When Texas women’s basketball head coach Vic Schaefer walked into the facility 30 minutes before morning practice, he knew he could count on two players to already be on the court: graduate guard Rori Harmon and junior forward Madison Booker.
The two stars of this Texas team have taken vastly different paths to get to this point in their respective collegiate careers, but their goal remains the same. After falling to South Carolina in last season’s Final Four, the first appearance made by the Longhorns since 2003, the program enters this season with championship expectations.
For Harmon, this season serves as her full comeback and final rodeo. Nearly two years removed from her ACL injury that sidelined her for the majority of the 2023-2024 season, she returned last season but played with a brace. Now fully healthy and without the brace, Schaefer expects her to look like the player she was before the injury — and maybe even better.
“In my experience, it’s that second year that’s always way better than the first year after an injury,” Schaefer said. “She’s comfortable, she’s confident — I think she’s just trying to get back that half a step that she may have lost during that whole deal, but she looks really good.”
Although this will likely be Harmon’s final season in burnt orange, Schaefer said her investment in the team has never wavered. He praised her consistency and focus, and said that her dedication provides a model for younger players and transfers trying to adapt to the team’s culture while emulating the success of the team’s top players.
Meanwhile, Booker enters the season off of a decorated sophomore campaign, being named the 2025 SEC Player of the Year and achieving two first-team All-American honors. As a freshman, she was thrust into the spotlight and point guard position after Harmon’s injury, but quickly emerged as one of the team’s leaders.
Through her first two years with the Longhorns, she has already totaled 1,231 points and 287 assists. Since Harmon returned, Booker has thrived transitioning back to her natural small forward role, averaging 16.3 points per game last season.
Schaefer noted how Booker has blended her playmaking and scoring in the early fall practices. He wants the team to find her first in transition, where she can score quickly, but also highlighted how she’s been distributing the ball effectively and trusting her teammates more.
“Booker just continues to get better and better,” Schaefer said. “She blows me away with how good she is, her work ethic, how hard she goes and her focus.”
Despite facing a roster turnover, Schaefer said Texas’ foundation feels secure with Harmon and Booker at the helm. The two complement each other’s games while also setting the tone on and off court.
“When you start a team with Madison Booker and Rori Harmon at guard, that’s a pretty good place to start,” Schaefer said.
