When you grow up with a coaching legend as your dad, basketball isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. That’s exactly how it was for Kansas women’s basketball coach Brandon Schneider.

His father, Bob Schneider, built a career most coaches could only dream of, and whether Brandon liked it or not, he was getting a first-class education in basketball from the time he could walk. But if you ask him, there’s only one true “Coach Schneider” in the family, and that’s his dad.

Bob Schneider was a tough mentor

Bob Schneider isn’t just Brandon’s father—he’s a Texas basketball legend. Over the course of his coaching career, he racked up over 1,000 wins, built powerhouse teams at both the high school and college levels, and left a lasting mark on the game. At Canyon High School, he turned the girls’ basketball program into a dynasty, winning five state championships.

His success continued at West Texas A&M, where his teams won eight Lone Star Conference titles and made a run to the NCAA Division II national championship game in 1988. By the time he stepped away from coaching in 2006, he had a staggering 1,045 wins to his name, earning him a well-deserved spot in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022. 

But Bob was never the kind of coach who focused on records or accolades. For him, the game was about mental toughness. If you played for Bob Schneider, you learned how to dribble, pass, and shoot the right way. And if you complained about it, well, you probably weren’t going to get much sympathy.

Brandon saw that toughness firsthand growing up. His dad didn’t sugarcoat things, and that attitude carried over into his own coaching career. One story in particular sums up Bob’s old-school approach perfectly.

Back when Brandon was coaching at Stephen F. Austin, his dad was in the stands watching practice when one of the players, not realizing who she was talking to, struck up a conversation with him. She started complaining about how tough practice was, probably expecting a little sympathy. Bob didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t get mad. He just looked at her and said, “Well, young lady, it sounds to me like you’re not very mentally tough.”

That was all it took. The player turned around and went right back to work, quickly learning that looking for an easy way out wasn’t going to fly—not with a Schneider in the building.

Brandon carries his father’s principles as a coach

Growing up in a household where basketball was king, it was almost inevitable that Brandon would follow in his father’s footsteps. But he wasn’t just riding on his dad’s name—he built his own reputation as a coach who knows how to win. He led Emporia State to its first-ever NCAA Division II national championship, turned Stephen F. Austin into a conference powerhouse, and then brought that same grit and determination to Kansas women’s basketball.

His coaching career started young. Right after college, he turned down a corporate career and took an assistant job at Emporia State. At just 26, he became the head coach, quickly making a name for himself. One of the interesting parts? The star of his first team was a 27-year-old player from Lithuania. Anyway, by 2010, he had led Emporia State to a Division II national title, proving that his coaching instincts—and his father’s teachings—were being put to use. 

“He was always right there,” Bob had said of his son who watched the coach of 25 years break down film and diagram plays on chalk board.

Brandon took that success to Stephen F. Austin, where he made history by winning the program’s first two Southland Conference titles. That’s what caught the attention of Kansas athletic director Sheahon Zenger. When the Jayhawks needed a new leader for their women’s basketball team, Brandon was the guy. And he knew exactly where his success came from.

At his introductory press conference, he made that clear: “Our formula,” he said, looking over at his dad, “I learned from that man who won over 1,000 games. (It) has been successful long before I ever started coaching. And that’s a formula that we will stick to, and we don’t waver from.”

Bob gives a look into his coaching ways

Even though Bob officially retired from coaching, he never really left the game. He and his wife, Barbara, live in Canyon, Texas, but he makes plenty of trips to Lawrence to visit Brandon and check in on the team. The Jayhawks coach reveals that the sport has been his only passion, no hobbies. You’d think that would waver with his retirement, but well, he’s coached for near 50 years and that’s not easy to let go of, is it? 

Bob still preaches the same things he always has: fundamentals and conditioning. He believes that shooting is both an art and a science, and if a player ever dared to ask why they had to keep repeating drills, he had a classic response ready: “Well, you can’t pass. You can’t dribble. And you can’t shoot. That’s why.”

That kind of blunt honesty defined his coaching style, and it’s a big part of why he was so successful. He never overcomplicated the game. He just made sure his players did things the right way, over and over again, until it became second nature.

Brandon has built an impressive coaching career in his own right, but at the core of everything he does, you can see the influence of his father. The way he pushes his players, the way he values hard work over talent, the way he emphasizes the basics—it all traces back to the lessons he learned from Bob.