Jill Schneider gets to exit as a champion.
The longtime Monterey girls basketball coach will retire after the school year. Schneider led the Plainsmen to the Class 5A Division II state championship in March.
A member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, Schneider coached at Monterey for 27 seasons. She began her head-coaching career at Borger in 1986 and finished with more than 740 wins.
Schneider was also a standout player. She started her collegiate career at Wayland Baptist before transferring to Tennessee, where she played under coach Pat Summitt. Schneider was part of the gold-medalist U.S. 1979 World Championships squad. She was a co-captain of the Olympic team before the U.S.’s boycott of the 1980 Moscow games.
Wayland Baptist issued a statement Monday congratulating Schneider on her retirement.
“Jill is a true icon of Flying Queen basketball,” the statement read. “Her fierce determination, unmatched scoring ability, and leadership both on and off the court have left a legacy that continues to inspire. Wayland celebrates her both as a former player and as a standard-bearer for excellence in women’s athletics through the years.”
Monterey’s state title was the program’s first since 1981. Schneider also took Borger to the state tournament in 1994. As a player, she won the Class 2A championship at Borger Phillips in 1976, the second of consecutive trips to the state tournament.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Monterey girls basketball coach Jill Schneider set to retire
Reporting by Stephen Garcia, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
