Schneider Adds Blair to Jayhawks’ Roster for 2016-17
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas head women’s basketball coach Brandon Schneider and his staff signed graduate transfer Lisa Blair, the third signee of 2016 for KU, during the late signing period. As a graduate transfer, Blair is eligible to join Kansas on the hardwood next season and be able to play immediately.
Adding height, experience and depth to KU’s front court, Blair joins the Jayhawks’ roster after four seasons, including a redshirt year, at Ohio State. The 6-6 center from Brooklyn, New York, has one year of eligibility remaining.
“Lisa (Blair) brings much needed size and experience to our roster,” said Schneider. “Her length and knack for blocking or altering shots provides us with the paint presence we’ve been looking for on the defensive end. We wanted to add depth and immediate help to our front line this spring, and we feel we’ve done that with (Sydney) Umeri and Blair joining our program. I believe we now have the type of competition at every position necessary to drive significant improvement.”
A McDonald’s All-American nominee out of Nazareth Regional High School (Brooklyn, New York), Blair was a three-star prospect and rated the 38th best center in the nation by ESPN Hoopgurlz. She averaged 12.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 10.0 blocks as a senior while helping lead Nazareth to the 2009 and 2011 Catholic City and state championship. Blair was named Honorable Mention All-New York City during her prep career and was a six-time Rose Classic All-Star and champion.
During her career at Ohio State, Blair appeared in 81 games in three seasons and averaged 8.2 minutes per game.
Blair joins transfers Sydney Umeri and Eboni Watts in Kansas’ 2016 signing class, the first under Schneider who will begin his second season at the helm of the Jayhawk women’s basketball program.
The University of Kansas men’s and women’s basketball teams will tip off their 2016-17 seasons at the 32nd annual Late Night in the Phog presented by Hy-Vee Saturday, Oct. 1, in Allen Fieldhouse. Late Night in the Phog will run from 6:30 p.m. to approximately 9:30 p.m.
The event will feature recognition of KU’s unprecedented 12th-straight Big 12 Championship, music by the KU pep band, skits by both basketball teams, video highlights from KU’s award-winning Rock Chalk Video department, coach and player introductions, scrimmages by the KU men’s and women’s teams and much more.
KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.
