University of Kansas Women's Basketball

2022 Big 12 Coach of the Year Has guided Kansas to four postseason appearances, including two NCAA Tournaments and the 2023 WNIT Championship Led Kansas to largest win improvement in program history (2021-22) Earned career win No. 500 with a 66-57 victory over Oklahoma State on Feb. 26, 2023 Won 2010 NCAA Division II National Championship Five-time conference Coach of the Year in his career Brandon Schneider recently completed his 11th season leading the Kansas Jayhawks women’s basketball program. He was named the sixth head coach to lead the Jayhawks on April 20, 2015, and he signed a two-year contract extension on June 6, 2024, that will keep him in Lawrence through the 2027-28 season. Schneider has guided the Jayhawks to the postseason in four of the past five seasons, including NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2024. The Jayhawks also won the 2023 WNIT Championship and advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 WBIT. Kansas finished the 2025-26 season with a record of 22-14 to secure the fifth-straight winning campaign for the Jayhawks and the program’s fourth 20-win season in the past five years. KU previously won 20+ games and finished .500 or above in Big 12 play for three-straight seasons from 2022-24, a run that gave Kansas its longest streak of 20-win seasons since 2011-13, and the longest run of finishing .500 or better in Big 12 play since a four-year run from 1997-2000. During his tenure at Kansas, Schneider has coached 19 players who earned All-Big 12 postseas

Aniya Thomas is in her second season as a graduate assistant for the Kansas women's basketball program after returning to Lawrence prior to the 2024-25 seaso...

Brock McGinnis is now in his seventh season on Coach Brandon Schneider’s staff at Kansas in 2025-26. He is in his third season as an Assistant Coach for the Jayhawks after serving for four years as the Director of Player Development. In his first season as an assistant, Kansas reached the postseason for the third-straight season. The Jayhawks have now appeared in two NCAA Tournaments (2022, 2024) in his tenure, while also capturing the WNIT Championship in 2023. KU has had a winning record in each of the past four campaigns, including three-straigth 20-win seasons, the longest such streak for the program since 2011-13. The Jayhawks won the Paradise Jam Island Division Championship to highlight the 2024-25 campaign, which finished with a fourth-consecutive winning record of 16-14. Kansas averaged 3,682 fans per game at Allen Fieldhouse, marking the second-largest average attendance in program history, and had a 15-game winning streak that spanned nearly the entire calendar year of 2024. S'Mya Nichols earned All-Big 12 First Team honors for the second consecutive season and received All-America Honorable Mention from the WBCA, while Elle Evans (honorable mention) and Regan Williams (All-Freshman Team) also received Big 12 honors. The 2023-24 season saw Kansas earn three wins over Top 25 opponents and two wins over Top 10 opponents, both accomplishments happening for the first time since 1999-2000. The Jayhawks finished 20-13 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tourname

Damon Young is in his 10th season with Coach Brandon Schneider’s staff at Kansas, serving as the Director of Creative Content for women’s basketball. In his position, Young is tasked with building the Kansas Women’s Basketball brand through all digital platforms. He is involved with all photo, video and design aspects for the program, focusing on content for social media and recruiting. A native of Edmond, Oklahoma, Young spent two years as a graphic design intern for Oklahoma Football while attending OU. He graduated from Oklahoma with a bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Visual Communication in 2017. During his collegiate days, he was a member of the Sooner Lacrosse team.

Jared Roane is in his first season at Kansas after joining coach Brandon Schneider’s staff in the summer of 2025 as Director of Scouting and Analytics. Roane comes to Kansas following two seasons at Central Michigan, where he served as the Director of Scouting and Video Operations. He was added to the CMU staff in May 2023 ahead of the first campaign under head coach Kristin Haynie, with responsibilities including on-court tasks along with recording and maintaining practice and game film. Prior to CMU, Roane spent four seasons at Michigan State as the Spartan’s Video Coordinator and assistant to longtime head coach Suzy Merchant. For three seasons he served in the role alongside Coach Haynie who was an assistant coach at MSU. From 2016-18, Roane was the Coordinator of Operations and Video for Illinois State following two seasons as a Graduate Manager and Video Coordinator at Akron – his alma mater – from 2014-16. Before returning to Akron, Roane was the video coordinator for Impact Basketball Academy in Sarasota, Florida, during the 2012-13 season, before being promoted the next year to a full-time staff member, serving as the Academy's Director of Operations/Video Coordinator. Roane was formerly a practice player for the Akron women's basketball team from 2009-11. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management from Akron in 2011 and was awarded his master’s degree in sports administration from Akron during his graduate assistantship in May 2016.

Jena Jessup is in her seventh season as the Director of Operations on Kansas Coach Brandon Schneider’s staff after returning to Kansas prior to the 2020-21 season. In her role, Jessup coordinates all aspects of team travel and meals, oversees student managers and serves as the camp coordinator for Brandon Schneider Basketball Camps. She is also women’s basketball’s liaison to other departments in athletics, as well as the housing department on campus. Kansas has reached the postseason in four of the past five seasons, including two NCAA Tournament appearances and claiming the 2023 WNIT Championship. Jessup has assisted Schneider – the 2022 Big 12 Coach of the Year – as he guided the program to three-straight 20-win seasons for the first time since 2011-13. KU finished 25-11 in 2022-23, marking the sixth time in program history to reach 25 wins, and the first time since 1996-97. In her second season at Kansas, Jessup assisted as the Jayhawks experienced a breakthrough campaign. Kansas finished the season with a record of 21-10, marking the program’s first 20-win season since 2010-11, and the Jayhawks had 20 wins during the regular season for the first time since 1999-2000. KU capped off the season with a berth in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, earning the No. 8 seed in the Spokane Regional and defeating Georgia Tech, 77-58, in the opening round before falling to eventual regional champion Stanford in the second round. Prior to Kansas, Jessup served as the Director of Operations for

Karyla Knight is in her fifth season on the Kansas Women’s Basketball staff after joining Coach Brandon Schneider’s staff as an Assistant Coach in April 2021...

Morgan Paige is in her fifth season on the Kansas Women’s Basketball staff after joining the Jayhawks in April 2021. She was promoted to Associate Head Coach on Brandon Schneider's staff in the summer of 2024 after serving as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator during her first three seasons at Kansas. Kansas has finished above .500 in each season since Paige joined the staff, while reaching the postseason in three of her four seasons in Lawrence, including NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2024, and capturing the 2023 WNIT Championship. KU won at least 20 games in each of her first three seasons, the longest such streak for the program since 2011-13. The Jayhawks won the Paradise Jam Island Division Championship to highlight the 2024-25 campaign, which finished with a fourth-consecutive winning record of 16-14. Kansas averaged 3,682 fans per game at Allen Fieldhouse, marking the second-largest average attendance in program history, and had a 15-game winning streak that spanned nearly the entire calendar year of 2024. S'Mya Nichols earned All-Big 12 First Team honors for the second consecutive season and received All-America Honorable Mention from the WBCA, while Elle Evans (honorable mention) and Regan Williams (All-Freshman Team) also received Big 12 honors. The 2023-24 season saw Kansas earn three wins over Top 25 opponents and two wins over Top 10 opponents, both accomplishments happening for the first time since 1999-2000. The Jayhawks finished 20-13 and

Patrick Schrater is in his fourth season as an assistant coach at Kansas and his first as the Jayhawks' recruiting coordinator in 2026-27. He returned to Kansas in July 2023 after previously serving as a graduate assistant on Brandon Schneider's staff from 2019-21. Since returning to KU, Schrater has assisted on teams that all finished with winning records and twice advanced to the postseason. The Jayhawks were selected for the NCAA tournament in 2024 and advanced to the semifinals of the WBIT in 2026. The 2025-26 season saw the dynamic duo of S'Mya Nichols and Jaliya Davis lead the Jayhawks to 22 wins and a semifinal appearance in the WBIT. Both players were named All-Big 12 First Team selections, with Nichols setting the school record for free throws made for the second straight season. Davis put together one of the most memorable freshman campaigns in Big 12 history, being named a unanimous Big 12 Freshman of the Year after averaging better than 20 points per game in league play. After missing 10 games due to injury, Davis returned at the start of conference play and was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week nine consecutive times, setting a new power conference record for consecutive awards in the process. The Jayhawks won the Paradise Jam Island Division Championship to highlight the 2024-25 campaign, which finished with a fourth-consecutive winning record of 16-14. Kansas averaged 3,682 fans per game at Allen Fieldhouse, marking the second-largest average attendance in

Stryder Blackburn is in his sixth season at Kansas after joining the strength and conditioning staff in October of 2020. As a member of Kansas Team Health for Kansas Athletics, Blackburn serves as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for women’s basketball, overseeing all aspects of strength training, speed and agility, and energy system development for the Jayhawks. In his time at KU, the women's basketball team has made three postseason appearances, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and 2024, while also winning the WNIT in 2023. Prior to Kansas, Blackburn worked as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Newman University in Wichita, Kansas from 2018-2020. At Newman, he was solely responsible for the strength and conditioning development for all 14 of Newman’s NCAA DII athletic programs as well as overseeing the startup and implementation of the internship program. Upon his arrival to Newman, Blackburn designed immediate facility upgrades for an improved training space for all of Newman’s student-athletes. Blackburn holds certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (CSCS) and the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (SCCC). In addition, he is also certified as a Level 1 Performance Coach through USA Weightlifting and a Level 1 Nutrition Coach through Precision Nutrition. Blackburn is a native of Mulvane, Kansas and earned two degrees from Wichita State University – a Bachelor of Arts in Exercise Science and a Master