Sending Students to The Final Four

By Giorgy Ruiz

Reporting Texas

Full disclosure: I am a student leader with The Charge, a spirit organization dedicated to supporting Texas Women’s Basketball. In coordination with Texas Athletics, I helped identify group members who were interested in attending the Final Four in Tampa. Reagan Neely from Texas Athletics contacted me directly to help gather names, and I shared student emails so they could receive trip information. While I did not coordinate travel logistics or funding, I did participate in the trip. This story reflects my reporting on the experience and the students’ perspectives. I understand the ethical concerns of reporting on groups I am directly involved with and will apply this learning to future reporting.

A Final Four run is always big news — but student support off the court made just as much impact during the April 4 game.

Twenty-five University of Texas students traveled more than 1,000 miles to Tampa, Florida to cheer on the women’s basketball team in their first Final Four appearance since 2003 against South Carolina. Under an idea sparked by guards Rori

Harmon and Madison Booker — and support from Texas Athletics — the students received game tickets, lodging and chartered bus transportation to represent the student section on the sport’s biggest stage.

“I think that just shows we’ll do anything to help our students get here and to cheer us on,” Harmon said in a press conference in Florida. “For me and Maddie, we just wanted to do that, and I think that’s pretty cool.”

The surprise began with a text from Reagan Neely with Texas Athletics. She contacted leaders of The Charge, a student-run group focused on building school spirit at women’s basketball games, to ask who might be interested. Those names were sent over, and within hours, emails started rolling out.

“Texas Women’s Basketball needs you in Tampa for the Women’s Final Four,” Neely wrote in the email. “Courtesy of Rori Harmon and Madison Booker, the first 50 UT students get one free ticket and a spot in the team hotel.” 

The 21-hour bus ride included plenty of bonding — and Buc-ee’s stops. Jeremy Armstrong, the associate athletic director for Texas Athletics, served as chaperone. When the group arrived around 2:30 p.m. on game day, a familiar face greeted them: Head coach Vic Schaefer, who was on a walk while on the phone with his pastor. He then hopped on the bus with the students.

“Rest, take a shower and bring it tonight!” Schaefer told the students.

When the students arrived at the hotel, Booker and Harmon high-fived the students and thanked them for showing up. 

The hotel was decked out in burnt orange, with Longhorn signage everywhere. That evening, students joined the Longhorn Foundation’s pregame party and received free gear, food, posters and pom-poms. They cheered the players onto their team bus before heading to the arena.

Though their seats were in the upper deck, their energy could be heard throughout the building.

“We were cheering so loud that one of the general managers texted someone in our group at halftime to say we were doing a great job,” said Naomi Murphy, another student on the trip.

While Texas fell to South Carolina in the national semifinal, students did not leave empty-handed. Each student received a hand-drawn T-shirt designed by Sarah Graves, a member of the basketball creative team. Some stayed late to watch UConn’s Paige Bueckers take on UCLA; others returned to the hotel.

Later that night, students ran into Schaefer again.

“He hugged us and said, ‘Thank you for being here. We needed y’all’s energy and can’t wait for what next year brings,’” sophomore Gabi Munoz said.

The group left Tampa the next morning and returned to Austin around 4 a.m. on Sunday.

“It wasn’t just a trip,” sophomore Madison McCloud said. “It bonded us. It made us feel like we were part of something bigger.”