After Texas’s first Final Four appearance in 22 years, head coach Vic Schaefer got back to work days after its April 4 loss to South Carolina.
The Longhorns signed five new players to strengthen their roster. Texas lost key players in seniors Shay Holle and Taylor Jones, but one new addition isn’t as fresh on Texas’s side of the portal.
Breya Cunningham spent the last two seasons at Arizona before entering the transfer portal on March 25. Less than a month later, she committed to Texas — but Cunningham had considered a career at the Forty Acres before. Coming out of high school, Texas was her second offer and among her top choices. Schaefer’s familiarity with the 6-foot-4-inch forward turned out to be instrumental the second time around.
“I’ve always had a great relationship with Coach,” Cunningham said. “This time after leaving Arizona, I just wanted to go somewhere where I obviously knew the coach, knew how he coached, knew what the team ran, how the team would perform … so it felt natural to pivot back to a school I already kind of knew.”
Last season, Cunningham was a Big 12 All-Conference honorable mention, having her best season yet, shooting 56% from the field, while averaging 11 points and seven rebounds. Coach Schaefer expects that the transfer will pick up right where she left off.
“I recruited her two years ago out of high school when she was the No. 2 ranked player in the country in the 2023 class,” Schaefer stated in a press release. “Breya will bring experience and inside presence, as well as the ability to impact our program immediately.”
Cunningham has already built chemistry with the 2025 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, Madison Booker. Their friendship dates back to the 2023 McDonald’s All-American game and the 2023 FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup, in which Cunningham and Booker both took home gold medals.
“I think Madison is a great passer inside,” Cunningham said. “She’s a great shooter, so I think that’ll be great for us. She’ll pass it to me, and if I’m doubled or I can’t make the shot, I know exactly where Madison is and I know I trust her to shoot those.”
Texas loses a production of 263 rebounds from Jones, 87 rebounds from Aaliyah Moore, who will miss the upcoming season due to injury, and 108 rebounds from Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, who transferred to Vanderbilt. Luckily for Cunningham, she wasn’t the only reinforcement Texas brought in for this upcoming season.
Teya Sidberry transfers to Texas for her senior season after spending time at Boston College and Utah. During her time in the ACC, she was in the top 15 in offensive and defensive rebounding. The forward also scored 20 or more points in nine games.
“When addressing our needs, we really felt Teya could bring grittiness, a knack for rebounding and an ability to finish and score in multiple ways,” Schaefer announced when Sidberry signed to Texas on April 28.
Additionally, Texas snagged a player from a conference foe. Ashton Judd, a Missouri native, comes to Texas after three seasons in her home state playing for the Tigers. Judd is expected to play a combination of guard and forward this season. The Longhorns also added international players to the roster in freshman guard Grace Prenter from Ireland, and FAU sophomore transfer from Sweden, Lovisa Asbrink Hose, who will play center.
