“When you reach a milestone like this, you just think back to all the guys you’ve coached, the assistants you’ve had, all the presidents, all the athletic directors, and everybody who has allowed you to and helped you to be successful,” Schumacher said. “I’m just happy that I still get to be a basketball coach and that I get to do it at Blinn.”
Schumacher is now 600-351 in his 32 seasons as a two-year college head coach. Now in his 10th year at the helm of the Buccaneers, Schumacher began his run at Blinn for the 2012-13 campaign and has compiled a 174-114 record in nine-plus seasons.
Following the game, Schumacher’s wife, Lisa, as well as his son, Alec, and daughter, Lonna, joined him at center court as Blinn College District trustee Randy Wells presented the coach with a commemorative plaque.
“The love he has for the game is incredible,” sophomore Calvin Carpenter said after scoring a game-high 21 points. “He fights for us, and we fight for him, and having a coach who wants to win as bad as you do is just motivation.”
Blinn (6-4) was visibly motivated from the outset Monday. After Strength ‘N Motion grabbed a 19-13 lead, the Buccaneers went on a 38-14 run and took a 51-33 advantage into halftime. Strength ‘N Motion clawed within 72-62, but a 9-0 run by the hosts put the game out of reach.
(Pictured top: Blinn College freshman center Connor Redrow)
During the Bucs’ decisive run, freshman center Connor Redrow stole a Strength ‘N Motion pass and went the length of the court before finishing off the fastbreak play with a dunk. The slam brought the crowd and the Buccaneer bench to their feet and cemented a smile on Schumacher’s face.
“I’m so glad your dad saw that,” Schumacher told Redrow during a subsequent timeout.
“He’s a great guy and he’s a real family man,” Redrow said of Schumacher. “He’s always asking me if my parents are coming to the games, and I really appreciate that.”
Redrow scored 15 points and pulled down nine rebounds, sophomore Connor Raines added 13 points with nine rebounds, and Carpenter added six rebounds and three assists. Freshmen Alex Tsynkevich and Jan Njock chipped in 10 and nine points respectively, and freshman Tyler Washington finished with eight.
Blinn will resume its season with its Region XIV Conference opener against Trinity Valley Community College at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1, at the Kruse Center.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 42 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
