Every year around this time, Brandon Schneider’s phone would ring with opportunities to leave Emporia State.
Last week, when Stephen F. Austin called, Schneider finally decided to listen. On Thursday when he was offered the women’s basketball head coaching position, he decided it was the right situation and the right time for him to make a move after 12 successful years as the head coach at Emporia State.
Schneider was scheduled to be introduced at a press conference today.
“As a family, we felt like this was the best decision for us,” Schneider told The Gazette on Monday, “and I also felt like we were leaving the program in as good as shape as we could possibly leave it in.”
Schneider leaves Emporia State fresh off its first NCAA National championship, and he also would like to leave the program with his assistant coach.
Jory Collins has been an assistant coach at ESU nine of the last 10 years, and as athletic director Kent Weiser said Monday, Collins is a candidate to replace Schneider.
“I’m not the one that makes that decision, but I believe in all my heart that he should,” Schneider said. “He’s invested eight years of his life as well. He’s recruited every single player that will be on the roster next year, with the exception of Brittney Miller and Alli Volkens.”
If Collins is not ESU’s next head coach, he will follow Schneider to Stephen F. Austin. The Lady Hornet players, however, will not. Schneider returned to Emporia last Friday and met with his players to share his decision.
“Hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “I let them know the situation and let them know what we had decided as a family and why we had made the decision. And then I just tried to reassure them, although our relationship would a little different, those relationships are the ones that last a lifetime.”
Schneider said the relationships that he had built with his players and with those in the community made it difficult to say goodbye after 15 years
Schneider arrived at Emporia State in 1995 as an assistant coach. In his third year with the program, the Lady Hornets made it to the National championship game. After that season in 1998, head coach Cindy Stein left to take the head coaching position at Missouri, and Schneider was promoted.
In 12 seasons as the head coach, Schneider amassed a 306-72 record, won six MIAA regular season titles, three MIAA tournaments, four Regional titles and the school’s first-ever Division II National title in any sport.
The National championship made Schneider a more attractive candidate, and he said he has declined several job offers from Division I schools since the season ended.
The opportunity at Stephen F. Austin intrigued him more than the other schools that offered. He flew to Nacogdoches, Texas, last Tuesday, met with administrators on Wednesday and was offered the job on Thursday.
“It’s evolved really, really quickly,” he said. “In terms of what attracted me to the job, obviously there’s lots of tradition in the Stephen F. Austin women’s basketball program. They have very, very high expectations. They want to be playing in the NCAA tournament on a consistent basis. They have the type of support from the administration and the community that is necessary to operate a quality basketball program.”
Schneider has built a program at ESU that is competitive every season and has made the NCAA tournament 13 times in the last 14 seasons. The Lady Hornets return a roster expected to be one of the MIAA’s best again next year. Even with the graduation of four senior guards, including All-American Cassondra Boston, the Lady Hornets return seven players from the National title team and two players who redshirted.
Schneider had also signed three high school players. He said he and Collins have both talked to all three, and they still plan to come to ESU.
“I know that Jory has played an important role in the recruiting and development,” Schneider said. “With the kids we have returning, you add to that the individuals that we recruited, I feel like the program is in as good a shape as it could be.”
Schneider said in his early years at ESU, he had aspirations to move on to a Division I job. But in the last seven or eight years, he had not given it a lot of thought.
What changed in the last year, other than winning a National championship, was the birth of his first son, Cash, in September.
“It really just boils down to being a decision that we felt like we had to make as a young family,” he said. “The opportunity for Ali (Schneider) to stay at home, and raise not only Cash, but hopefully future children.”
Schneider is leaving for a program that has been successful through the years. He replaces Lee Ann Riley, who went 149-116 in nine years at the school. This past season, the Ladyjacks went 18-11, won a share of the Southland Conference title and played in the WNIT.
sciguy (anonymous) says...
Ah, the curse of the successful Division II program.
April 20, 2010 at 11:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
UsayULoveGod (anonymous) says...
More money Honey !! 74k now double that plus add on money for shoe deals and camps, he should bring in around 200k easily
April 21, 2010 at 7:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
solong (anonymous) says...
200k, nothing wrong with that, he deserves it. Our system rewards success with success in other ways, like living a life that enables him to make the choices he wants in so many ways. Good luck Brandon, I am happy for you.
April 21, 2010 at 10:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Good luck coach!
Thanks for the years you gave Emporia.
April 21, 2010 at 10:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
Thanks for the fun years Brandon. Best of luck to you, Ali, and your family.
April 21, 2010 at 11:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )