Texas Women's Basketball has done better than expected in its first season in the SEC. With their only conference loss to the defending national champions, they are on track to have a successful season.
Three talented freshmen that Vic Schaefer recruited have contributed to its success this season. Jordan Lee, Bryanna Preston, and Justice Carlton have been monumental in the short time they have been on the court. Their careers at Texas are beginning to blossom.
Freshmen stepping up for Texas women's basketball and exceeding expectations in the 2024-25 season
Justice Carlton was the first freshman to stand out from the recruiting class. She stood out during their game against Butler, where she scored a career-high of 30 points. When the offense wasn't having a great day, Carlton went off on the Bulldogs and led the Longhorns to victory.
That is when fans first realized Schaefer found a gem out of high school. She would continue to be a threat near the beginning of the conference schedule. She will have a great career at Texas.
Jordan Lee is starting to show some flashes of brilliance on the court during conference play. Even though her career-high this season was against JMU, she has helped the team past Oklahoma and Arkansas. Schaefer might be coming around to trusting her more on the court.
I've seen her get a good amount of minutes once the Longhorns have a big enough lead. I think Schaefer should play her more often moving forward. It could give Madison Booker some rest throughout the game.
Bryanna Preston has gotten playing time this season but hasn't been a scoring threat like the other two freshmen. I think this season will help Preston be a better basketball player and will help her get more playing time next season.
I just wished Schaefer would trust her more out on the court. Some of his veteran players need rest, and Preston is more than capable of playing in conference play. I hope Schaefer realizes she needs more playing time down the stretch in conference play.
As I wrap up this article, I want to talk about the Ole Miss game the Longhorns played last Sunday. I was shocked the freshman didn't get any playing time during that game. Schaefer wanted his veterans to fix their mistakes, but playing the freshmen would have helped some.
They were getting playing time during the other conference games, so I don't know why Schaefer didn't play any of them during the Ole Miss game. It's been stuck in my head this week.
Schaefer and his coaching staff brought in a great freshman class. All of them have contributed at different parts of this season, and it's starting to look like a promising future for the program with them in the wings. I know they have a lot to learn as they go through their first season in the SEC conference.
I hope Schaefer realizes they can handle themselves and help give the veterans much-needed rest. The future is bright for Women's Basketball down in Austin.