Texas women’s basketball given high praise in SEC preseason poll while Madison Booker collects preseason honor
Texas forward Madison Booker named one of three co-Preseason Players of the Year
Texas women’s coach Vic Schaefer had his Longhorns stand in a circle at center court.
“I said, look to your left, look to your right,” Schaefer told his team. “You know, this is a team that will only be together one time in your life. “What’s it going to look like when we're standing here in April?
“And there's another part to that,” he added. “That may be your buddy, but can they help you win? And I think that's the thing everybody in that circle feels like. Everybody can help us win.”
The Longhorns should close ranks now because there are stormy seas ahead in those choppy SEC waters. Lots of onlookers think Schaefer’s crew will navigate it just fine, though. Texas was picked to finish second in the SEC preseason poll released Monday.
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Longhorns’ next major target: Aaliyah Chavez, the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruit
Not only is Texas riding high into the new league off back-to-back appearances in the Elite Eight. Madison Booker was named one of three co-Preseason Players of the Year. Booker shared the award with Flau’Jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow, both from LSU.
Booker is coming into the SEC with a full head of steam after being named the Big 12 player of the year as a freshman a first-team All-American. She was named the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year.
Texas guard Rori Harmon was also named to the All-SEC preseason second team. Harmon’s story is well known to most UT fans. She was the electric point guard who practically ran the entire program until suffering a season-ending knee injury in December.
Rori Harmon’s megawatt smile is back and so is the energy running through Texas women’s basketball
After rebounding from an ACL tear in December, Harmon ran a 6:05 mile this preseason. The Horns are now running toward the Women’s Final Four.
Harmon is back healthy again and expected to guide Texas through its SEC debut.
Nobody’s going to concede anything to Texas, though. South Carolina was picked to win the league, then Texas, followed by LSU. Oklahoma, which won the Big 12 title last season, was picked to finish fourth in its debut SEC season.
Texas men will start year ranked 19th
On the men’s side, Rodney Terry’s Horns learned Monday they will start the year ranked 19th in the Associated Press Top 25 men’s basketball poll. The women’s Top 25 is expected to be released Tuesday.
Graduate transfer Tramon Mark was named an All-SEC preseason third team pick. Mark is a known quantity to SEC coaches. He started 69 games and played in 107 total over four years at Arkansas and Houston. Mark has 1,200 career points and 424 rebounds with a career .424 shooting percentage.
