ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH RANDY SCHNEIDER
Randy Schneider joins new Head Women’s Basketball Coach Robin Harmony at the College of Charleston as Associate Head Coach.
Schneider previously served in the same coaching role the last six years with Harmony at Lamar University where they established one of the most successful women’s basketball programs in the Southland Conference. This past season, the Cardinals posted a 24-7 overall record, won a regular-season title and made their second-straight Women’s NIT appearance.
“Randy will be a tremendous asset in Charleston with his tireless work in recruiting and his attention to every detail in practice,” Harmony said. “He will be a loyal member of the College of Charleston Women’s Basketball Family and will have a major role in developing a championship program.”
In six seasons at Lamar, the Cardinals compiled a 115-66 (.635) overall winning record including an 83-25 (.769) mark in conference play. The team also won 42-straight home games at the Montagne Center – the second-longest active home winning streak in the nation behind the University of Connecticut.
A top recruiter, Schneider was instrumental in landing five recruiting classes that were ranked No. 1 in the Southland Conference by All-Star Girls Report. Those classes helped Lamar win three regular-season conference championships and make four appearances in a national postseason tournament.
His recruits included two Southland Conference Freshmen of the Year in Kiara Desamours in 2015-16 and Jadyn Pimentel in 2017-18. Moe Kinard was later honored as the 2016-17 Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year and set the conference and NCAA record for 3-pointers made in a single game (13) in 2018-19.
A four-time Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year, 2018-19 Southland Conference Player of the Year and AP All-American Honorable Mention, Chastadie Barrs became the NCAA Division I record holder in single-season steals (192) and career steals (632). She was also a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, which is awarded to the top point guard in the nation.
Schneider is heavily involved in the team’s practice sessions and scouting. He will also be responsible for scheduling non-conference games for the Cougars.
While at Lamar, the Cardinals faced some of the nation’s top programs including Baylor, Oregon, Oklahoma and Mississippi State. They claimed a 74-68 road win at No. 16-ranked Texas A&M in November of 2018.
The veteran coach also helped the Cardinals become one of the top defensive teams in the nation. Lamar led the nation in steals, turnovers forced and turnover margin in each of the past three seasons.
Prior to his time in Beaumont, Schneider served as an assistant coach at St. Thomas (Fla.) University for six seasons on Harmony’s staff. The Bobcats posted six-consecutive seasons of at least 20 wins, advanced to the NAIA Tournament on three occasions and were ranked as high as No. 11 in the nation.
In his last season at St. Thomas, the Bobcats turned in the best record in program history – going 27-4 including a perfect 14-0 mark in the Sun Conference.
Before St. Thomas, Schneider coached girls high school basketball for eight seasons compiling a 131-57 record and reaching the state tournament seven times.
Schneider also served as head coach of the Premier Jaguars AAU basketball team in Miami and the Miami Suns, one of the premier AAU clubs in the nation. He coached four players who went on to compete in the WNBA including Erica Wheeler of the Indiana Fever.
Originally from Miami, Schneider graduated cum laude in 1998 from Florida International University with a bachelor’s degree in education. He and his wife, Jennifer, have one daughter, Taylor.