No. 3 Texas Women’s Basketball Starts Season on High Note
By Ethan Ferguson
Reporting Texas TV
AUSTIN, Texas – The Orange-White Scrimmage for the Texas Women’s Basketball team on Oct. 19 gave fans and the public an opportunity to see the new look of the team. The teams also played against an all-male practice squad made up of skilled UT students.
The Longhorns added seven new players to the team this season. Three are freshmen and four transferred from other universities.
Sonya Morris, a graduate student who transferred from DePaul University, has displayed impressive skills throughout her collegiate career.
During her four years at DePaul, Morris averaged 14.4 points and 2.6 assists per game, while also shooting consistently from behind the arc. Defensively, Morris averaged 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. She ranks ninth in Blue Demons history for points with 1,168 and eighth in three-point field goals made with 193.
“I just think it was the best option for me,” Morris said about transferring to Texas. “So many doors open going into the portal and I never thought that this opportunity would come.”
Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said Morris has been a great addition to the team.
“Every time I talk to her, every time I coach her in practice, she looks me dead in the eye,” Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said about Morris. “As a coach, you really have an appreciation for a player like that.”
Morris was one of twenty players selected to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award watch list at the beginning of this season. The award recognizes the top shooting guard in women’s division one basketball and last year, she was a finalist for the award.
Texas is one of three division one women’s basketball programs that have a representative on awards watch lists for each of the five positions:
- Nancy Lieberman Award (Point Guard) – Rori Harmon
- Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Shooting Guard) – Sonya Morris
- Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward) – Shay Holle
- Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward) – Aaliyah Moore
- Lisa Leslie Award (Center) – Taylor Jones
Jones transferred to Texas this season after three years at Oregon State University. The two other transfers are Shaylee Gonzales from Brigham Young University and Khadija Faye from Texas Tech University.
The Longhorns participated in a charity exhibition game Oct. 30 against DePaul with the purpose of assisting in the rebuild of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
“In some small way, if we can help the healing, we want to be a part of that,” Schaefer said.
The Longhorns defeated the Blue Demons 105-62, with Morris leading the charge against her old team. Five Longhorns finished the game with at least 10 points. An exact number of how much money was raised from ticket proceeds has yet to be released.
Following another exhibition game against Wayland Baptist on Nov. 4, Texas Women’s Basketball starts the regular season on Nov. 11 at the Moody Center against the Louisiana-Lafayette Rajin’ Cajuns. Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm and the game will air on Longhorn Network.