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Texas ladies's basketball begins prepping for upcoming season – Austin American-Statesman

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Texas' Shaylee Gonzales takes a shot during practice Tuesday. The Longhorns are working out at the Erwin Center until they're allowed to begin practicing at Moody Center. Texas' first action is an exhibition game against DePaul at Moody Center on Oct. 30.

Depend Texas level guard Rori Harmon among the many hundreds of people that flocked to the current collection of Harry Types live shows at Moody Heart.

Sure, she said the concert was amazing. However what Harmon was nonetheless speaking about Tuesday was the noise inside the brand new on-campus venue.

“It was so loud,” Harmon stated. “There was ringing in my ear strolling exterior the live performance, nevertheless it was wonderful.”

Harmon was chatting with reporters only a few days away — 26 or 38 relying on whether or not you depend exhibition video games — from being on the middle stage herself at Moody. Texas will host a charity sport in opposition to DePaul on Oct. 30 to benefit the Uvalde CISD’s Moving Forward Foundation. The Longhorns’ precise Moody Heart debut is ready for Nov. 11 in opposition to Louisiana.

Harmon stated Tuesday that not a lot of her teammates have gotten an up-close take a look at Moody Heart but. She thinks Longhorns guard Shay Holle had been there. Perhaps a few of the incoming transfers and freshmen obtained excursions once they have been being recruited.

However for now, the Longhorns are ready to maneuver in. The truth is, they practiced on the Erwin Heart on Tuesday.

Texas coach Vic Schaefer said Tuesday that he hopes the Erwin Center isn't demolished anytime soon since it would give the Longhorns men's and women's basketball teams an option to practice in a college-level arena if UT's new Moody Center isn't available.

Texas coach Vic Schaefer has been advised that he’ll get to work in his new workplace subsequent week. Entry to the staff’s new apply facility will quickly comply with. He stated that he and males’s coach Chris Beard are literally hoping that the Erwin Heart is not razed within the rapid future as a result of they need an alternative choice for practices if Moody is in any other case booked.

“After we go on the street and play all these totally different locations, it’s worthwhile to be in that enviornment setting training if that is sensible,” Schaefer stated. “For us, if we won’t get within the Moody, we’re hoping that the Drum will nonetheless be right here … as a result of taking pictures the basketball is basically essential and we would like it to be as game-like as we will get.”

When Texas does make its Moody Heart debut, it can accomplish that with seven newcomers and three new assistant coaches. The staff, which started training this week, continues to be trying to find its identification, Schaefer stated.

Over the previous two seasons, Texas followers have gotten used to seeing the Longhorns play an aggressive model of protection. As Schaefer usually says, “we do not stand round enjoying hope-you-miss protection in a 2-3 zone.”

However this offseason, Texas added two prolific scorers in former BYU guard Shaylee Gonzales and ex-DePaul standout Sonya Morris. Each rank amongst the top-10 career scorers at their former schools. Final season Gonzales averaged 18.3 factors per sport whereas Morris averaged 17.5.

Final season, Texas was No. 44 nationally in scoring. No Longhorn averaged greater than 12 factors.

“We’re jelling already and we have solely been enjoying with one another for a pair weeks,” Harmon stated of her new teammates. “I am excited for getting these assists and them racking up these factors.”

Final week, Schaefer was requested if the additions of Gonzales and Morris signaled a change in his philosophies. He would not decide to an offense-first strategy and stated UT would nonetheless lean on its protection.

“I do not care how we win. We will win 100-98 or we will win 50-48, I do not care,” he stated. “I believe that is the place I am looking proper now’s what’s the identification of this staff. , what’s it going to be? I believe I’ve an actual sensible staff. I believe I’ve obtained some children that basically know the sport and perceive the sport.

“We’re gonna discover our identification, however protection is at all times going to be a part of the equation at Texas.”

Final season, Texas was No. 13 nationally in turnovers pressured per sport. And the Longhorns allowed simply 56.8 factors per sport, which was the Huge 12’s greatest mark. Texas closed out the season with a 59-50 loss to Stanford within the Elite Eight. Within the leadup to that sport, Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer appeared to take a swipe at UT’s model of play when she stated “I believe people want to watch basketball and not football or rugby.”

Former UT affiliate head coach Dionnah Jackson-Durrett shortly rebuked VanDerveer’s remark. Jackson-Durrett, who is now the head coach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, tweeted that “We get sufficient criticism from exterior of WBB, I anticipate higher from our sport. To suggest that our staff performs ‘football or rugby’ is an unpleasant narrative. As if WBB gamers should not able to being bodily and hard.”

Schaefer stated final week that he was not made conscious of VanDerveer’s feedback till after the season ended. He has not spoken with VanDerveer, however he expressed his disappointment with the phrases spoken by his sport’s all-time winningest coach.

“We play with the identical guidelines as all people else,” Schaefer stated. “The truth that our children play arduous should not be a penalty. Basketball will not be a noncontact finesse sport. There’s contact in our sport and it is authorized. We attempt to play the sport legally. So, once more, I did not just like the inference. I do not suppose it is truthful and I do not suppose it is correct. We’ll go away it at that.”

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