Texas women’s basketball is only a few days into fall practice, but head coach Vic Schaefer is confident that, once again, there is something special developing in Austin.
“When you look on paper, compared to last year’s team, it has the potential to, maybe, be better,” Schaefer said.
That is saying something.
Last season, the Longhorns achieved the program’s first 35-win year, made their first NCAA Final Four appearance since 2003 and jointly won the Southeastern Conference regular season championship in their inaugural effort.
For Schaefer, who is entering his sixth year at Texas, the team’s recent success is nothing to overlook or leave behind.
“When you look (at the gym’s walls) and you saw where they hadn’t won a conference championship since 2003, that was really hard to believe,” Schaefer said. “And I think we’ve won four total, two regular season and two tournament championships. So really proud of that, proud to get them back to the Final Four after a 22-year absence.”
But at the same time, Schaefer also knows that, despite his team’s recent achievements, nothing is guaranteed for it moving forward.
“On paper, paper is paper,” he said. “It’s why you play the game. Things happen all the time in (sports).”
That is increasingly true when you are part of the SEC, which sent 10 teams to the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Adding to the variables is roster turnover, the inescapable feature of collegiate program building.
From last season to this one, the Longhorns aged out two of the program’s core members in guard Shay Holle and center Taylor Jones. Texas lost forwards Aaliyah Moore to a knee injury and Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda to Vanderbilt in the transfer portal.
These subtractions are noticeable hits to the team’s camaraderie and experience. Holle, who had been part of Schaefer’s program since his arrival in Austin and is the winningest player in Texas basketball history, is the first to come to mind for the Longhorns coach.
“(Holle) just brought such a presence each and every day, nothing but positive,” Schaefer said. “Her presence was never once, in five years, any day, was it ever construed as negative. And there is something to be said for a young lady like that in our day today, in our women’s basketball game or in any sport. There’s a real value in that.”
Replacing the void that Holle and company are leaving in the program will be awfully tough. However, Texas has turned to recruiting and the portal to fill what’s gone.
The Longhorns have added freshman guards Aaliyah Crump, the No. 5 in 2025 ESPN recruiting rankings, and Grace Prenter of Ireland. They have brought in a four-person transfer class, made up of sophomore center Lovisa Asbrink Hose, junior forward Breya Cunningham, senior guard Ashton Judd and senior forward Teya Sidberry.
Early on, these newcomers are getting assimilated into the standards and culture of Texas women’s basketball, catching on from Schaefer’s veteran star duo of graduate Rori Harmon and junior Madison Booker that unwaveringly leads by example.
“Teya and Ashton, they’re in here a lot, coming from another different program,” Schaefer said. “They see what we’re doing here, and next thing you know, they’re all in here. Crump comes with Book a lot. But if you’re going to try to catch one of (Harmon or Booker), you better be in here with them.”
Still a month away from the season-opening exhibition against Lubbock Christian, the Longhorns will continue to ramp up, converting themselves from a newly assembled squad into an early national title contender. Schaefer is optimistic about what he’s seen so far.
“I like their competitive spirit,” he said. “I like their approach. And I think we’ve got a chance.”
