Texas Longhorns
Overall Rank: #36
Conference Rank: #5 Big 12
Texas will start a new era this season under the leadership of Vic Schaefer. Coach Schaefer spent the last eight years turning Mississippi State into a national power, culminating with back-to-back national championship appearances in 2017 and 2018. The Longhorns will hope to have similar success, but for now returning to the NCAA Tournament is a good first step.
2019-20 Record: 19-11, 11-7
Coach: Vic Schaefer
Coach Record: 0-0 at Texas, 301-172 overall
Key Departed Players (starters in bold)
Joyner Holmes, Forward, 13.1 ppg
Sug Sutton, Guard, 10.4 ppg
Lashann Higgs, Guard, 9.0 ppg
Jada Underwood, Guard/Forward, 5.2 ppg
Isabel Palmer, Guard, 3.1 ppg
Key Returning Players (starters in bold)
Charli Collier, Junior, Forward/Center, 13.1 ppg
Celeste Taylor, Sophomore, Guard, 9.3 ppg
Joanne Allen-Taylor, Junior, Guard, 4.6 ppg
Audrey Warren, Junior, Guard/Forward, 3.3 ppg
Key New Players
Ashley Chevalier, Freshman, Guard
Elyssa Coleman, Freshman, Forward
Lauren Ebo, Junior, Center/Forward, Transfer from Penn State, pending waiver
DeYona Gaston, Freshman, Forward
Shay Holle, Freshman, Guard
Precious Johnson, Freshman, Forward/Center
Kyra Lambert, Senior, Guard, Grad Transfer from Duke
Karisma Ortiz, Sophomore, Guard, Transfer from Penn State
Projection:
Charli Collier is one of the best players in the nation. The 6-5 center averaged 13.1 points and 10.5 rebounds last season and is an absolute monster in the paint. But what makes Collier so dangerous on the offensive end of the floor is her ability to shoot three-pointers. There are few defenders who are comfortable defending Collier in the paint and the perimeter. Celeste Taylor is the only other returning starter. She averaged 9.3 points per game as a freshman, but will need to be more consistent. Juniors Joanne Allen-Taylor and Audrey Warren will vie for more playing time and their experience within the program will be very helpful as the Longhorns transition to the Coach Schaefer era. Point guard Kyra Lambert is a graduate transfer from Duke who finally returned last season after missing the previous two with an injury. Karisma Ortiz is also a point guard with starting experience during her time at Penn State. Lambert and Ortiz are not major scoring threats, but this team needed some options at the point and now they have two good ones. Texas should be able to get enough depth from their talented group of freshmen. DeYona Gaston, Shay Holle and Ashley Chevalier are all highly regarded and Coach Schaefer should be able to find the depth he needs to get Texas to the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 69.5 (81st in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.2 (169, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 40.2 (150, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.1 (87, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.0 (252, 7)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 29.9 (233, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.0 (191, 4)
Rebound Margin: 7.6 (25, 2)
Assists Per Game: 13.3 (143, 8)
Turnovers Per Game: 16.1 (194, 5)
Madness 2020 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#50 DeYona Gaston
#82 Shay Holle
#116 Ashley Chevalier
