Athletic director Chris Del Conte sat behind the bench of No. 1 Texas women’s basketball, barely able to see the actual game itself. Junior guard Sarah Graves and freshman forward Justice Carlton blocked his view as the two jumped and cheered on every play of their national semifinal game.
But he didn’t care. It was the first women’s Final Four he sat courtside for as an athletic director, and he did not expect it to be the last one either.
Welcome to Del Conte’s vision of Texas Athletics. If it’s your first time here, it’s okay. You can laugh. But if this is something you’re familiar with, you know he means it. As women’s basketball continues to rise in viewership and revenue, Del Conte has set up his vision for Texas women’s basketball at the perfect time, culminating in its best season in 22 years.
In their first year in the Southeastern Conference, the Longhorns went 15–1 and tied for a championship banner. They rose to the No. 1 ranking in the AP Polls for the first time since 2004, which they held for two of the last four weeks of the year. Texas won 35 games for the first time since 1982 and went to a Final Four as well, the first since 2003.
“God blessed me with an incredible group of young ladies that have won 35 games,” head coach Vic Schaefer said. “They’re SEC champions. They went to the Final Four.”
As Schaefer got through his final post-game press conference of the season, his emotions were obvious.
There were points where he cracked a laugh, others where he held back tears. He smiled when talking about what his team had accomplished this year, and his voice quivered at the thought of saying au revoir to his seniors.
On the table with him were three of his leaders. Senior guard Shay Holle sat to his right, and senior guard Rori Harmon and senior forward Taylor Jones sat to his left. The three starters combined for 12 years of experience in the burnt orange.
“As a coach and then recruiting, sometimes you can look in, you go, ‘Well I can get another two guard or a top player or whatever,’” Schaefer paused, his voice stuttering into the microphone. “You’ll replace the position, but you might not replace the person.”
As Texas moves on from its graduating seniors, it welcomes a bright future for next year. Madison Booker, the sophomore forward and reigning two-time Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year, will be back for her junior campaign. Laila Phelia, a senior guard and preseason Wooden Watch player, is assumed to be back.
Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, the junior guard who made a big impact in the second half of the season, also plans on returning. Kyla Oldacre, the junior center who averaged 8.8 points on 17.3 minutes this year, will also return. And Harmon has another year of eligibility. If she plans on coming back to college, it’ll be on the Forty Acres.
The future looks bright for Texas, but even with all the returnees, it’s still not easy to say goodbye.
“I don’t know what it’s gonna be like walking in the gym next year,” Schaefer said.
As the Longhorns move on from this year and prepare for the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season, they get to try and run back another Final Four appearance, hoping to hoist a title this time around.
And you can count on Del Conte being there every step of the way — hopefully with a better view.
