University of Kansas Women's Basketball
Coaching Staff
Morgan Paige | Assistant Coach / Recruiting Coordinator
Morgan Paige is in her third season on the Kansas Women’s Basketball staff after joining the Jayhawks in April 2021. She serves as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator on Coach Brandon Schneider’s staff.
Kansas has reached the postseason in each of the Paige’s two seasons in Lawrence, including capturing the 2023 WNIT Championship. The Jayhawks finished 25-11 in 2022-23, marking the sixth time in school history that the program reached 25 victories in a season, and first since 1996-97. KU has won at least 20 games in each of the past two seasons, giving the program back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 2012 and 2013.
The Jayhawks had three players earn All-Big 12 recognition following the 2022-23 season, including two First Team All-Big 12 selections in Taiyanna Jackson and Zakiyah Franklin. Franklin led the Jayhawks in scoring, while Jackson became the first KU player since 1982 to average a double-double for an entire season. Kansas has had six All-Big 12 selections during Paige’s two seasons, with Jackson, Franklin and Holly Kersgieter each earning consecutive honors from the conference.
In Paige’s first season in Lawrence, she assisted Schneider – the 2022 Big 12 Coach of the Year – during the Jayhawks breakthrough campaign in 2021-22. The Jayhawks finished the season with a record of 21-10, marking the program’s first 20-win season since 2010-11, and the Jayhawks had 20 wins during the regular season for the first time since 1999-2000. Kansas capped off the season with a berth in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, where KU earned the No. 8 seed in the Spokane Regional and defeated Georgia Tech, 77-58, in the opening round before falling to eventual regional champion Stanford in the second round.
Kansas had three players earn All-Big 12 recognition in Paige’s first season, including guard Holly Kersgieter, who became KU’s first All-Big 12 First Team selection since 2015. Under Paige’s tutelage, Kersgieter led the Jayhawks in scoring at 13.4 points per game and surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career.
Before coming to Kansas, Paige spent five seasons (2016-21) on staff at North Dakota State, first as an Assistant Coach before adding Recruiting Coordinator duties in 2019. While at NDSU, Paige aided former Kansas assistant Jory Collins as the Bison completed a program turnaround in two seasons, going 15-9 in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season for NDSU’s first winning season in over a decade. 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.
Prior to joining the Bison’s staff, Paige spent a year as a graduate assistant at Iowa State, where she helped extensively with video editing systems, community relations, player development and on-campus recruiting. As a student-athlete, she was a four-year letter winner and starter for the University of Wisconsin. Paige 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, currently ranking No. 18 in school history with 1,230 career points.
Paige graduated from Wisconsin in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in life sciences communication before earning a master’s degree in leadership in physical education and sport from North Dakota State University in August 2021. She also spent time playing professionally in Romania with CSM Craiova in Craiova, Romania and in March 2020 was inducted into the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Basketball Hall of Fame.
Basketball is a way of life for Paige and her family. Her mother, Sherryl, was her high school coach, while her father, Ellis, worked extensively with both her and her brother, Marcus, to perfect their craft. Marcus is a 2016 graduate of the University of North Carolina and was selected by the Brooklyn Nets in the second round of the 2016 NBA Draft before being traded to the Utah Jazz.
Karyla Knight | Assistant Coach
Karyla Knight is in her third season on the Kansas Women’s Basketball staff after joining Coach Brandon Schneider’s staff as an Assistant Coach in April 2021.
Kansas has reached the postseason in each of the Knight’s two seasons in Lawrence, including capturing the 2023 WNIT Championship. The Jayhawks finished 25-11 in 2022-23, marking the sixth time in school history that the program reached 25 victories in a season, and first since 1996-97. KU has won at least 20 games in each of the past two seasons, giving the program back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 2012 and 2013.
The Jayhawks had three players earn All-Big 12 recognition following the 2022-23 season, including two First Team All-Big 12 selections in Taiyanna Jackson and Zakiyah Franklin. Knight (formerly Middlebrook) tutored Franklin as she led the Jayhawks in scoring and set new single-season school records for both free throw percentage and three-point field goal percentage. Jackson, meanwhile, had a breakout campaign and became the first KU player since 1982 to average a double-double for an entire season. Kansas has had six All-Big 12 selections during Knight’s two seasons, with Jackson, Franklin and Holly Kersgieter each earning consecutive honors from the conference.
In Knight’s first season in Lawrence, she assisted Schneider – the 2022 Big 12 Coach of the Year – during the Jayhawks breakthrough campaign in 2021-22. The Jayhawks finished the season with a record of 21-10, marking the program’s first 20-win season since 2010-11, and the Jayhawks had 20 wins during the regular season for the first time since 1999-2000. Kansas capped off the season with a berth in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, where KU earned the No. 8 seed in the Spokane Regional and defeated Georgia Tech, 77-58, in the opening round before falling to eventual regional champion Stanford in the second round.
Kansas had three players earn All-Big 12 recognition in Knight’s first season, including guard Zakiyah Franklin, an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 selection. Under Knight’s tutelage, Franklin moved into KU’s top 10 list for career assists and had the third-best single-season free throw shooting percentage in school history during her junior year.
Prior to Kansas, Knight served as an Assistant Coach at Grand Canyon University for the 2020-21 season. That year, GCU finished with a record of 18-7 and placed third in the Western Athletic Conference before advancing to the WAC Championship game. Knight also spent two seasons as an Assistant Coach at Evansville following her playing career at Alabama and Kansas State.
As a player, Knight was named a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member and she aided the Crimson Tide to its first-ever home win over Tennessee, ending a 42-game winless streak against the Lady Vols. As a graduate transfer at Kansas State, she propelled the 2016-17 team to a 23-11 overall record which included a win over Drake in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Knight also excelled in the classroom during her time as a Wildcat, being named to the Academic All-Big 12 Second Team.
A native of Blue Springs, Mo., Knight earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Alabama and a master’s degree in Academic Advising from Kansas State.
Brock McGinnis
| Assistant Coach
Brock McGinnis enters his fifth season on Coach Brandon Schneider’s staff at Kansas in 2023-24. He is in his first season as an Assistant Coach for the Jayhawks after serving for four years as the Director of Player Development.
McGinnis has been on staff as Kansas reached the postseason in each of the past two seasons, including winning the 2023 WNIT Championship. The Jayhawks finished 25-11 in 2022-23, marking the sixth time in program history that KU won at least 25 games in a season, and first time since 1996-97. KU has won at least 20 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2012 and 2013.
During the 2021-22 season, McGinnis assisted Schneider – the Big 12 Coach of the Year – as the Jayhawks experienced a breakthrough campaign. Kansas finished the season with a record of 21-10, marking the program’s first 20-win season since 2010-11, and the Jayhawks had 20 wins during the regular season for the first time since 1999-2000. KU capped off the season with a berth in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, earning the No. 8 seed in the Spokane Regional and defeating Georgia Tech, 77-58, in the opening round before falling to eventual regional champion Stanford in the second round.
Before coming to Kansas, McGinnis previously worked for two years as the women’s basketball Video Coordinator at Oklahoma State. He has also worked as an Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at Allen Community College from 2016-2017, Assistant Video Coordinator for the Toronto Raptors from 2015-2016, and Graduate Assistant for Oklahoma State Cowboy Basketball from 2013-2015.
A native of Oskaloosa, Kansas, McGinnis attended Ottawa University and played on the basketball team for four years while receiving a bachelor’s degree in 2012. He then went to Oklahoma State for graduate school and received a master’s degree in Leisure Studies in 2015. He resides in Lawrence with his wife, Megan.
Marqu’es Webb
| Assistant Coach
Marqu’es Webb is in her first season at Kansas after joining head coach Brandon Schneider’s staff in May 2023.
Webb comes to Lawrence after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Mercer. In her first season, Webb helped Mercer to a 23-7 record and the 2022 Southern Conference Championship. The Bears won the regular season and tournament crowns, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in school history. Webb worked primarily with the Bears’ post players and coached nine players who earned All-SoCon honors, including two Defensive Players of the Year.
Prior to Mercer, Webb spent two seasons on staff at her alma mater Vanderbilt, working as an assistant coach during the 2020-21 season after serving as the director of player development the year prior. She returned to Vandy after playing two years professionally overseas in the Czech Republic for BK Zabiny Brno.
As a student-athlete Webb played in 119 games for Vanderbilt from 2013-17, making 80 starts. She scored 875 points and pulled down 703 rebounds in her career and was a member of an NCAA Tournament team as a freshman. Webb was elected to the SEC’s Women’s Basketball Leadership Council chair and was named the team’s Passion Player of the Year as a senior.
A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Webb earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Vanderbilt in 2017.
Patrick Schrater | Assistant Coach
Patrick Schrater returned to Kansas in July 2023 and is in his first season as an assistant coach for the Jayhawks. He joins Brandon Schneider’s staff, which he was previously part of as a graduate assistant from 2019-21.
Schrater comes to Kansas after two seasons as an assistant coach at Pittsburg State. In two seasons at Pittsburg State, Schrater helped the Gorillas to a 65 percent winning percentage. In 2022-23, PSU was 23-8 and finished fourth in the MIAA with a 17-5 league record. The Gorillas advanced to the NCAA Division II national tournament for the first time in four seasons and defeated No. 2 seed Nebraska-Kearney before falling in the regional semifinals. Pitt State led the MIAA in scoring that season, averaging 76.7 points per game.
Schrater was a graduate assistant on Schneider’s staff from 2019-21. The Jayhawks finished 15-14 during the 2019-20 season for the program’s first winning season in seven years and KU was in position to earn a postseason tournament berth prior to the COVID-19 cancellation.
Before coming to Kansas, Schrater was a practice player and student assistant at Emporia State for five seasons. While at ESU, where he coached under former Kansas and current North Dakota State head coach Jory Collins, Schrater was a part of four teams that advanced to the NCAA Division II national tournament, including a final four appearance in 2015.
A native of Valley Center, Kansas, Schrater graduated from Emporia State in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in business management. He later earned a master’s degree in digital content strategy from KU in 2021.
Jena Jessup | Director of Operations
Jena Jessup enters her fourth season as the Director of Operations on Kansas Coach Brandon Schneider’s staff after returning to Kansas prior to the 2020-21 season.
In her role, Jessup coordinates all aspects of team travel and meals, oversees student managers and serves as the camp coordinator for Brandon Schneider Basketball Camps. She is also women’s basketball’s liaison to other departments in athletics, as well as the housing department on campus.
Kansas has reached the postseason in each of the past two seasons, including claiming the 2023 WNIT Championship. Jessup has assisted Schneider – the 2022 Big 12 Coach of the Year – as he guided the program to back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 2012 and 2013. KU finished 25-11 in 2022-23, marking the sixth time in program history to reach 25 wins, and the first time since 1996-97.
In her second season at Kansas, Jessup assisted as the Jayhawks experienced a breakthrough campaign. Kansas finished the season with a record of 21-10, marking the program’s first 20-win season since 2010-11, and the Jayhawks had 20 wins during the regular season for the first time since 1999-2000. KU capped off the season with a berth in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, earning the No. 8 seed in the Spokane Regional and defeating Georgia Tech, 77-58, in the opening round before falling to eventual regional champion Stanford in the second round.
Prior to Kansas, Jessup served as the Director of Operations for six seasons at Charlotte. With the 49ers, she was in charge of a myriad of duties, including team travel, coordinating camps, overseeing the managers and the program’s community service initiatives. She also aided in game scheduling, assisted with uniforms and equipment, served as liaison with several other departments across athletics plus other duties to ensure the program ran smoothly.
As the program’s community service liaison, Jessup worked to plan different events and execute them with local charities and groups to expand the 49ers’ presence around the area. She also took the lead on overseeing the ultra-successful summer camps the Niners showcase every year.
Jessup served on a panel at the 2017 Final Four in Dallas during the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Convention, held in conjunction with the event. She was a presenter for the topic “Creating a Championship Culture: The Integral Role a DOBO Plays” during an hour-long session.
The Almena, Kansas, native held a short stint as an assistant equipment manager at Georgia State, while also spending two full years as a graduate assistant with the equipment staff at Oklahoma, through the 2013-14 athletic season. While with the Sooners, she worked primarily with the softball and volleyball teams.
Her first step into collegiate athletics came as an undergrad at Kansas, serving as a student manager with the women’s basketball program for three years. The Jayhawks reached the postseason each of her years with the team, including a run to the 2012 NCAA Sweet 16. She also spent time with the Kansas equipment staff as a student intern.
Jessup graduated from Kansas in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in education.