RCW: Sport Spotlight 4.17 (Women's Basketball)
In Lawrence today at @KUWBball shoot-around as they prepare for a huge challenge against Baylor (2pm on ESPN3). Haven’t seen KU since mid-November and it’s remarkable to see how much they’ve improved.
— Brenda VanLengen (@BrendaVanLengen) January 6, 2018
?The water fight returns with KU’s first Big 12 road victory under Schneider! #KUwbb?
A post shared by Kansas Women’s Basketball (@kuwbball) on Jan 3, 2018 at 6:24pm PST
From the start of the 2017-18 season at head coach Brandon Schneider’s press conference, Kansas women’s basketball has been talking about the culture shift that is occurring in his locker room located in Allen Fieldhouse. This shift that displays the improvement and progress the Jayhawks have made under their third-year head coach.
A huge factor to the change in culture are the newcomers who Schneider has brought to Lawrence. The newest Jayhawks are accustomed to winning, as many played for national and state titles prior to coming to Kansas.
Nearing the midpoint of the 2017-18 season, Kansas’ record is 11-4 overall and 2-2 in Big 12 Conference action just four games into league play, which is a big improvement from a season ago when KU finished the overall campaign with a 8-22 mark and a 2-16 conference record.
That jump in winning percentage is so significant that it is the fifth-best increase in winning percentage from the 2016-17 season to date. With the increase in victories have come several firsts for Schneider and his squad. The Jayhawks recently went to Lubbock, Texas and left with a 60-47 victory for their first Big 12 road win in the Schneider era.
The Jayhawks matched their conference win total from a season ago within the first three games of league action. All these feats can be attributed to how well the veteran Jayhawks are meshing with the newcomers on the hardwood. Junior Kylee Kopatich continues to make a name for herself from long range, leading Kansas’ offense, but junior guards Christalah Lyons and Brianna Osorio and junior forward Austin Richardson are making their presences known too.
There’s still a lot of basketball left to play this season and the Jayhawks will continue to make strides on each side of the hardwood with each game played.
