By Eric Lucio
Kansas women’s basketball head coach Brandon Schneider and junior star S’Mya Nichols raved about the Jayhawks’ new roster for the upcoming season at Big 12 Women’s Basketball Media Day in Kansas City, Missouri on Tuesday.
Following a disappointing 16-14 season and missing the NCAA tournament, Schneider rebuilt the Jayhawks’ roster to further support Nichols in hopes of bouncing back.
“We’re extremely motivated, especially after last season,” Nichols said. “We didn’t have too much depth, and we like to say that we peaked too early. Honestly, we’re just really focused on being consistent.”
Schneider emphasized the need for depth as well, focusing on recruiting local high school talent, notably landing Kansas City native five-star Jaliya Davis – the highest-rated Jayhawk recruit since the beginning of ESPNW’s rankings in 2007.
Davis attended Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, where she tallied 25 points and seven and a half rebounds per game in her senior year of high school, naming her a McDonald’s All-American and awarding her the 2024-2025 Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year honors.
“Being a part of this program is definitely something that I’ve been looking forward to since I was a little girl,” Davis said. “Being a hometown kid, [Kansas] is like a second family to me, so I think it’s a really cool opportunity.”
Chasing a childhood dream isn’t enough to commit to a school; Davis also highlighted the importance of a strong schematic fit with Nichols in her recruitment.
“The speed of the game [drew me to Kansas]. I think I’m a really good rimrunner, and I think S’Mya plays super fast as a point guard, and her ability to look up in transition for the open player and make the right play – I think that was the right fit for me,” Davis said.
The Jayhawks also added five-star Keeley Parks, four-star Libby Fandel, unranked Tatyonna Brown, and Indiana transfer senior Lilly Meister. Schneider detailed the differences that this new roster makes on the season.
“We’ll play faster [this season], you’ll see a lot more versatility, and my hope is that S’Mya’s usage rate drops significantly,” Schneider said. “You’ll see her in a playmaking role that maybe you’ve only seen glimpses of [in past seasons].”
Along with Nichols’ changed role, Schneider pushed the guard to step up as a role model to the newcomers on the team. Nichols spoke about her new type of leadership, trying to become more vocal and assertive, in addition to leading by example. Kansas’ star guard revealed that she chose to live on campus this year in order to provide guidance and grow relationships with the freshmen.
Nichols added that the newcomers were the missing piece for the Jayhawks, stating that this unit’s bond exceeds just basketball. Schneider pointed out that a mixture of Nichols’ leadership and how quick the team bonded stood out most for him this offseason.
In addition to its high school recruits, Kansas returned six players alongside Nichols. Senior Elle Evans added some fire power for Kansas’ offense last season, averaging 14.4 points per game while shooting 42.1% from beyond the arc. Evans’ ability to shoot poses a dangerous threat in the Jayhawks’ revamped offense, and her and Schneider worked on her effectiveness for her final season.
“This offseason, one thing that I really worked on was getting my [shooting] release off quicker,” Evans said. [I know other teams] want to take that away, and when people do take it away, [I want to have] that second or third option of different reads.”
Evans also stepped up as a leader for the group, stressing that the Big 12’s parity and success elevated her responsibility as an upperclassman.
“No matter who you play [in the Big 12], you’re gonna get a competitive basketball game,” Evans said. “So, [when] talking to the newcomers, that’s something they’re gonna be ready for… you’re gonna have to give 100% effort, and be ready for whatever each team is going to throw at you.”
In such a competitive conference on the court, rigorous and intense team building follows. Schneider attributed his continued recruiting success for the Jayhawks to the notoriety and importance of playing basketball at Kansas. He acknowledged the value of Bill Self and the men’s program, calling its success motivating for the women to strive towards.
“There’s not a better place to play basketball than the University of Kansas. We obviously compete in the most iconic facility in the world in Allen Fieldhouse,” Schneider said. “We’re envious [of the men’s team], and we’d love to be a team that’s nationally prominent consistently.”
Nichols, Davis, Evans and the Jayhawks get their first piece of action in a home exhibition game against the Fort Hays State Tigers on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 6:30 p.m., then opening its regular season hosting the University of Missouri-Kansas City on Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m. as well. Both games can be streamed on ESPN+.