LAWRENCE, Kan. – Head coach Brandon Schneider has announced the promotion of current assistant coach Terry Nooner to associate head coach as well as the additions of assistant coaches Karyla Middlebrook and Morgan Paige to the 2021-22 coaching staff.
“As we knew he would, Terry has quickly made a positive impact in every phase of our program. He instantly connected with our players, they all respect him tremendously and soak up all that he has to teach them. He truly loves Kansas and is so proud to be a Jayhawk. I’m excited to announce his promotion to associate head coach.”
BRANDON SCHNEIDER, HEAD COACH
Nooner enters his second season alongside Coach Schneider and has over 10 years of coaching experience. For the 2020-21 season, he was the position and skill development coach for the forwards – Katrine Jessen and Ioanna Chatzileonti. This duo ended their freshman season combining for a total of 198 points, 50 blocks and 201 rebounds. Chatzileonti also garnered conference recognition with back-to-back Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors and named to the postseason Big 12 All-Freshman Team. Nooner’s previous coaching stops include Texas as an assistant in 2019-20, the Cleveland Cavaliers player development coach in 2018-19, Maryland in 2015-18, Alabama from 2013-15, Kansas for the 2012-13 season and Southern Illinois from 2011-12.
“I am truly honored and humbled that Coach Brandon has entrusted me with this position. I am eager to continue working on the vision that he has for making KU women’s basketball a championship program.”
TERRY NOONER, ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH
Middlebrook comes to Kansas from Grand Canyon University where she served as an assistant coach since April 2020. Prior to GCU, she was an assistant coach for the University of Evansville since the 2018 season after concluding her collegiate basketball career from the University of Alabama and Kansas State University.
“Karyla is from a basketball family and was a really good player competing in both the SEC and Big 12 conferences. She loves to help players develop and improve their games. Growing up in Blue Springs, she has very strong recruiting ties locally and throughout the Midwest.”
COACH SCHNEIDER
She was named a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member, aided the Crimson Tide to its first-ever home win over Tennessee and ending a 42-game winning streak against the Lady Vols. As a graduate transfer at Kansas State, Middlebrook propelled the 2016-17 team to a 23-11 overall record and the defeat of Drake in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. She also excelled in the classroom during her time as a Wildcat, being named to the Academic All-Big 12 Second Team. She earned a B.S. in Business Management from Alabama and her Master of Academic Advising from Kansas State. Middlebrook is a native of Blue Springs, Mo., a suburb of Kansas City.
“I am thrilled to be back in the state of Kansas and working with Coach Brandon and his staff. Being from Kansas City, I grew up a huge KU fan and always dreamt of wearing crimson and blue one day. The history and legacy of basketball at the University of Kansas is incomparable to any other institution across the nation. I am truly grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of these young women’s lives and help them build upon the resiliency they demonstrated this past season. This journey is going to be a fun one and I’m excited to finally be a part of the KU family … Rock Chalk!”
KARYLA MIDDLEBROOK, ASSISTANT COACH
Also joining the coaching staff as an assistant and recruiting coordinator is Morgan Paige. Previously, she served in the same capacity at North Dakota State since the 2016-17 season. She aided the Bison to a complete program turnaround in her two seasons there, seeing their first winning season at 15-9 in over a decade. In that same season, Paige helped guide North Dakota State to their highest finish in the program’s Division I history, third place. She has coached four players who earned Summit League Conference honors: Second Team All-Conference, Newcomer of the Year, All-Conference honorable mention and All-Newcomer Team.
“Morgan is a coach’s kid, grew up in the gym, was an All-Big 10 player at Wisconsin, and spent time in Europe playing professionally. She is terrific on the court and has strong Midwest recruiting contacts and connections.”
COACH SCHNEIDER
Prior to joining the Bison’s staff, she spent a year as a graduate assistant at Iowa State University where she helped extensively with video editing systems, community relations, player development and on-campus recruiting. As a student-athlete, Paige was a four-year letter winner and starter for the University of Wisconsin. She was a Third Team All-Big Ten selection in 2013 and became the 23rd Badger to score 1,000 career points in her senior season, and currently ranks No. 18 in school history with 1,230 career points.
“I am ecstatic to be joining the Jayhawk staff and so thankful to Coach Brandon for this opportunity. I am ready to face new challenges the Big 12 presents and I believe Kansas is on the rise. I am counting down the hours until we can start growing together. Rock Chalk!”
MORGAN PAIGE, ASSISTANT COACH
Paige graduated from Wisconsin in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in life sciences communication and is currently pursuing her master’s degree from Iowa State in leadership and learning. She also spent time playing professionally in Romania with CSM Craiova in Craiova, Romania.
“Morgan and Karyla will make a big impact on the environment of our program. Their positive energy and enthusiasm are infectious and our players are really going to enjoy working with and learning from them both. They will be outstanding mentors for our young women.”
COACH SCHNEIDER
