April 2, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M women's basketball associate head coach Vic Schaefer (pronounced SHEA-fur) was recently named one of 20 semifinalists for the 2009 Coaches of the Year awards which focus on the rising stars of the profession presented by ONS PerformanceTM and BasketballScoop.com.
Known as one of the top defensive masterminds in the women's game today, Schaefer is in his sixth season in Aggieland and 12th overall year as a top assistant to head coach Gary Blair at A&M and Arkansas combined. He has annually molded the Aggie Basketball program into one of the top defensive ballclubs in the nation and helped sign four top 20 recruiting classes for his alma mater as a Class of '84 graduate. Schaefer is joined on the short list by some of the most notable names in the business in Bob Starkey of LSU, Mickie DeMoss of Texas, Al Brown of Duke, Kamie Ethridge of Kansas State, Mike Neighbors of Xavier and Chris Dailey of Connecticut.
"Coach Schaefer is a super star in our profession," Blair said. "As far as assistant coaches go, he rises every day and helps teach and motivate our kids to play defense with passion. A lot of head coaches want to hire `yes' people, but I like to hire people who are going to make me better and our team better. He tells me what I need to know, instead of what I want to know. Obviously, he is one of the best teachers of the game in our profession and is very deserving of a head coaching job at a BCS school."
Each semifinalist was nominated by at least one of their peers and many were nominated by multiple Division I head coaches. Voting is now available online at www.BasketballScoop.com and will be accepted through April 15. The top 10 coaches who receive the most votes will then be evaluated by BasketballScoop.com's panel of coaches who will select the five finalists.