Brandon Schneider enters his first year at the helm in Lawrence. After successful run at Stephen F. Austin, the Jayhawks named him as the sixth head coach in program history. Here is a look at where Schneider and his staff have the program headed this season.
By: @JLHemingwayPSB
The Program
Recently ProspectsNation.com analyst Brandon Clay visited the Jayhawks for their match-up versus Oklahoma State. Here is what Clay had to say about where Kansas is at currently, “First-year coach Brandon Schneider knows getting the Kansas program to climb into the national prominence won’t be easy. The 2015-16 Jayhawks are well on their way to doing just that by learning to compete on every possession. Schneider’s coaching staff of Aqua Franklin, Damitria Buchanan and Katie O’Connor are paving the way for him on the recruiting trail. The response has been impressive with two Power Five transfers in McKenzie Calvert (Southern California) and Jessica Washington (UNC) waiting to take the floor at Phog Allen Fieldhouse next season. The future of Kansas women’s basketball appears to be in good hands.”
The Team
There is a lot to be hopeful for the Jayhawks in years to come. Although the team is taking their lumps in conference play this year, the team’s two leading scorers are both underclassmen. Sophomore point guard Lauren Aldridge averages 10 points a game while shooting at a 36% clip from beyond the arc. Freshman wing Kylee Kopatich has stepped in and started 21 out of 22 games while also averaging nearly 10 points a game. Factor in the contributions of sophomore Chayla Cheadle, freshmen Tyler Johnson and Jayde Christopher who are all gaining valuable experience playing double digit minutes per game.
Brandon Schneider says “Recruit or die”
Kansas was with us in July.
Jayhawks 2015-16 seasonhttp://t.co/ImPkawrPlQ pic.twitter.com/e46UcGdTEv
— Jonathan Hemingway (@CoachHemi) August 23, 2015
Inside the Playbook
With a young team that has a balanced scoring load, the Jayhawks look for ways to involve everyone into the offensive sets and action. We were particularly impressed with this 1-4 high set that gets the ball moving from side to side quickly. When the timing and execution are right, the Jayhawks have a chance to get looks from several different places. Take a look at their 1-4 high set below:
KU 1-4 HIGH QUICK HITTER
FRAME 1
The point guard enters the ball with a dribble hand-off to the wing. On the opposite side, the wing sets up her cut by getting depth and rubbing off of a down screen.
FRAME 2
Here the wing reverses the ball very quickly to the opposite wing. Here is where timing and not over dribbling are important.
FRAME 3
Immediately after reversing the ball, 2 receives a back screen from the post player.
FRAME 4
Here the post player immediately reverses the ball to the point guard. Notice the spacing by 2 along the baseline. Also pay attention to another option on the weakside. 3 receives a flare screen by 4.
FRAME 5
Once the post reverses the ball, she chases the ball and sets a ball screen on the wing. This sets up a nice wing pick and roll option in the lane. Notice away from the ball, the spacing and the screen action keeps the help occupied.
Read last year’s Program Feature
(2014-2015 Kansas Women’s Basketball)
Jonathan Hemingway is the Assistant Director of Scouting for the JumpOffPlus.com International Scouting Report, is on the Naismith Trophy Board of Selectors and owns CoachHemi.com, the go-to source for coaches for X’s and O’s. He is the floor director of #TeamEBA camps, a site director for #TeamPSB tournaments and can be reached at jonathanhemingway@peachstatebasketball.com.
