Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball
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1968 (varsity)
| Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| University | University of Kansas | |||
| First season | 1903 (club) 1968 (varsity) | |||
| Athletic director | Travis Goff | |||
| Head coach | Brandon Schneider (11th season) | |||
| Location | Lawrence, Kansas | |||
| Arena | Allen Fieldhouse (capacity: 16,300) | |||
| Conference | Big 12 | |||
| Nickname | Jayhawks | |||
| Colors | Crimson and blue[1] | |||
| All-time record | 865–696 (.554) (Varsity-only record) | |||
| NCAA Division I tournament Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 1996, 1998, 2012, 2013 | ||||
| NCAA Division I tournament appearances | ||||
| 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2012, 2013, 2022, 2024 | ||||
| AIAW tournament second round | ||||
| 1980 | ||||
| AIAW tournament appearances | ||||
| 1979, 1980, 1981 | ||||
| Conference tournament champions | ||||
| 1979, 1980, 1981, 1987, 1988, 1993 | ||||
| Conference regular-season champions | ||||
| 1987, 1992, 1996, 1997 | ||||
| Uniforms | ||||
| ||||
The Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball team represents the University of Kansas and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are coached by Brandon Schneider. The Jayhawks have failed to match the success of the men's team, only qualifying for 14 NCAA Tournaments and never making it past the Sweet Sixteen. They have, however, won one Women's NIT championship which they won in 2023. Despite the lack of success on the court, the Jayhawks have produced one Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, Lynette Woodard

In 1897, the University of Kansas commencement program featured an excerpt from a graduate named Lola Bell Brown. The excerpt explains that Brown was being included "for her work on the basketball court at Kansas", and "she helped bring basketball to KU for girls."[2] Several female students asked Dr. Naismith if they could form a team upon witnessing his new game. It's reported that he responded with enthusiasm and support. Naismith would later coach the women's team for a single season.[3] A week later, it was being played in physical education classes by both men and women. Six years later, in 1903, the University of Kansas fielded their first women's basketball team. The 1903 team posted a 6-2 record. The team competed as a non-varsity independent squad. In 1912, female students at the University of Kansas launched the Women’s Athletic Association (WAA) with the assistance of physical education instructor Hazel Pratt. Under the WAA, KU women competed against other colleges and universities as a non-varsity club sport. This continued for several decades until women's basketball became a varsity sport in 1968.[4] Kansas first officially fielded a varsity women's basketball team during the 1968–1969 season,[5] though club level women's teams had been fielded as early as 1903. For 31 seasons (1973–2004) the women's team was coached by Marian Washington, who led the team to three Big Eight championships, 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and three AIAW tournament appearances. The team's best post-season result was appearing in the Sweet Sixteen, which they have done five times, most recently in 2013.
Notable players
The Jayhawks have produced one Hall of Fame player. As of April 2, 2023, Kansas has no players on WNBA rosters but has produced WNBA players in the past.
Hall of Famers
- Lynette Woodard, inducted as a player, also a former coach
Former WNBA players
- Angela Aycock, Forward, Seattle Storm
- Tamecka Dixon, Guard, Los Angeles Sparks
- Angel Goodrich, Guard, Tulsa Shock
- Jaclyn Johnson, Forward, Orlando Miracle
- Danielle McCray, Guard/Forward, Connecticut Sun
- Lynn Pride, Guard/Forward, Minnesota Lynx
- Charisse Sampson, Guard, Seattle Storm
Conferences
The Jayhawks and the rest of the Big 8, along with four former members of the defunct Southwest Conference, joined and created the Big 12 conference in 1996.
Coaches
Kansas first fielded a women's basketball team in 1903. The Jayhawks, at this time, were coached by the inventor of the game James Naismith. After the 1903 season, and until becoming a varsity team in 1968, the Jayhawks did not officially have a coach, and instead had "player-coaches" on their rosters.[4] The Jayhawks have had 6 coaches since they began Varsity play in 1968. Marian Washington is all-time leader for the program in years coached, wins, tournament appearances, tournament wins, and win percentage.
| Coach | Years Coached | Wins | Losses | Win % | App. | Wins | Loss. | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marlene Mawson | 1968–1971 | 19 | 16 | .543 | N/A* | |||
| Debbie Artman | 1971–1972 | 9 | 8 | .529 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Sharon Drysdale | 1972–1973 | 9 | 8 | .529 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Marian Washington | 1973–2004 | 560 | 365 | .605 | 14 | 10 | 14 | .417 |
| Bonnie Henrickson | 2004–2015 | 186 | 171 | .521 | 2 | 4 | 2 | .667 |
| Brandon Schneider | 2015–present | 107 | 136 | .440 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
* Women's college post-season tournaments did not begin until 1969, with a CIAW invitational tournament. Kansas appeared in the 1971 CIAW post-season qualification tournament with a record of 2-2.[6]: 141
Postseason
NCAA Division I
The Jayhawks have appeared in the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament fourteen times. Their record is 15–14.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 7 | First Round Second Round | (10) NE Louisiana (2) Georgia | W 78–72 L 51–82 |
| 1988 | 7 | First Round Second Round | (10) Middle Tennessee St. (2) Louisiana Tech | W 81–75 L 50–89 |
| 1992 | 9 | First Round | (8) Missouri St. | L 59–75 |
| 1993 | 8 | First Round | (9) California | L 47–62 |
| 1994 | 9 | First Round Second Round | (8) Stephen F. Austin (1) Penn State | W 72–67 L 68–85 |
| 1995 | 7 | First Round | (10) Wisconsin | L 72–73 |
| 1996 | 4 | First Round Second Round Sweet 16 | (13) Middle Tennessee St. (5) Texas (1) Tennessee | W 72–57 W 70–77 L 71–92 |
| 1997 | 3 | First Round Second Round | (14) Detroit (6) Vanderbilt | W 81–67 L 44–51 |
| 1998 | 5 | First Round Second Round Sweet 16 | (12) Tulane (4) Iowa (9) Arkansas | W 72–68 W 62–58 L 63–79 |
| 1999 | 9 | First Round Second Round | (8) Marquette (1) Purdue | W 64–58 L 41–55 |
| 2000 | 8 | First Round | (9) Vanderbilt | L 69–71 2 OT |
| 2012 | 11 | First Round Second Round Sweet 16 | (6) Nebraska (3) Delaware (2) Tennessee | W 57–49 W 70–64 L 73–84 |
| 2013 | 12 | First Round Second Round Sweet 16 | (5) Colorado (4) South Carolina (1) Notre Dame | W 67–52 W 75–69 L 63–93 |
| 2022 | 8 | First Round Second Round | (9) Georgia Tech (1) Stanford | W 77–58 L 65–91 |
| 2024 | 8 | First Round Second Round | (9) Michigan (1) USC | W 81–72 OT L 55–73 |
AIAW
Kansas reached the AIAW Women's Basketball Tournament three times. They had a record of 1–3.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | — | First Round | Louisiana Tech | L 61–100 |
| 1980 | — | First Round Second Round | Cheyney State Louisiana Tech | W 75–66 L 73–81 |
| 1981 | — | Second Round | UCLA | L 71–73 |
WBIT
Women's NIT
The Jayhawks have appeared in six NIT tournaments. Their combined record is 15–5. They won the 2023 Tournament.
| Year | Round | Rival | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | First round Second round | Northern Iowa Ole Miss | W 59–49 L 76–78 |
| 2008 | Second round Third round | Evansville Michigan State | W 82–60 L 54–58 |
| 2009 | Second round Third round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship | Creighton Arkansas New Mexico Illinois State South Florida | W 79–64 W 75–59 W 78–69 W 75–72 L 71–75 |
| 2010 | First round Second round Regional Semifinals | Prairie View A&M Creighton Illinois State | W 82–72 W 71–68 L 51–71 |
| 2011 | First round Second round | Wichita State Duquesne | W 79–58 L 63–80 |
| 2023 | First round Second round Super 16 Great 8 Fab 4 Championship | Western Kentucky Missouri Nebraska Arkansas Washington Columbia | W 86–72 W 75–47 W 64–55 W 78–64 W 61–36 W 66–59 |