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The Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners women’s basketball game was set to tipoff on Jan. 12, that game has been postponed due to COVID-19.
Despite the hot start for the Texas women’s basketball team under new head coach Vic Schaeffer, it hasn’t come without their fair share of disruptions early on in the season. Continue reading “Texas Women’s Basketball: Oklahoma game postponed due to COVID-19”
The 2020-21 women’s basketball season got off to a hot start. Charli Collier and Celeste Taylor led the way in a 90-51 victory over SMU.
A new era began on Wednesday in Austin, Texas. For the first time since 2012, Karen Aston was not courtside for the Texas women’s basketball team. Vic Schaeffer made his debut as the head coach for Texas. He came over from Mississippi State and the team couldn’t have looked better in his debut.
The Longhorns led from tip-off, after one quarter it was 20-8. By halftime that lead ballooned to 42-22. Early on for the Longhorns, it was sophomore Celeste Taylor leading the charge. Taylor led the team in scoring for much of the game until Charli Collier starting rolling in the second half of this game.
❌ NOT TODAY ❌#TexasFight | @_celeste620 pic.twitter.com/KFh1w344O1
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) November 25, 2020
The Longhorns forced 30 SMU turnovers in this game. Schaeffer stated that they wouldn’t sit back and play zone defense this year. After one game, it appears that he very much wants to put the pressure on offenses. The defense forced 15 steals and eight total blocks in the game. They also outrebounded the Mustangs 39-30, including 21 offensive rebounds.
Quite the start for Schaeffer and company. DeYona Gaston came off the bench and provided a ton of energy for the team. She came close to a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. She also led the team in blocks with five. The Texas women’s basketball team won by 49, 90-51. That was the largest margin of victory for them since 1987.
That year the women’s team finished 32-3. They opened with a 94-34 victory over Northern Arizona.
Final Stats:
| Player | Shooting | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks |
| Charli Collier | 8-13 | 26 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Celeste Taylor | 9-18 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| Audrey Warren | 4-11 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| DeYona Gaston | 5-11 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
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Texas women’s basketball forward Charli Collier has been named to the Naismith Trophy watch list. The award is given to the top player.
The Texas women’s basketball team will be under new leadership as they begin the 2020-21 college basketball season. Continue reading “Texas Basketball: Charli Collier named to Naismith Trophy watch list”
Following the dismissal of Texas Tech coach Marlene Stollins, they should give former Longhorns coach Karen Aston a call.
Early last week USA TODAY Sports writer Jori Epstein produced a report in collaboration with The Intercollegiate. The Intercollegiate is a college sports investigative media company. In the report they took exit interviews from players that detailed the abuse of players from the Texas Tech women’s basketball program. This led to the eventual dismissal of then head coach Marlene Stollings.
In a press conference that soon followed the announcement of the firing, Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt admitted that “We have failed them.” The one thing that Texas Tech and Hocutt need to do is find a coach that not only can heal them but can be a proven leader for the team.
One available head coach is former Longhorns women’s head coach Karen Aston. Upon the season’s cancellation, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte decided to move on from Aston in favor of Vic Schaeffer. Schaeffer left Mississippi State to take over in Austin.
Aston was coming off six straight NCAA Tournament appearances with Texas. She likely would have made it seven had the season not been cancelled due to COVID-19. She left Texas with a career record of 184-83 overall. Aston also had a conference record 93-51. Over her career from Charlotte, North Texas and Texas she has a career .661 winning percentage. It was .689 in Austin.
It isn’t just her ability to to win games in Austin that should make her an attractive target but she is quite familiar with Big 12 basketball. Before getting her first job in Charlotte, Aston spent time as an assistant with Baylor twice and once with Texas. It is what she meant to her players. Following her dismissal, senior guard Sug Sutton posted a message about Aston on Instagram.
Thank you for giving me the best 4 years I could ask for. There was nothing that you wouldn’t have done for us! You had our backs just as much as we had yours. You weren’t perfect to everyone else but you were perfect to us (this team). You instilled the importance of Texas pride and Texas tradition into this program better than anyone could have ever done. Your hard-work, sacrifice, and commitment did not go unnoticed to us. You are an inspiration and I am so thankful for the relationship that we have built because it’ll go way beyond our time together at Texas.
I love you coach
Freshman guard Celeste Taylor also posted a message for her first collegiate coach.
Given how respected Aston was on and off the court plus her proven track record on it, should be enough to at least be considered in Lubbock.
