Texas women’s basketball’s growing pains are already on display.
Two days after a second-half collapse and defeat against the University of Connecticut in Monday’s exhibition, the Longhorns returned to the court Wednesday for their Orange-White scrimmage, giving the young roster another chance to find its footing.
The Longhorns stayed even with UConn through the first half Monday before being outscored by 22 points after halftime in an 83-61 loss. Freshman guard Addison Bjorn and freshman forward Brihanna Crittendon were among those getting an early introduction to the challenges of college basketball.
Head coach Vic Schaefer wanted to see a more physical and competitive group Wednesday. Instead of dwelling on a loss that doesn’t even count, he emphasized the importance of learning from it — particularly for the freshmen who will continue to face more experienced opponents.
So the freshmen got their first taste of collegiate basketball, and it didn’t go down easy. But now that it has passed, Schaefer wants his squad to regroup and march ahead.
“They got an indoctrination the other night and took a bath,” Schaefer said. “Okay, let’s go watch (the) film, let’s learn from it.”
Schaefer pointed to a freshman being matched up against a first-team All-American at UConn in junior forward Sarah Strong as an example of the difficult assignments awaiting his younger players. That experience is part of their development, but the freshmen aren’t off the hook. They are still expected to be helping their more experienced teammates.
“We had a freshman matched up on their All-American all night — okay, so what?” Schaefer said. “They need to understand everybody in our league (has) a monster four-player like that kid. That’s reality, so why hide that from them?”
Texas still has plenty to address. The Longhorns struggled to contain dribble penetration against UConn and continued working on rebounding, physical screens and defensive communication during Wednesday’s scrimmage.
Schaefer said the team must become more consistent on both ends of the floor, while also expecting leadership from its returning players.
Junior guard Bryanna Preston emphasized that the team is working to make sure the freshmen understand their roles before stepping on the court, whether that means encouraging them to ask questions or reviewing plays outside of practice.
But support also means accountability.
“We’re trying to give the freshmen a little benefit of the doubt because we’re young, but at some point in time we are going to have to get into it a little bit,” Preston said. “It ain’t going to be ‘You got it, you got it’ all the time … I’m going (to) really have to hold you accountable because that’s the same thing I would want for myself.”
There were signs of progress Wednesday, however. Schaefer said Texas did a better job finding perimeter shooters after driving into the paint, an area where the team struggled against the Huskies. The Longhorns also executed several out-of-bounds plays more effectively.
For the freshmen, the early season has been a crash course in the speed and toughness of college basketball. With senior forward Madison Booker’s presence and ability to control the pace, Schaefer wants the rest of the roster to find that same comfort.
Conditioning and physicality remain priorities as the team prepares for its next matchup against the University of California, Los Angeles, at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park on Sunday, Oct. 25.
