RCW: Sport Spotlight 4.10 (Women's Basketball)
Jayhawks WIN!!#KUwbb #ToughandTogether pic.twitter.com/RVhKQGllRM
— Kansas Women’s Bball (@KUWBball) October 29, 2017
A post shared by Kansas Women’s Basketball (@kuwbball) on Oct 29, 2017 at 11:49am PDT
Sunday wasn’t your typical day on the sidelines inside Allen Fieldhouse when Kansas women’s basketball tipped off its exhibition slate against Emporia State. What made Sunday’s exhibition contest unique is the friendship between the two head coaches and their squads meeting head-to-head on the hardwood.
During head coach Brandon Schneider’s early years at the helm of the Emporia State program, he hired a young coach as his graduate assistant. That graduate assistant was Jory Collins, who would later become his assistant and help lead the Lady Hornets to a NCAA Division II National Title in 2010.
When Schneider was hired at Stephen F. Austin following ESU’s national title run, it was Collins who was hired to take over the Lady Hornets’ program and continue the legacy that the two had built.
Three years ago, Schneider became the sixth head coach in Kansas women’s basketball history. He was introduced at a press conference inside the media room in Allen Fieldhouse, which was filled with reporters, Kansas Athletics administrators, family and friends, including Collins.
There aren’t many days that go by without one coach calling the other to talk shop or about life. They continue to bounce basketball ideas off of each other and be sounding boards in the evolutional of the game. Last Sunday was the second time that Schneider has faced Collins in Allen Fieldhouse and after last week’s 69-49 victory, improved to 2-0 over his former assistant.
It’s not every day that you prepare for a game and square off on the hardwood against one of your closest friends. It’s a game that Schneider describes as comparable to when he used to face his dad’s team. It’s not an easy game because you want your family to do well. Luckily for Schneider and Collins, this matchup only happens every other year during exhibition play.
