Texas finished off the 2022-23 season with some hardware, but fell short at the end. The Longhorns captured their first regular season Big 12 title since the 2003-04 season; however, a loss to the Louisville Cardinals at the Moody Center saw Schaefer and his team bounced in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Schaefer is only losing three players from last year’s conference champion team while simultaneously adding four freshmen. The combination of veteran and young talent could be just what Schaefer and his staff need to prevent another early exit after two Elite Eight appearances in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Madison Booker
Playing the forward position, Booker is 6-foot-1-inch tall and has an extensive resume in both world basketball and high school ball. While attending Germantown High School in Ridgeland, Mississippi, Booker earned three All-State nods. She’s a five-star recruit and the No. 12 player in her class.
In world basketball, Booker is a three-time gold medalist with Team USA on the U16, U17 and U19 teams. Her other accolades include both a McDonald’s All-American nomination and Naismith High School All-American nomination.
Booker’s game has developed to a dangerous level. Not only will she attack the defense in transition, but she can shoot well from behind the arc. Coach Schaefer has the challenge to find how to put Booker in the best position to succeed as one of the top rated freshmen of the 2023 class.
Tionna Herron
Herron is a center standing at 6-foot-4-inches from DeSoto, Texas. Out of high school, Herron was the No. 11 center and No. 69 overall recruit in the 2022 class. Thanks to Herron’s efforts, DeSoto High School repeated as 6A state champions.
Herron initially committed to Kentucky, but did not play after undergoing open heart surgery due to a misaligned artery. After one year at Kentucky, she entered the transfer portal and decided to come back to her home state.
Gisella Maul
Coming in at 5-feet-11 inches, Maul hails from Cedar Park, Texas. She led her high school team to back-to-back 5A state titles and earned herself the MVP title in the state final. Maul was named Gatorade Texas Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
Maul earned a four star designation and ranked 38th in her recruiting class. She decided to forego her senior season and enrolled early at Texas. Maul is coming off a torn ACL but averaged a monstrous 25.6 ppg during her final year at Cedar Park.
Abbie Boutilier
Abbie Boutilier enters the team as the tallest player on the roster, standing at 6-foot-9-inches. Although she doesn’t have a similar resume to her fellow freshman, Boutilier has a lot of potential under Schaefer’s direction.
Because Boutilier is over a foot taller than the average NCAA women’s basketball player, her opportunity to see minutes early is likely, especially in rotation with Herron at center.
