Texas Women’s Basketball: HC Karen Aston won’t return in 2020-21

The Texas women’s basketball program looks to see a long time head coach out of the door this offseason with Karen Aston now getting her contract renewed.

Once the Texas women’s basketball program, and the men’s team for this matter, weren’t able to get a chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament, it threw two weird coaching situations into flux entering the offseason. Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, men’s and women’s college basketball seasons were cut short just before they got good.

The Texas Longhorns women’s basketball program finished up their 2019-20 season on March 8 against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in a win at the Frank Erwin Center. And the men’s basketball team finished up ironically enough with a loss on March 7 to the Oklahoma State Cowboys at home in their regular season finale.

The women’s team was supposed to face the West Virginia Mountaineers in the first game in the Big 12 Tournament, but it was cancelled before it would tip-off. The men’s team also didn’t get to play in their first Big 12 Tournament game, that was supposed to come on March 12 against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Texas athletic director Chris del Conte released a statement to the media on April 3 that women’s hoops head coach Karen Aston would not return after her eighth season with the program. The contract for Aston apparently runs through Aug. 31, and she will be let go officially after that date, as it reads in the official release from the athletic department.

Here’s what that release had to say on the matter specifically.

"“This was an extremely difficult decision as Coach Aston’s contract was up and we put a great deal of thought into it, but decided not to extend it,” Del Conte said. “We can’t thank Coach Aston enough for everything she’s done for The University of Texas and our Texas Women’s Basketball program. She has given her all, as have the staff members. She has been totally committed to our program and everyone involved in it for eight years. We have had our successes and challenges, and through it all, Coach Aston has been a first-class representative of UT. She is a dedicated coach and special person. After evaluating and reviewing where we stand as a program and discussing the future, we have determined to move in a different direction with our continued goals to work to contend for conference championships and NCAA elite status.“For our student-athletes, staff, letterwinners, fans, alumni and donors, we recognize the challenge of making a change in this particular springtime, but there is never a right time for a difficult decision like this. We feel it is in the best interest of our program to move forward now and establish new direction for the 2020-21 season.”"

This team’s best finish during Aston’s eight-year run on the Forty Acres as the head coach was during the 2015-16 season, when Texas finished with a record of 31-5 and their tourney run fell short in the Elite Eight. There were four straight Sweet 16 appearances mixed in during her tenure in Austin too. But the 2018-19 season saw the Longhorns ousted in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

And Texas was on the bubble heading into the Big 12 Tournament for the NCAA Tournament in women’s basketball this year. Texas finished with a record of 19-11 (11-7 Big 12) in the season that was. That regular season finale win over Oklahoma State was the final game Aston would coach for the Longhorns.

There is no coaching candidate that seems to be coming in mind yet for the Longhorns to replace Aston. But they will have ample time with the longer offseason to make their move to find the next head coach for this program.

Aston still posted a pretty solid record of 184-83 (93-51 Big 12) during her eight years as the Texas women’s hoops head coach. Her career record as a women’s hoops head coach in general, over the course of 13 years, sits at 285-146.

Apparently the search “now commences” immediately for the next women’s hoops head coach for the Longhorns ahead of the 2020-21 season.