In his eight previous seasons with Emporia State, coach Brandon Schneider had never been daring enough to start a true freshman at point guard.
Things weren’t supposed to change this year, either.
“We typically have been pretty hard on point guards, or at least I am,” Schneider said. “That’s the position I played. There’s a lot of things to learn.”
Which is why freshman Cassondra Boston, though highly-touted, faced an uphill battle for the starting spot in the ESU lineup.
It only took a few practices to convince Schneider he might have a point guard unlike any other he’s had.
Boston will start her 20th game for the Lady Hornets on Wednesday, as ESU takes on Missouri Southern at the Leggett & Platt Center in Joplin, Mo. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m., with the men’s game to follow.
The freshman hasn’t just been a starter for Schneider, though — she’s been a team leader as well.
She comes in averaging 12.6 points per game, which is second on the team behind All-American Michelle Stueve.
“The coaches put a lot of trust in me,” Boston said. “They just thought that I’d be able to do it. I just came out and tried to play my game.”
It didn’t take long for Schneider to realize Boston’s “game” was good enough to thrive on the Division-II level.
After handling the defensive pressure from teammates in early practices, Boston had already started to impress the coaching staff.
Her real breakthrough performance, though, came in ESU’s unofficial exhibition with Division-I Missouri.
Though undersized at 5-foot-6, Boston didn’t play intimidated against Missouri’s much bigger guards.
“She didn’t back down at all, and I thought that particular day she was the best point guard in the gym,” Schneider said. “I thought she outplayed Missouri’s point guards that day. The thought of competing against Big 12 competition didn’t faze her one bit.”
Boston said there was good reason for her court maturity.
During her four years at Hoover High School in Des Moines, Iowa, she was never allowed to take it easy.
That’s because her Dad, Haywood Boston, was her high school basketball coach.
“My Dad was on me all the time,” Cassondra Boston said. “I had to hear it in the gym and at home. It was pretty tough.”
“He pushed her a great deal,” Schneider said. “I don’t think he treated her with kid gloves at all.”
It’s no surprise, then, that Boston had an easier transition to college and also Schneider’s demands.
In fact, after Cassondra received more than 200 letters from colleges — including many from D-I schools — Haywood believed there was one thing that pulled her to ESU all along.
“It was amazing she chose Emporia, and I think the reason why was because she saw a little bit of me in coach Schneider,” Haywood Boston said. “I’m the same kind of coach. I drive a kid hard. I expect the best. I want her to be the best academically especially, but when they’re on that court, I expect them to leave everything out on the floor.”
Boston has broken the mold of the typical Lady Hornet point guard, as she has added an ability to penetrate and score.
Previous point guards Jamie Blakely, Jennifer Perine and Shanna Spann served more as pass-first players with limited scoring numbers.
Teammate Tegan Stuart also has become a better player with Boston in the backcourt. The senior has had some pressure taken off with her shift to the shooting-guard position, as she can put a greater focus on playing defense.
Boston came to ESU as the complete package out of high school. Not only did she win Iowa basketball player of the year in her classification level, she also was Valedictorian of her class and Prom Queen her senior year.
Haywood, who has attended his daughter’s last two games, said it was an adjustment to watch from the bleachers instead of the sidelines.
“Being a father is a little different. When I coached her, I didn’t get nervous,” Haywood Boston said. “But now, when I watch her, I get a little bit of clammy palms. I do get nervous — I get nervous watching her. I hope she does well.”
The father hasn’t had to worry about it too much. He’s already prepared her well — and helped her achieve something no other freshman point guard has under Schneider.
“It really is quite an accomplishment,” Haywood Boston said. “I think when Brandon recruited her, he knew she was going to get some playing time, but he would never have envisioned she was going to start.”