411OnTheForty: Collier earns All-America honor; 2 women’s basketball players enter transfer portal
AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas women's basketball program had one of its players honored as one of the nation's best, while two others put their names into the NCAA transfer portal Friday.
In her last season at Texas, junior forward/center Charli Collier earned Second Team All-America honors from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Friday, becoming the first Longhorn since 2005 to earn the honor.
Collier finished her best season statistically, leading the team in points (19.0) and rebounds (17.3), becoming just the second player in program history to average a double-double. She ranked second among Div. I players in double-doubles this season with 19.
Collier also earned Associated Press All-America honors March 17. She is a finalist for the Lisa Leslie Award, which is given annually to the nation's top center, a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-Big 12 First Team selection.
Meanwhile, a Texas spokesperson told Horns Illustrated that freshman forward Elyssa Coleman and sophomore guard Celeste Taylor entered their names into the NCAA transfer portal on Friday.
Taylor was critical in UT's run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in March. She led the Longhorns in steals with 60 this season, and was also the team's second-leading scorer, with 12.3 points per game, and third in assists with 56.
Danny Davis of the Austin American-Statesman reported that, according to a Texas source, Taylor's decision to transfer was not based upon a frustration with the coaching staff or playing time, but due to a desire to be closer to family. Schaefer told the media during the NCAA Tournament that Taylor's family had only been at one of her games this season, when the Longhorns played at West Virginia.
Coleman sat out the 2020-21 season after undergoing surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
