Updated 12:38 p.m. Thursday:
After taking the Kansas women’s basketball team to its second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years, with a Women’s National Invitation Tournament title in between, head coach Brandon Schneider has been rewarded with a contract extension.
Schneider, who has led the program since the 2015-16 season, will now be under contract through 2027-28.
“Coach Schneider continues to demonstrate the ability to elevate Kansas Women’s Basketball to new heights,” KU athletic director Travis Goff said in a press release. “… He and his staff continue to recruit and develop high-character young women who represent KU exceptionally well in the classroom and in the community as well. Kansas Women’s Basketball is a program that belongs on the national stage — competing for Big 12 Championships — and we are very excited about Brandon’s future and our continued success in women’s basketball.”
The deal includes a provision that automatically extends the contract by one year if KU makes the Sweet 16, something it has not yet done during Schneider’s tenure. His base salary will be $500,000, which is a raise from the previous contract’s $400,000. He will receive an annual professional services payment that increases from $100,000 to $175,000 over the course of the contract term, as well as an annual royalty payment for use of his likeness of $60,000 and retention bonus of $16,750 each year.
The contract also features various incentives based on team and individual performance, including $50,000 for making the tournament and $100,000 for reaching the Sweet 16.
Schneider came to KU from Stephen F. Austin and has amassed a record of 127-149 in his nine seasons at the helm. In his seventh year, he brought the Jayhawks back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012-13, which earned him a new four-year contract from Goff.
Two years later, with a similar core of players plus highly touted freshman S’Mya Nichols, KU struggled at times early in the season but went on a late run in conference play that included upset victories over rival Kansas State and Oklahoma. The Jayhawks managed to make the tournament again, beating Michigan in overtime in Los Angeles after a dramatic game-tying 3-pointer by Zakiyah Franklin before falling to host USC in the second round.
Other milestones of the 2023-24 season included the second-highest average attendance in program history (3,550 fans per game) and a WNBA Draft selection for Taiyanna Jackson, the first player selected in Schneider’s tenure.
“We are grateful for Chancellor Douglas Girod, Director of Athletics Travis Goff and Deputy Athletics Director Nicole Corcoran for their continued confidence in our ability to lead and advance the Kansas Women’s Basketball program,” Schneider said in the release.
Looking ahead to 2024-25, Schneider will be tasked with reloading after longtime fixtures Jackson, Franklin and Holly Kersgieter exhausted their eligibility. KU has added transfers Sania Copeland (Wisconsin), Brittany Harshaw (Creighton), Elle Evans (North Dakota State) and Jordan Webster (UC Riverside) to go along with incoming freshmen Zoe Canfield, Carla Osma and Regan Williams.
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
