Texas Women's Basketball falls short in GLOBL JAM gold medal game

Texas Women's Basketball competed in the GLOBL JAM this past week, as they took on teams from Puerto Rico, Canada, and Brazil. Texas swept its way to the gold medal game where they unfortunately lost in a heartbreaker to Team Canada. The Longhorns didn't win any major titles or trophies, but I'm impressed with how they performed against some of the world's top players. Here are some of the takeaways from this past week in Toronto.

1. Elite three-point shooting

I think the Longhorns are going to be one of the best three-point shooting teams in the SEC this upcoming season. During their game against Brazil on Saturday, Texas knocked down eight three-pointers.

The Longhorns were beaten in the Final Four by South Carolina because they couldn't hit a three-point shot against them. After watching some impressive passing and setting up players like Freshman guard Aaliyah Crump for open threes, it might be game over for SEC opponents this year.

2. Transfers played extremely well

The one transfer portal player I couldn't stop watching was Junior forward Breya Cunningham. She was one of the most impressive newcomers the Longhorns have on their roster. Cunningham was brilliant with the ball and didn't take many bad shot attempts throughout the tournament.

The one thing I might be concerned about going into the upcoming season is the physical size of the team. Otherwise, Vic Schaefer did a great job of recruiting players to join the Longhorns this past spring.

3. Crump is the real deal

I think Schaefer has found the next elite point guard after Harmon leaves the team at the end of the season. This isn't a knock on Rori Harmon and what she's done at Texas. She has been an elite guard, and Texas fans are grateful for what she's contributed on the court. However, Crump played so well that Schaefer shouldn't even think twice about not slotting her at point guard after the upcoming season. She was out there on the court showing off some "Paige Buecker vibes."

The one thing I would like to see Schaefer do with Crump this upcoming season is give her a lot of playing time during non-conference play when the game is out of reach. He should want Crump to get comfortable running the offense. I'm sure once the non-conference schedule for the Longhorns comes out, there should be games where it should be a blowout. It's the perfect time to allow her to run the offense and give Harmon some rest on the bench.

4. Letting off the gas pedal

Texas needs to work on staying consistent and not letting off the gas pedal early. Canada deserved to win the gold medal based on their continued fight, despite appearing exhausted. One thing the Longhorns are known for is taking their foot off the gas pedal when they think they have the game in reach, and it ended up being their demise against Canada.

If Texas wants any chance of winning the SEC Conference this season, they have to play all forty minutes of the game. With how much talent the SEC has from Tennessee to South Carolina, there's no room to take a break at any point in the game. All it takes is one to two possessions asleep at the wheel, and the opposing team can ride the momentum to the finish line.

While the GLOBL JAM performance from Texas was promising, they still have a lot of work to do before they open their season.