveat, don't know anything about Central Michigan, nor the current state of ISU's program with regards to injuries, etc. That might change my perception on matter.

November 25, 2017

Iowa State 60-81 loss to Central Michigan

Consistently inconsistent "The Cyclones were expected to struggle at the beginning of the season without a set starting lineup and with a crop of talented-but-inexperienced freshmen entering the fray. To say that their current offensive struggles are surprising, though, is a massive understatement.

Take one look at the 2nd quarter box score, and it's not hard to see where the Cyclones lost control of this game. Shooting only 10 times in 10 minutes of play is bad enough, but only shooting 20 percent on those attempts is even worse. The Cyclones have had issues with consistency all season (bar the South Dakota game) but Iowa State might have hit a low on Saturday.

After shooting 9-for-18 in the 1st quarter, the Cyclones shot 11-for-38 the rest of the game. That's 28.9 percent - and against quality opposition that's not going to cut it. The Cyclones' defense will still keep them in games. Central Michigan is not a bad opponent. But the offensive futility that the Cyclones displayed against the Chippewas will not help them make the NCAA tournament this season.

Post production takes a hit Iowa State got out-rebounded for only the second time all season on Saturday, and it was symptomatic of another rough day for Iowa State post players. Not one post player had more than eight points for the Cyclones, and one day after a promising showing, the three main post contributors shot a combined 7-for-20 from the field. No matter who the opponent is, that won't get it done for the Cyclones

Freshman center Kristin Scott received her first start on Saturday and was the most effective of the posts with eight points and nine rebounds. However, she took 11 shots to get those eight points, only hitting three of her attempts.

Growing pains show as point guard question remains The growing pains for this young Cyclone team are very apparent. Particularly, the lack of a true point guard is a big sore spot for Iowa State at the moment. The Cyclones only managed 12 assists Saturday night, compared to 20 by their counterparts from Mount Pleasant, Mich. The Cyclones also had 14 turnovers, making this the fourth game in five that the Cyclones have a negative assist-to-turnover ratio.

Iowa State senior guard Emily Durr saw her first minutes on the court since injuring her knee in the season opener. While Durr is running the offense at the moment, she is more of a natural shooting guard. Sophomore guard Nia Washington and freshman Rae Johnson have both shown flashes but have yet to put together a complete game. Freshman Madison Wise has been promising, but was shut out on Saturday, finishing with no points and no assists.

With tough games in the coming weeks against Drake and Iowa approaching, the Cyclones will have to carve out an identity and find a floor general to limit the turnovers and take command of the offensive flow."

- article by Noah Rohlfing, Iowa State Daily

- photo from web gathering

Thanks for the information.

BIG 12

Sunday - Nov 26

Rice 65 @ Kansas 73
Texas A&M 90 @ Texas Tech 55

that Iowa State coach looks like former Baylor football coach Guy Morris in that picture.

Justis Szczepanski

Of the 16 players listed on the North Texas roster, 8 are transfers.