Season preview: Texas women’s basketball eyes redemption season in 2019-20

By Riley Zayas

AUSTIN, Texas — As head coach Karen Aston and the Longhorns look ahead, this season offers hope of redeeming Texas basketball to a powerhouse level on the heels of a dismal 2018-19 season that was full of disappointment. Following a season that included losses, injuries and a first-round exit from the NCAA Tournament when they fell to Indiana, the Horns are looking forward to a new opportunity to reclaim their place amongst the NCAA’s elite.

One thing is clear entering the season: this team is coming back stronger, more experienced and confident, and it starts from the top. Aston, who has taken responsibility for the cracks that led to the disappointment last season, is [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]ready to move from the past and into the present, focused on bringing the national championship caliber level of play back to Austin. Known for having a tough but encouraging attitude that motivates her players, Aston’s team will be led by a special group of starters to be a consistent force throughout the season.

Running the floor will be senior Alecia “Sug” Sutton, a dynamic senior who leads through experience gained in her first three seasons in Austin. Sutton took over the point guard role in the middle of last season and ran the floor with poise. Perhaps the Horns’ best deep shooting threat last year, Sutton averaged 12.7 points per game while dishing out an average of 5.4 assists per game. Her leadership goes beyond her play however. Sutton gives Aston a vocal leader who demonstrates great communication with her teammates on the court.

“Sug became very vocal this summer, and she’s taking this season seriously with it being her last year and thinking, ‘what can I do to be the best leader I can be, the best example I can be for my team?’” Aston said.

Playing on the wing next to Sutton will be LaShann Higgs, who is back at a game-ready level after suffering an ACL tear in non-conference play last season. Despite taking a step back, Higgs worked hard in the offseason to rebound from the injury and looked strong in the exhibition against Lubbock Christian, scoring 16 points. Pivotal in the three-point shooting game, Higgs has been called a “lethal scoring weapon” by Aston for a reason.

“LaShann gives you a lethal scoring weapon and I think that everybody could see that in the first half of the exhibition,” Aston said. “She can get you a bucket when you need a bucket and I think that’s going to be very important this season as we move along.”

While the Longhorns are a potent team on the perimeter, it is in the post where opposing teams will need to be most cautious, thanks to the one-two punch of forwards Charli Coller and Joyner Holmes.

Holmes’ career in Austin has been an uneven one as she has been on and off the court ever since her freshman season. After receiving a semester-long suspension in the fall of her sophomore year, Holmes had to battle back both academically and athletically to the team in early 2018. Then, just weeks before the beginning of her junior year, she broke her ankle, a setback that kept her out for the first eight games of the year. Now, in 2019, the McLain Award nominee is hoping to play an integral role in this team’s success in her final year as a Longhorn thanks to her improved shooting and rebounding.

A former No. 1 recruit, Collier likely will be the youngest starter for the Horns in 2019 when the season begins. That shouldn’t phase her however, as she already has nearly one full season under her belt after playing in 31 games last year, blocking 20 shots, along with 13 steals and 132 rebounds. When her talent is combined with Holmes, it creates a nearly unstoppable duo.

“I think with Joyner and Charli, if you really talked about our strengths, when both of them are in there together, it creates a pretty good base for what we’re looking for offensively,” Aston said.

As these four leaders guide this team through the year, a motto in the back of their minds will be “Representing Texas.” After the loss to Indiana, Aston spoke about wanting to improve in this following season and represent Texas better. As another season finally tips off, the team is trying to live out that goal of going deeper in the NCAA tournament.

Playing in a conference with the defending national champs Baylor, UT was picked to finish second in the Big 12 by the league’s coaches, a step in the right direction before the season has even begun. The Longhorns offered a glimpse of what could lay ahead this season, which tips off Nov. 8 at South Florida, with an 83-73 win in a scrimmage against a Lubbock Christian team that won the Div. II national title last season.

Aston acknowledged the team’s rigorous non-conference schedule, which will test the Longhorns more than once and challenge them heading into conference play. The opener against USF represents a significant test to start the season, thanks in part to the presence of USF guard Enna Pehadzic, a second team All-American Athletic Conference selection last season after she led her team in scoring with an average of 12.1 points per game.

The Longhorns’ November slate features a three-day Thanksgiving tournament in Hawaii, with games against North Carolina State, North Texas and the host team, Hawaii on a trip that will help the players get used to a quick turnaround and conditioning themselves to play at a high level on back-to-back days.

The schedule includes continuations of UT’s two main non-conference rivalries, Dec. 8 at Tennessee and Dec. 22 at home against Stanford.

Joining Baylor, which starts the season ranked No. 2 in the country, as significant challengers within the Big 12 are Iowa State and West Virginia. The Mountaineers were tabbed as the No. 3 team in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll, with the Cyclones one spot behind at No. 4. The Longhorns face Baylor twice, once at home in late January and during the first week of March in Waco.
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