John YoungA quirk in the schedule that forced the postponement of last winter’s Special Olympics clinic with the Kansas University women’s basketball team turned out to be beneficial for first-year KU coach Brandon Schneider and his new team.
Instead of continuing to criss-cross the country for recruiting trips, family obligations and in search of his new staff, Schneider, decked out in full crimson-and-blue attire, was in Allen Fieldhouse with his team on Thursday night, working through drills and competitions with more than 30 Special Olympians.
“The opportunity to involve a group of people who are just rabid Jayhawk fans and have ’em down on the floor of Allen Fieldhouse was a great opportunity,” Schneider said.
And that wasn’t just the case for KU’s new coach. Those who participated in Thursday’s clinic were boisterous and enthusiastic from beginning to end. Whether they were cheering the number of the 10 or so current and former KU players who worked the clinic or celebrating a successful bucket during one of the drills, the energy was boiling over at every station.
Several of the KU players said they recognized the faces of the participants from game nights and autograph lines. And getting a chance to interact with them instead of just putting on a show for them made the night memorable.
“When I’m playing, I feel the same way they do when they’re out here,” said freshman Chayla Cheadle. “So it’s just great to be able to give back to the community like this.”
Added sophomore forward Caelynn Manning-Allen: “The best part was just the opportunity to make people smile. Making their day really brought a light to my own and it’s very humbling to be out there with them.”
Of course, with everything involving the KU program so new right now, the opportunity to be on the floor with their new coach, even in a limited basis, also proved beneficial.
“I’m excited to be able to build a relationship with him,” Manning-Allen said of Schneider. “He’s excited to coach us, we’re excited to play for him and we’re all ready to let him push us as hard as he can.”
That will come, in time. But for now Schneider said he was focused on filling out his coaching staff, continuing to hit the recruiting trail and getting summer camps lined up.
Asked if holding the keys and whistle to his new job had sunk in yet, Schneider sounded a little further along than he did on the day he was introduced last month.
“It has because you’ve reported for work every day,” he said. “And I’m gonna get out in the community as much as I possibly can, as fast as I can. I think all that’s really, really important.”
