March 27, 2024
Locked On Women’s Basketball: How Texas triumphed despite setbacks
By The Next
Host Howard Megdal talks with Texas head coach Vic Schaefer on how his team overcame setbacks to fight through to the Sweet 16
On the latest episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, host Howard Megdal is joined by Texas Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer to discuss the unlikely, but totally deserved success of his squad this season. When the Longhorns lost phenom point guard Rori Harmon to a torn ACL in late December 2023, many wrote them off for the remainder of the season. But the transformation of Madison Booker into an elite point guard, as well as other significant transitions, helped Texas book a ticket to the Sweet 16.
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Howard opens the show by asking Vic straight up — did he think it would be possible at all to come back from the Rori Harmon misfortune? “With this group of kids,” Vic starts, “I knew anything was possible.” He acknowledges how devastating it was to lose Harmon, contending that she “guards better than anyone in the country.” But, to see how this turned out, says Vic, is “quite remarkable. I don’t think anyone in the country thought we’d be 32-4 … that we’d win the Big 12 tournament championship and be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. But it just speaks to the character of the kids, the work ethic of my staff.”
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Vic and Howard talk more about how Vic’s plan B for Texas came to life. This contingency plan included requiring freshman Madison Booker to step up in Harmon’s shoes. “This is what makes her different than other freshman across the country,” Vic argues. “And the kid’s so humble … she is so down to earth and just wants to get better.”
Howard and Vic move onto discuss what’s next for Texas. The Longhorns will take on Gonzaga this weekend in the Sweet 16, and Vic feels his team is prepared. Their readiness comes, more than anything else, from how “unselfish” his team is. “This team has really opened my eyes to a different way of winning,” he explains. Players may have had to learn new positions this year, but they’ve never had to be taught how to be good teammates.
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