Horns Illustrated

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

30

Drew Mehringer will take over as wide receivers coach this season.

CONTENTS FEATURES

30

FOOTBALL

LOCKED AND LOADED

New head football coach Tom Herman took six weeks to assemble his staff of coaches, bringing in talent from the NFL, the University of Houston and other great programs. The new coaching staff brings to the 40 Acres a combined 108 years of recruiting within the state of Texas, as well as 17 years of head coaching experience. Horns Illustrated is proud to introduce you to the new football coaching staff.

26

VOLLEYBALL

ORANGE CRUSHED

The Texas volleyball team did something many didn't expect at the start of the 2016 season — the Longhorns earned a berth to the national championship match. Through hard work and continuous improvement, Texas found itself making its fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Final Four, with an opportunity to win a championship for the first time since 2012. Unfortunately, Stanford proved to be too much for the Longhorns. Senior Editor Steve Habel recaps Texas' attempt to bring home the title.

DEPARTMENTS LEADING OFF

11

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

13

ROUNDUP

20

SPIRIT OF THE MONTH - Texas Lonestars

22

MEDIA VOICES

25

THE HABE ON THE HORNS

41

IN SEASON - Basketball

48

FINAL SCORE CO URTES Y U H ATHLETICS

8

COVER PHOTO: BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS, PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS

4 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

COVERING UT SPORTS SINCE 1994 AUSTIN CORPORATE OFFICE: 512-626-8513 SUBSCRIPTIONS: 1-855-246-7677 E-MAIL: INFO@HORNSILLUSTRATED.COM

WEBSITE: WWW.HORNSILLUSTRATED.COM FACEBOOK: facebook.com/hornsillustrated TWITTER: @Hornsillus INSTAGRAM: horns_illustrated ADVISORY BOARD RICK GROSS — TEXAN MEDIA STEWART RAMSER — RAMSER MEDIA PUBLISHER JAMES SCHLEICHER ART & DESIGN DIRECTOR JOHN ANTON SISBREÑO MAE ELLEN BONTUYAN OPEN-LOOK BUSINESS SOLUTIONS MANAGING EDITOR CARISSA STITH (UT-AUSTIN, BA ’10) SENIOR EDITOR STEVE HABEL SECTION EDITOR TAYLOR GRAFFT CONTRIBUTORS HABEAB KURDI STEPHEN WHITAKER STEVE LANSDALE SARA BETH PURDY PHOTOGRAPHERS DON BENDER JESSE DROHEN COPY EDITORS ANNE HERMAN HABEAB KURDI RYAN BRIDGES SARA BETH PURDY ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR LISA REILEY (UT-AUSTIN, BFA ’97) ADVERTISING DIRECTORS KELLY WONDERLIN KELLY@HORNSILLUSTRATED.COM RANDY MALTZ (UT AUSTIN, BA ’91) RANDY@HORNSILLUSTRATED.COM TECHNICAL DIRECTOR DIGITAL MARKETING & SALES TERRY MIDDLETON SUBSCRIPTIONS DIRECTOR LANA KRASNIQI SUBSCRIPTIONS@HORNSILLUSTRATED.COM STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS ERIC SORENSEN REGIONAL DIRECTORS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS SAN ANTONIO: JOHNNY WALKER (UT-AUSTIN, BA ’98) SOUTHEAST TEXAS HOUSTON: BRANDON ASSUNCAO ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: ALLYSON WATSON MAILING ADDRESS P.O. BOX 50069 AUSTIN, TX 78763 COPYRIGHT© 2015 BY TEXAN MEDIA, L.L.C. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR PART IS PROHIBITED. HORNS ILLUSTRATED IS NOT AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS.

6 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 7

PATRICK MEREDITH/UN IV. O F TEXAS

8 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

LEADING

OFF

Freshman Joyner Holmes led all scorers with 18 points as the Texas women's basketball team defeated TCU on Jan. 7, 83-54. The victory marked Karen Aston’s 200th career win as a head coach. The win also marked the largest margin of victory for the Longhorns in Big 12 play since Texas won by 37 at Kansas (75-38) on Jan. 13, 2016. Texas leads the all-time series over TCU, 39-2, and boasts a perfect 19-0 record inside the Frank Erwin Center.

As a team, Texas shot 50.0 percent (34-68) from the field while holding TCU to a 29.8 shooting percentage (17-57).

This was the fourth game this season the Longhorns have shot at or above the .500 mark.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 9

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 11

ROUNDUP PATRICK MEREDITH/ UNIV. OF TEXAS

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

DEEP IMPACT: Will Glass always thought he’d become an Auburn Tiger. He grew up a son of Auburn-educated parents in Mobile, Ala., about 225 miles away from the Auburn campus. He was an Auburn football fan and admired the Tigers' well-regarded swimming program from afar. Glass' talent as a junior swimmer attracted more than just Auburn's eye, though. He caught the attention of Texas and ultimately headed to the state capital for an official visit. "I came here because of the team,” he said. “And when you come to a place like Austin, you get the best of everything in terms of the college experience." The decision paid off for both Glass and Texas.

He earned All-American honors as a freshman at the 2014 NCAA Championships. He was a central figure in one of the most stunning performances registered by a single team in the history of the 2015 NCAA Championships, as he and five teammates reached the finals of the 100 butterfly. Glass never let up last season as a junior, as he earned All-American honors once more and helped Texas to its second straight NCAA team title and NCAA record-tying 12th overall. After winning two championships, an athlete could be satisfied with his career as it winds down. Glass, however, aims to kick-start another national title run. “The thing that's special about this team is we improve each year. We're still mad we didn't win the NCAA Championships our freshman year at our home pool.”

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 13

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

ONE OF THE BEST

VAULTING INTO THE NCAAs

TEXAS TRACK & FIELD opened its 2017 indoor season at the Texas A&M Team Invitational and came away with 11 event wins. At the conclusion of the meet, the Longhorns finished second in the men's competition and third in the women's.

Junior pole vaulter Kally Long provided the highlight of the meet putting on the best performance of her career. Long cleared two bars to set new personal bests and is tied for the national lead in her event.

Long soared over the bar at 4.42 meters (14-6.00) on her second attempt to secure the win over Baylor's Annie Rhodes, the outdoor Big 12 champion. The mark ties Long with Arkansas sophomore Victoria Weeks for the best in the NCAA so far this season. It also should solidify her a spot at the NCAA Indoor Championships, which takes the top 16 athletes qualify.

“I told myself coming into this I had a goal of 14-5,” Long said. “I exceeded that goal and remained calm through two personal records, which was good. I told myself not to get too amped up, to relax and do what's natural and it all fell into place.”

More important, Long said getting such a big mark early on relieves the pressure of trying to qualify for NCAAs. She finished 12th last year in the indoor competition and seventh outdoors.

“Now that I have my national mark, I can relax at every meet, push poles, try to jump higher and not stress," she said.

TO BE THE BEST: Courtney Okolo's achievements earned her one of track & field's most prestigious awards.

C

OURTNEY OKOLO HAD one of the best seasons in Texas track & field history in 2016. Based on her performance, she was honored with track & field’s most prestigious collegiate award, winning The Bowerman at the USTFCCCA Convention.

It was Okolo's second time as a finalist for track & field's "Heisman Trophy."

“When you see the Olympians, gold medalists and world record holders, this isn’t some small award,” Okolo said. “People who win this award are the best. I'm honored to have received it.”

Okolo is one of the best ever to wear burnt orange.

In 2016, she successfully defended her NCAA indoor title in the 400 meters. Her winning time of 50.69 seconds ranks third in collegiate history. She ran the anchor leg of the 4x400 to lead the Longhorns to victory in 3:28.27, sixth-best in collegiate history. In total, Texas has run four of the top seven times in NCAA indoor history with Okolo on the 4x400.

Okolo’s fast times and wins continued during the outdoor season.

In her outdoor debut in her signature event, Okolo shattered her own collegiate record in the 400 meters, clocking in at 49.71 seconds at the LSU Alumni Gold on April 21. She capped her outdoor season with a win at the NCAA Championships in 50.36 seconds, the No. 10 time in collegiate history. She now owns four of the top 10 times in the 400 meters outdoors.

14 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

ON A HIGH NOTE: Long tied for the national lead in the pole vault at the Texas A&M Team Invitational.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

TEXAS MISSTEP

K

ERWIN ROACH JR. had a chance at a game-tying shot that could have sent the contest against TCU into overtime.

Roach dribbled the ball for five seconds without getting a shot off. The buzzer sounded. Texas lost 64-61 at the Frank Erwin Center, marking the first time TCU has won in Austin in 30 years.

Roach and fellow sophomore guard Tevin Mack barked at each other after the final play. Roach said Mack wanted him to move the ball up for a chance at a closer shot. But the sequence was a microcosm of what has ailed the Longhorns — a struggle to close games.

“When you’re up six or eight points, those next minutes are huge — it’s critical,” head coach Shaka Smart said. “If you’re able to extend the lead, it can be demoralizing to the other team.”

Forward Jarrett Allen, who led Texas with 18 points, gave the Erwin Center hope in the final minutes of the game. The freshman scored Texas’ first points in over five minutes with 3:15 left to play and slammed home a one-handed dunk to pump life into the sparse crowd.

A layup by Roach gave Texas a 61-60 lead with 1:13 left.

TCU quickly scored on the other end, and Texas’ next possession couldn’t have gone worse. Roach missed a tough layup with the shot

Kerwin Roach Jr.

clock winding down. With 17 seconds left to play, Texas was forced to foul. TCU then took the lead, and the win.

“You’re about to kill their will and then they come back,” Roach said. “It’s frustrating.”

THIS SPREAD CLOCKWIS E FROM TOP L EFT: BETHANY WAL TER/ UNIV. OF TEXAS , BETH ANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS, PATRICK MEREDITH/ UNIV. OF TEXAS , BETHAN Y WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS, B ETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS

OUR ALL-AMERICAN

Blake Whiteley

Zach Shackelford

ZACH SHACKELFORD WAS named a Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America. Shackelford, who started nine games at center during his inaugural campaign in Austin, helped the Texas offense become one of the most improved in the country during the 2016 season.

The Longhorns finished the season just 5-7, but were 16th nationally in total offense after averaging 491.3 yards per game. Shackelford was an integral part of the offensive line that blocked for Doak Walker Award winner D’Onta Foreman, the nation's leading rusher at 184.4 yards per game. Texas finished the season ranked 17th in rushing offense (239.3), 50th in passing offense (252.0) and 46th in scoring offense (31.9).

Shackelford started the first six games of the season and nine total, sitting out three games due to injury throughout the second half of the season. He was named honorable mention All-Big 12 and also recognized by ESPN.com on the All-Big 12 Underclassmen team.

MOVING ON

JUNIOR TIGHT END Blake Whiteley announced on Twitter his plans to transfer from Texas after graduating from the university in May. “I love my team and I’ll always be a proud Longhorn," Whiteley said on Twitter. “After thinking things over with my family, I have decided to continue playing football and pursuing a master’s degree at a new university.”

Whiteley slid down the depth chart over the past two seasons after suffering an ACL injury before the 2015 season. Senior Caleb Bluiett and junior Andrew Beck played the majority of the tight end snaps this past year.

At 6’5” and 242 pounds, Whiteley entered the program as the No. 1 JUCO tight end, according to ESPN. The Vancouver, Canada native never recorded a catch with the Longhorns.

It's unclear where Whiteley plans to play football next. The Longhorns have two tight ends signed to their class of 2017.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 15

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

MAIN MAN

T

EXAS MEN'S GOLF head coach John Fields was selected as the 2017 Arnold Palmer Cup Head Coach for the U.S. team.

Fields was named 2016 Coach of the Year for the second time in his career, led the Longhorns to the National Championship in 2012 and is a Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame member. He was named the Texas head coach in 1997 and has guided Texas to six top-five finishes at the NCAA Championship, including a runner-up finish in 2016. He has produced 18 PING All-Americans at Texas for a total of 27 honors.

Current Longhorns Doug Ghim and Gavin Hall landed on the Arnold Palmer Cup ranking, released in fall 2016. The top six golfers from the final ranking in the spring from both the United States and Europe will compete in the event. The teams will be officially selected in April 2017. Ghim played for the United States in 2016.

Since its inception, 101 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have gone on to earn cards on either the PGA or European Tours and 47 have combined 173 victories on the PGA or European Tours. The United States leads the series 10-9-1.

IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT: John Fields will serve as the head coach for Team U.S.A at the 2017 Arnold Palmer Cup.

John Fields

TEXAS FRESHMAN BIANCA Turati won a pair of singles matches and was named singles co-champion at the National Collegiate Tennis Classic.

“Bianca had a vicious day of competition and showed her mettle with wins over excellent players from Stanford and USC,” Texas head coach Howard Joffe said. “She’s a co-champion of an event whose past winners include former Texas coach and Stanford legend Patty Fendick. It's a nice way for Bianca to ring in the New Year.”

Turati posted a 6-2, 7-5 win over Stanford's 67th-ranked Emma Higuchi in the singles quarterfinals before advancing via retirement in the semifinals while leading USC's Angela Kulikov, 5-4. Given the cancellation of all matches due to rain, the final round was unable to be contested in the remaining time available.

“In spite of the rain we were able to get in tough and competitive tennis," Joffe added. "Our ladies acquitted themselves well, and the highlight was Bianca's wins over fine players from Stanford and USC." 16 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

Bianca Turati

COURTESY UT ATHLETICS PHOTO GRAPHY

A STAR IS BORN

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

PATRICK MEREDITH/ UNIV. OF TEXAS

HEAD OF THE CLASS

F

TAKING ON THE WORLD

SENIORS CHLOE COLLINS and Paulina Prieto Cerame signed professional volleyball contracts and will continue their playing careers overseas.

Collins will play with IBSA CV Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands, Spain, while Prieto Cerame signed with the Las Valencianas de Juncos in Puerto Rico.

Both players graduated from Texas in December.

Collins finished her four-year Texas career with 3,687 assists, the fourth-best mark in the program's rich history. She was a two-time AllAmerican and Big 12 First Team member.

Prieto Cerame finished with 1,142.0 points, 1,005 kills, 190 digs and 216 blocks.

FRESHMAN SENSATION: Micaya White led Texas in kills, aces and points this past season.

RESHMAN MICAYA WHITE was named VolleyballMag.com Freshman of the Year, while junior Ebony Nwanebu and seniors Paulina Prieto Cerame and Chloe Collins also landed on the Division I All-American lists at the conclusion of the 2016 volleyball season.

Nwanebu was a First Team selection, Prieto Cerame and White were Second Team selections and Collins was named to the Third Team.

White becomes the third Longhorn to earn the honor after Haley Eckerman was named Freshman of the Year in 2011 and Demetria Sance in 1995. She led the Longhorns in kills, aces and points, and finished in the top three in blocks and digs. White was also named Big 12 Freshman of the Year and a First Team All-American. Her 83 blocks was Texas' second-best mark and.

IN A LEAGUE OF HER OWN: Chloe Collins signed on to play professional volleyball with IBSA CV Gran Canaria.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 17

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

D

CALENDAR FEBRUARY 2017 BASEBALL 17: vs. Quinnipiac, 6 p.m.

EC. 17 WAS a cold and windy day, but for thousands of Roadrunner fans, the weather didn’t matter. Around 5,000 fans made the trip to Albuquerque to see UTSA football play its first ever bowl game. By showing up in the masses, the Roadrunners — despite the final outcome — gave a national audience a glimpse of how far the program has come.

“It was amazing … looking up in the stands and seeing all the blue and orange,” senior running back Jarveon Williams said. “It gives you a great appreciation for this program and the direction it’s headed in.”

In the end, the game didn’t go as planned, because Jarveon Williams the New Mexico Lobos held off the Roadrunners for a 23-20 win.

UTSA got the scoring started with a field goal, but New Mexico answered with a touchdown before the end of the first quarter.

New Mexico led by as much as 10 points on two occasions in the second half. The Roadrunners’ JaBryce Taylor scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to cut the Lobos’ lead to 23-20.

But with only 25 seconds left in the game, the Roadrunners were unable to recover an onside kick, enabling the Lobos to run out the clock.

“I wouldn’t trade these fans for anything in the world,” Taylor said. “I wish I had another year to play for these fans. Every Saturday I come out here, I do it JaBryce Taylor for these fans because they give me heart and energy. To have these fans is an absolute blessing.”

After the game head coach Frank Wilson recognized the fans who made the trip to support the team.

“When you looked up and saw the sea of orange and saw our family engaged, there wasn’t anyone sitting down, it swelled my heart,” Wilson said. “We were able to mount a comeback because we drew energy from them.”

UTSA finished the 2016 season with a 6-7 record but checked one more box on the college football program checklist — playing in a bowl game.

Through the ups and downs, the Roadrunners had their beaks pointed in the right direction.

18: at Quinnipiac (DH), 1 p.m./4:15 pm 19: at Quinnipiac, 11:30 am 24: vs. Stephen F. Austin, 6 p.m.

25: vs. Stephen F. Austin, 2 p.m.

26: vs. Stephen F. Austin, 1 p.m.

28: at TX A&M-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, 6:30 p.m.

M BASKETBALL 2: vs. Middle Tennessee, 7 p.m.

4: vs. UAB, 3 p.m.

9: vs. Southern Miss., 7 p.m.

11: vs. Louisiana Tech, 3 p.m.

16: at Rice, Houston, 7 p.m.

18: at North Texas, Denton, 2 p.m.

23: at Florida International, Miami, Fla., 6 p.m.

25: at Florida Atlantic, Boca Raton, Fla., 6 p.m.

W BASKETBALL 2: at Middle Tennessee, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 6:30 p.m.

4: at UAB, Birmingham, Ala., 2 p.m.

9: at Southern Miss., Hattiesburg, Miss., 6 p.m.

11: at Louisiana Tech, Ruston, La., 1 p.m.

16: vs. Rice, 7 p.m.

18: vs. North Texas, 2 p.m.

23: vs. Florida International, 7 p.m.

25: vs. Florida Atlantic, 2 p.m.

M GOLF 17-19: All-American Intercollegiate, Humble, TBD 27-28: Louisiana Classics, Lafayette, La., TBD

W GOLF 13-14: Texas State Spring Invitational New Braunfels, TBD 19-21: Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate, New Orleans, La., TBD 27-28: The Dickson, The Woodlands, TBD

INDOOR TRACK & FIELD 3-4: Armory Invitational, New York, N.Y., TBD 10: Howie Ryan Invitational, Houston, TBD 18-19: C-USA Championships, Birmingham, Ala., TBD

SOFTBALL

BASKETBALL

11: vs. New Mexico State, 3 p.m./5:15 pm 12: vs. New Mexico State, 1 p.m.

18 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

16: vs. Baylor, Waco, 6 p.m.

17: vs. Lamar, Waco, 12:30 pm 18: vs. Grand Canyon, Waco, 12:30 pm 19: vs. Baylor, Waco, 1 p.m.

22: at Sam Houston, Huntsville, 3 p.m./5:15 pm 24: vs. New Mexico, 3 p.m.

24: vs. Incarnate Word, 5:30 p.m.

25: vs. New Mexico, 3 p.m.

25: vs. Texas State, 5:30 p.m.

26: vs. Incarnate Word, 12:30 pm

Jeff Beverly

COURTESY JEF F HUEH N, UTS A ATH LETICS

JEFF BEVERLY PICKED up his first double-double with career highs of 29 points and 10 rebounds as UTSA pushed its home winning streak to eight games with a 68-63 victory against Florida Atlantic on Jan. 12.

Coming off a 27-point outing at Louisiana Tech, Beverly went 12for-23 from the floor to pace the Roadrunners, who are off to their best-ever start in Conference USA play. Reigning C-USA Freshman of the Week Giovanni De Nicolao added 12 points, nine of which came in the second half, and Gino Littles finished with 11 points, including a big 3-pointer in the closing minutes.

UTSA scored 32 points in the paint, pulled down 39 rebounds and committed a season-low eight turnovers. The home squad also finished with 15 offensive rebounds, which led to 16 second-chance points.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

RISING STARS

T

COURTESY UTA ATHLETICS

EAMS THAT PLAY like UT Arlington sometimes can’t be ignored. The men’s basketball team stumbled a bit at the start of the season, but thanks in large part to victories at Texas and then-No. 12 Saint Mary’s, the preseason Sun Belt Conference favorites rose to No. 2 in the country according to the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. UTA, trailing only Gonzaga, is ranked sixth in the MidMajorMadness.com Power Rankings.

Kaelon Wilson and Head coach Scott Cross is Nathan Hawkins the first to point out that such rankings mean nothing when it comes to determining the outcome of future games, but he said the increased attention is hugely beneficial to the program as far as recruiting and growth of the fan base. “[The ranking] is huge for the program," Cross said. "Anytime we can show our program is comparable to teams such as Gonzaga and Wichita State is a positive. It helps raise the profile of the program in recruiting and it should excite our fans and help continue to build our base of support.

"For the players, seeing their hard work acknowledged helps them become more confident every time they step out on the floor,” he added. “The rankings validate that we have a good basketball team and that we are capable of being successful against anyone we play."

One reason for the Mavericks’ success is their stiff defense at the 3-point line, where UTA ranks first in the nation, allowing opponents to just .292 shooting from long range; only three opponents have shot as well as .300 from behind the arc against UTA all season.

CALENDAR FEBRUARY 2017 W TENNIS

TRACK & FIELD

1: vs. Princeton, 2 p.m.

19-10: Dunamis College Classic, Frisco, All Day

5: vs. UT Rio Grande Valley, 10 a.m.

20-21: Sun Belt Conference Indoor

17: vs. Oral Roberts, 10 a.m.

Championships, Birmingham, Ala., All Day

17: vs. Prairie View A&M, 2 p.m.

19: vs. Iowa, 11 a.m.

SOFTBALL

24: vs. Stephen F. Austin, 2 p.m.

10: vs. UC Riverside, Tempe, Ariz., 3:30 p.m.

26: vs. New Mexico State, 11 a.m.

10: vs. New Mexico, Tempe, Ariz., 7 p.m.

11: vs. Saint Mary’s, Tempe, Ariz., 12:45 p.m.

M TENNIS

11: vs. Arizona State, Tempe, Ariz., 5:30 p.m.

1: at Abilene Christian University,

11: vs. Utah, Tempe, Ariz., 12:45 p.m.

Abilene, 6 p.m..

17: vs. Southeast Missouri State, Hammond,

4: vs. UAB, 3 p.m.

La., 3 p.m.

4: vs. Cameron, 10 a.m.

17: vs. Southeastern Louisiana, Hammond,

4: vs. Seminole, 2 p.m.

La., 5 p.m.

10: vs. Incarnate Word, 2 p.m.

18: vs. Buffalo, Hammond, La., 11 a.m.

12: vs. New Mexico State, 11 a.m.

18: vs. Middle Tennessee State, Hammond,

16: vs. Texas A&M Corpus Christi, 11 a.m.

La., 1 p.m.

18: vs. Sacramento State, 2 p.m.

19: vs. Morehead State, Hammond, La., 9 a.m.

19: vs. Oral Roberts, 10 a.m.

24: vs. Nicholls, 3 p.m.

19: vs. Prairie View A&M, 2 p.m.

24: vs. Wichita State, 5:30 p.m.

23: vs. SMU, TBA

25: vs. UMKC, 12:30 p.m.

25: at Baylor, Waco, TBA

25: vs. Nicholls, 5:30 p.m.

26: vs. UMKC, 11 a.m.

W BASKETBALL

28: vs. Saint Francis PA., 3 p.m./ 5 p.m.

4: vs. Texas State, 2 p.m.

9: vs. Little Rock, 11:30 a.m.

BASEBALL

10: vs. Arkansas State, 2 p.m.

17: vs. SEMO, Nacogdoches, 2:30 p.m.

16: at Georgia Southern, Statesboro,

18: at Stephen F. Austin, Nacogdoches, 11 a.m.

Ga., 6 p.m.

18: vs. SEMO, Nacogdoches, 2:30 p.m.

18: at Georgia State, Atlanta, Ga., 11 a.m.

19: at Stephen F. Austin, Nacogdoches, 2:30

23: vs. Troy, 7 p.m.

p.m.

25: vs. South Alabama, 2 p.m.

21: vs. TCU, 6:30 p.m.

24: vs. Louisiana Tech, 6:30 p.m.

M BASKETBALL

25: vs. Louisiana Tech, 2 p.m.

4: vs. Texas State, 4:30 p.m.

26: vs. Louisiana Tech, 1 p.m.

10: vs. Arkansas State, 4:30 p.m.

28: vs. Dallas Baptist, 6:30 p.m.

13: vs. Little Rock, 8 p.m.

18: at Georgia State, Atlanta, Ga., 1:15 p.m.

M GOLF

20: at Georgia Southern, Statesboro, Ga., 6 p.m.

17-19: Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate,

25: vs. South Alabama, 4:30 p.m.

Palm Desert, Calif., All Day

27: vs. Troy, 7 p.m.

27-28: Louisiana Classic, Lafayette, La., All Day

VOLLEYBALL

GOLF

UT ARLINGTON ATHLETIC DIRECTOR Jim Baker started a national search for a new volleyball head coach after Diane Seymour retired after three decades.

“We’re excited about our search for a new head volleyball coach,” Baker said.

“Diane has been a fixture in our program over 30 years and we’re grateful for her unyielding dedication and tireless work ethic. UTA has a rich volleyball history, and combined with having one of the top facilities in the nation, we’re looking forward to finding the right person to lead our program.”

Under Seymour, UTA reached the NCAA Tournament eight times, advancing all the way to the national semifinals in

SIX STUDENT-ATHLETES signed national letter of intents to play golf at UT Arlington this winter, including Paul Gonzalez of Waxahachie, Texas, and Jacob Massengale of Montgomery, Texas.

Gonzalez won the district championship as a junior, earning Second-Team All-State and First-Team All-Region honors in the process.

Massengale earned Second-Team All-District honors. His grandfather, Rik Massengale, played on the PGA Tour from 1970-82.

Entering its second season, the UTA women’s program added Sydney Garber of Rockwall, Texas; Ava Schwienteck of Magnolia, Texas; Kate Tran of Arlington (Martin), Texas; and Madigan Murray of McKinney (Boyd), Texas.

Diane Seymour

1989, and claimed 12 regular-season league championships, including nine in the Southland Conference.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 19

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

T

HE TEXAS LONESTARS are a relatively young organization, especially when you take into account that the University of Texas is nearing 134 years of age. Nevertheless, the Lonestars are already leaving their mark on the community.

The Lonestars were founded in 2000 by a group of women in search of a place within the large Texas student body. They centered the organization on pillars of service, spirit and sisterhood.

The tagline “Come early, stay late, be loud, join Texas Lonestars” embodies the organization’s pillar based on spirit. The Lonestars pride themselves on their school spirit and support student-athletes across all sports and activities.

“As Lonestars we pride ourselves on supporting every sport on campus,” President Darby Smith said. “Whether it’s football, basketball, quidditch, rowing or a Longhorn singers’ event, we do our best to support as many of our fellow Longhorns as possible!”

Throughout the football and baseball seasons, the Lonestars host multiple tailgates before and after games, as well as “Star Nights” events at significant Texas athletic events.

The main philanthropy of the Texas Lonestars is Project Princess, a non profit organization that sends underprivileged girls to their high school proms. The organization provides dresses, shoes and accessories to make each girl’s prom experience memorable.

The Lonestars started Project Princess in 2002. It is operated and managed by its members.

“Lonestars is set apart from the other spirit groups on campus because we have our own registered nonprofit called Project Princess,” Brenda Ta, the Project Princess director, said. “Prom can be expensive, but we believe every girl should be able to feel like a princess.”

In addition to Project Princess, the Lonestars uphold their service pillar by giving back to the Austin community throughout the year. The Lonestars’ service work includes time with the Austin Animal Center, Texas THON, PALS and Feed My People.

Each year the Lonestars participate in several social events with other organizations to uphold the pillar of sisterhood. Sisterhood Retreats, Destination Unknown, Summer Boat Barge and a winter formal are just a handful of events that give members an opportunity to bond.

“I joined Lonestars because I immediately fell in love with the girls who were a part of the organization,” Smith said. “Everyone was so unique, yet got along so well as a group, and I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.”

20 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

P.J. TUCKER CAME to the 40 Acres from Raleigh, N.C., where he attended William G. Enloe High School.

Tucker immediately shined at Texas, earning a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team in 2004 during his first year.

Over the course of his Texas career, Tucker scored 1,169 points, collected 714 rebounds and dished out 170 assists. He also swiped 116 steals.

The 2005-06 season was the best of his career.

He scored 594 points that season and was named a Second-Team All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year.

Despite his success in college, Tucker, who stands at 6-foot-6, fell to the second round of the NBA Draft due to concerns about his lack of size as a forward. The Toronto Raptors selected Tucker with the 35th overall pick in the 2006 draft.

Tucker signed a two-year deal with the Canadian team but went back and forth between the Association and Toronto’s D-League affiliate the Colorado 14ers. In March 2007, he was waived by the Raptors.

Tucker decided to continue his basketball career overseas, where he joined the Hapoel Holon — a team in the Israeli Premier League — for the 200708 season. He ended the campaign as the league’s MVP and helped his team win the championship by defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv, a team that had won the league championship the last 14 years.

The next season Tucker played basketball in Ukraine, where he was named one of the all-stars of the league. In the following years he hopped around different teams in the European leagues, including teams in Italy and Germany.

In summer of 2012, Tucker returned to the NBA and joined the Phoenix Suns’ summer league team. In August, he signed a two-year deal with Phoenix.

Tucker shined in the NBA and in late December was rewarded his first start against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Tucker is now a regular starter for the Suns at the age of 31.

COURTESY COU RTES Y L ONESTARS , UT ATH LETICS PHO TOGRAPHY

TEXAS LONESTARS

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

ROCK SOLID

BIMAGE GIVES ORLANDO'S DEFENSE ANOTHER VERSATILE LINEBACKER

COURTESY 247S PORTS

W

HEN TOM HERMAN took the job as the Texas head football coach, he walked into a wealth of talent at the linebacker position. However, figuring out how to put all of the pieces in the right place is up to new defensive coordinator Todd Orlando.

The Longhorns added a talented piece to the mix on Jan. 6 when Brenham’s Marqez Bimage committed to Texas. The 6-foot-3, 233-pound former Houston commit is another long, lean and athletic body Orlando can unleash on Big 12 offenses in 2017.

Bimage is a violent player with a motor and brings plenty of speed to the field. His senior season at Brenham was spent playing with his hand on the ground, which he could do at Texas, but he’s a perfect fit to be an outside linebacker in Orlando’s defense.

What stands out about Bimage — and something Herman’s staff probably liked about him when they targeted him at Houston — is his work ethic.

Brenham head coach Glen West recently said that the Cubs coaches challenged Bimage following his junior season to live in the weight room, eat right and take care of his body in order to add the bulk necessary to play at the next level.

The result? Bimage showed up for his senior season around 30 pounds heavier than he was the previous year — a weight gain that didn’t come at the expense of athleticism or explosiveness since he attacked the plan the coaches laid out for him to follow.

Bimage was a difference maker from his defensive end spot for the Cubs. He has plenty of highlight clips from Brenham’s game against Houston Episcopal where he got the best of Walker Little, the Stanford commit who’s in the mix to be the nation’s top 2017 prospect.

In Orlando’s defense, Bimage is likely to play opposite of the rush linebacker. Malik Jefferson could occupy that spot in 2017. Regardless, the staff is also interested in adding four-star Under Armour AllAmerican defender K’Lavon Chaisson from Galena Park North Shore to pair with Bimage in this recruiting cycle.

Like Erick Fowler, Jeffrey McCulloch and Malcolm Roach, Bimage has the ability to play multiple linebacker positions. In a 3-4 that will utilize multiple fronts, those three linebackers (and Roach, depending on where his body goes) have the body types and the skill sets to give Orlando a plethora of options when it comes to what looks he can show and what blitzes he can dial up.

Bimage was a big get for Texas. He still has room to grow, but based on tape and what the Brenham staff has said about him, he’s the kind of talent Herman and Orlando used to field one of the nation’s best defenses at Houston.

Bimage could bring that same type of versatility and dynamic playmaking ability to the Longhorn defense, which Orlando is looking to revive into a unit capable of helping Texas compete for the Big 12 crown in short order.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 21

SOCIAL BUZZ Texas Football Fans.... y'all gotta get on the Swimming and Diving train!

— Ricky Berens (@RickyBerens)

DID YOU KNOW?

The more I hear from Tom Herman, the more I like. He’s bringing in all the important elements of success — the history and rich past combined with close ties to Texas high schools, but is constantly thinking ahead strategically to make things better.

The respect and praise Coach Herman has for Darrell K Royal and Mack Brown and the University of Texas is humbling. His vision and thinking for bringing Texas back to the national stage is refreshing and as the pieces fall into place, the future for Texas football is looking brighter Hook ’em Coach Herman.

143K FACEBOOK LIKES /hornsillustrated

Congrats to Coach Fields on another Dave Williams award (coach of the year). I could not have asked for a better man as a mentor at Texas!

— Beau Hossler (@beauhossler)

Our “Reach” was over

1 MILLION during the week of 9/7 - 9/14 Averaged over

60K VISITS PER DAY OVER 80K POST CLICKS

"What impresses me most is watching athletes do things I can't" I'm waiting on my & jersey — Emmanuel Acho (@thEMANacho)

1300+

INSTAGRAM followers Horns_Illustrated

2500+

Views on the YouTube Channel last month

"Limits, like fears, are often just an illusion."Michael Jordan. The final fight. Proud to be a Longhorn today, and always.

— Pauline Prieto Cerame (@PaulinaPrieto_9)

hornsillustrated.com/

It's Tom Herman time and OU still sucks.

Everyone needs to remember this before bashing Tim Beck. He ran Urban Meyer's offense at Ohio state meaning that he didn't get to actually call the plays during the game. If you have any faith in your new head coach then have faith that he got the right man for the job. The new Texas offense will be more explosive than it’s been in 10 plus years. Tim Beck is an elite football coach and an elite recruiter.

This guy [Tom Herman] has something about him that says he's ready to be the head coach of a program this size.

22 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

HAS OVER 120K FANS IN TEXAS READ BY FANS IN 152 COUNTRIES IN 2014

Nothing official but big news out of Brenham of a new game changing flavor announcement just went down #GetSome #TexasFight — @Coach_Naivar

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

Loved running into fellow Longhorns in the streets of Jerusalem today!

— @kevinhelgren

Today I gave my business card out to someone that wasn't a friend or my parents.

— Kat Brooks (@KatBrooks6)

My pops already out here making moves! Welcome home @CoachTomHerman — @jrlaTX

There's no better team than @TexasVolleyball to cheer for! Congrats on an incredible season.

— @LonghornPepBand

CLOCKWIS E FRO M TOP RIGH T: ALL TW ITTER PHOTOS COURTES Y TW ITTER.COM, ALL OTHER PHOTOS COURTESY INSTAGRAM.COM AND RESPECTIVE PHOTO GRAPHERS.

New coach. Fresh start. The 2017 football season can’t come soon enough. Here’s what Longhorn fans are saying about the new football coaching staff.

JOHNNY WALKER REVIEW FORMER LONGHORN JOHNNY WALKER DISCUSSES TOM HERMAN AND THE NEW TEXAS OFFENSE

JOHNNY WALKER'S RESUME • Played football and baseball at Texas from 1987 to 1990 • Two-time All-Southwest Conference • Caught the game-winning reception to beat Oklahoma in 1989 • Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 1990 (4th round)

JIM S IGM ON/UNIV. OF TEXAS

“

STRONG LEFT HERMAN IN A GOOD POSITION WHERE HE DOESN’T HAVE TO PUT ALL HIS FOCUS ON A TOTAL REBOOT OF THE PROGRAM. THE TALENT IS THERE, HERMAN JUST HAS TO GET EVERYONE ON THE SAME PAGE.

”

UNDER THE GUN: According to Walker, Tom Herman has to not only win games, but also continue developing the players.

Horns Illustrated: Tell me your initial thoughts of Tom Herman’s opening press conference.

Johnny Walker: Charlie Strong did a phenomenal job of changing the Texas culture by bringing in guys that were concerned with being successful both on and off the field. He also brought in an abundance of talent, something that was lacking when he arrived. Herman needs to continue down the path that Strong established by bringing in players that handle themselves with class and respect, both on and off the field.

Of course the most important thing is getting results on the football field by winning games — that’s what everyone wants to see.

HI: How important is it for Herman to unify the entire team?

JW: Herman is business-oriented and well versed in marketing himself and his ideals. One of his gifts is utilizing social media and connecting with people. He’s said all the right things and made all the right moves thus far. He’s definitely taking us in the right direction.

HI: Herman’s offenses are known for the quarterback run. Will Herman adapt his offense to fit Shane Buechele’s skill set or will Jerrod Heard move back to the quarterback position?

JW: I could see Herman utilizing Heard as a quarterback and receiver in his offense. However, I wouldn’t go to sleep on Shane Buechele. Having a full year under his belt and putting on extra weight will help. He was thrown into the fire [as a true freshman]. Now he has the opportunity to utilize more of his skill set. Shane’s a good runner — he definitely showed flashes of that during the season — he’s just a little small. He might not be able to use his legs at the level of a J.T. Barrett or Greg Ward Jr., but his legs are still valuable.

HI: Herman talked about upgrading the football facilities to put Texas on par with other Power 5 programs. How important are those upgrades?

JW: Regardless of all the shiny new toys Texas is able to buy, if it doesn’t translate to the football field and result in wins, it doesn’t do the University any good. Strong left Herman in a good position where he doesn’t have to put all his focus on a total reboot of the program. The talent is there, Herman just has to get everyone on the same page.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 23

MEET THE T-ASSOCIATION The T-Association is an organization made up of former varsity athletics letter winners. An additional designation for the T-Association members is the T-Ring, which is awarded to an athlete who lettered for 2 or more years, who did not compete the last 2 years of eligibility anywhere other than The University of Texas and who graduated from college.

David McWilliams, former Longhorn head football coach, currently serves as the executive director for the T-Association.

T-Association Mission - The T-Association’s mission is to create and maintain an enhanced atmosphere and structure whereby UT student-athletes become lifetime members of The University of Texas Athletics family and are welcomed, involved and encouraged to participate during and after their college tenure.

TAPN Mission - The Letter Winner’s Professional Network exists to unite the members of the T-Association on a professional level by providing networking opportunities and a database of contacts, thereby furthering the opportunities, community, education and success of Longhorn Letter Winners.

PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS

CONTACT INFORMATION: t-association@athletics.utexas.edu 512.471.6864

THE HABE ON THE HORNS

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE? TEXAS NEEDS TO OVERCOME A TOUGH CONFERENCE SCHEDULE BEFORE SETTING ITS SIGHTS ON THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

T

HE LOFTY EXPECTATIONS placed on the extremely inexperienced Texas men’s basketball team at the beginning of the 2016-17 season were, perhaps, more hopeful than realistic.

The first two and a half months of the season proved that the Longhorns have the desire to compete with — and beat — just about anyone, but don’t yet have the proficiency to do so on a game-to-game basis.

Texas began the season ranked in the top 25, but by the time it hit the daunting Big 12 Conference campaign, the team looked like a bunch of good players trying to find their legs while struggling to a break-even mark.

The Longhorns started league play on the road against Kansas State and lost. They then returned home and outlasted an Oklahoma State team that did just about everything wrong for 33 minutes of the 40-minute game.

In the latter contest, Texas had strong performances from its trio of sophomore standouts — swingman Tevin Mack (who unfortunately was suspended indefinitely) and guards Eric Davis Jr. and Kerwin Roach Jr. — while playing most of the game without an upperclassman on the floor.

As the super sophs go, the Longhorns will go; the remaining guys (with a slight apology to freshman post player Jarrett Allen and first-year point guard Andrew Jones) are the meat of a team that’s lean on moxie but not resolve.

“Last year, the team had the luxury of a lot of older guys,” Texas coach Shaka Smart said.

“But even last year, when at least two of those guys played well, we almost always won. [The Oklahoma State game was] the first time when all three sophomores played at a high level and we needed that.”

Smart said the team still suffers from some anxiety and tension, and likely will continue to do so because of an overemphasis on results.

“That's the world we live in and what's on the stat sheet,” Smart said. “But there's no anxiety in

Kerwin Roach Jr.

the process. There's no tension in the process. It's a matter of having a level of trust. If we do things the way we say that we're going to do, as an individual or as a team, then it will work out. We have to make sure we're doing that more consistently, no matter what the scoreboard says.”

Given the overall strength of the Big 12 (as of this writing No. 2 Baylor is undefeated, league powerhouse Kansas is ranked third in the Associated Press poll and West Virginia is at No. 7), it would be unrealistic to assume that the Longhorns can win the conference or even forge a 9-9 record in the Big 12.

Texas is talented and well coached, but a berth in the NCAA tournament might be a bridge too far. Expect the Longhorns to be in about every conference game and even pull an upset or two along the way to securing eight conference victories.

But the Longhorns are coming and the future of Texas basketball is bright on the 40 Acres. In the long run, Texas’ youth will not be wasted on the young.

Just sayin’, ya know?

The Habe is Steve Habel, Horns Illustrated’s senior editor. He was the magazine’s first staff member in 1994 and has covered Texas sports ever since.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 25

ORANGE

CRUSHED STANFORD OUTLASTS TEXAS IN FOUR SETS TO WIN THE NCAA TITLE

T TOO MUCH TO HANDLE: Ebony Nwanebu and Morgan Johnson, with the rest of the Texas volleyball team, couldn't find a way to stop Stanford.

HE TEXAS VOLLEYBALL team forged a berth in this year’s national championship match by improving throughout the season, as well as showing more talent and physicality than its first five opponents in the NCAA tournament.

But the dream of winning it all died when Texas ran into Stanford, an opponent that was too tough to handle. The Cardinal, riding the 18 kills of Amanda Plummer and a redwood-like line of defense, Kathryn beat Texas 25-21, 25-19, 18-25, 25-21 on Dec. 17 before a capacity crowd of 17,345 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The win marked Stanford’s record-tying seventh title and first in 12 years.

The Longhorns, who fought valiantly, came up short in the final match for the second straight season. Many were surprised that Texas even got this far, but the Longhorns expected to win, especially after dominating top-ranked (and nemesis) Nebraska in a three-set sweep.

“We didn’t take care of first contacts early on and our setting locations were off in the first game,” Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott said. “It was difficult for us to get going so we had to change some things. We became a lot more predictable.

“I’m proud of the way this group fought,” he added. “In late October, I don’t think anyone thought we would be in the finals. We did a lot that was unexpected to get here.”

Inky Ajanaku (who was voted the tournament's most valuable player) and Audriana Fitzmorris added 16 and 10 kills, respectively, for the Cardinal (27-7) while Jenna Gray distributed 51 assists and Morgan Hentz pulled up 27 digs.

Micaya White led Texas (27-5) with 17 kills. Ebony Nwanebu added 16 kills and Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani had 11 while playing half of the match out of position. Chloe Collins directed 46 assists and Autumn Rounsaville paced the Longhorns with 18 digs. White and Nwanebu earned NCAA all-tournament honors.

“We tried to hit high hands against their blocks and make them move around,” White explained. “We had some success but not enough. This was an up-and-down season, but we came together and got stronger as we went on. Now we need to go back to work and find a way to take the next step forward.”

Texas led early 9-4 but Stanford responded with a run of its own to surge to the front at 14-12. The Longhorns then scored three straight points, the final two on kills by White and Nwanebu, to take a 15-14 lead.

Texas eventually assumed a 19-17 lead but the Cardinal rushed back, forging a 6-2 mark. Stanford then won the first set at 25-21 as Ajanaku had two kills and a combo block with Ivana Vanjak.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 27

Orie Agbaji

Morgan Johnson (left) and Micaya White (right)

Paulina Prieto Cerame

Ebony Nwanebu

Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani 28 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

Chloe Collins

Morgan Johnson

Stanford outhit Texas .216-182 in the first set. After having just eight hitting errors in the semifinal win over top-ranked Nebraska, the Longhorns had six in the first set against Stanford, all by usually reliable Paulina Prieto Cerame.

Texas fought back from a 12-7 deficit in set two to take a 15-14 lead on the strength of three kills and a block from White and two kills from Nwanebu. A service error by White and a kill attempt by Morgan Johnson that never made it over the net allowed Stanford to tie the set. The Cardinal continued on to win the next five points as part of a 7-0 run to take control. Fitzmorris and Plummer each had three kills on the spurt.

When the Longhorns were called for a net violation on set point, Stanford won 2519 and went to intermission with a 2-0 lead in sets. The Cardinal held a .366-.206 advantage on hitting in the second set and a .295-.192 hitting edge in the first two sets combined.

The Longhorns, desperate to turn the tide to start the third set, inserted freshman Orie Agbaji to the middle blocker position and moved Bedart-Ghani to the outside left from her normal spot at middle blocker. The change forced the Cardinal to adjust, and it did (it is Stanford, after all) and the score eventually was knotted 6-6.

Texas, energized by the change and the thought of being swept, built a 16-10 lead.

That advantage grew to 21-13 on a kill from the middle of the court by White and another

by Nwanebu. Stanford cut the lead to 21-16 before Elliott called a timeout to try to ebb the Cardinal’s run, and it worked as Bedart-Ghani set the Longhorns back on course with a kill.

Two kills by Nwanebu garnered Texas a 25-18 third-set victory.

Whatever flame of hope the Longhorns gained from the third set was reduced to a

ALL PHO TOS IN TH IS ARTICLE: PATRICK M EREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS

flicker by Stanford when it won the first six points of the fourth set. Texas fought back to 13-8 on a kill by Johnson, but 6-foot-8 defensive specialist Merete Lutz ripped a kill on a severe angle to put the Cardinal back in control.

“After winning the way we did in the third set, we let up in the fourth set and they took advantage of it,” Nwanebu said. “We never panicked but we got too far behind. I will be hungry to do whatever I can do for us to win a championship next year — it’s my last chance.”

The Longhorns wouldn’t go away quietly, cutting the Stanford lead to 20-16, but two straight points by the Cardinal put Texas into dire straits. At set point at 24-19, Texas made one last run; Plummer’s 18th kill of the night bounced off two Longhorns blockers and out of bounds, granting the Cardinal the national championship.

DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK For the 2016 college volleyball season, the Texas Longhorns were considered overachievers for their superlative campaign leading up to the national title match.

But in the days after the loss, Elliott expressed his thoughts on the Longhorns’ second straight championship defeat.

“I’m devastated that we didn’t win this because we came in believing we could get it done,” Elliott said. “It stinks going home with the silver or bronze medal. We’re ready to take the next step forward and we have the talent to do that.”

Nebraska swept the Longhorns in last year’s finale and Texas earned runner-up status.

Texas has made five straight trips to the NCAA Final Four but has not won a championship since 2012.

So what will it take to get the win that’s eluded the Longhorns these past two years?

“Now everyone on the team knows how it feels to make it to this point and not get the result we want,” Johnson said. “Everyone will have the same drive and hunger for a championship.”

Fourteen of the 17 players on Texas’ championship game roster were underclassmen.

White and Nwanebu led the team with 479 and 423 kills this season, respectively, and both outside hitters were first-team honorees on the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s All-American team. Johnson, who was second in the conference this year in blocks, will be even better in the middle next season, while Bedart-Ghani will likely move back to the outside to fill the hole left by senior Prieto Cerame.

The Longhorns will continue to be stout on the back line with libero Cat McCoy and defensive specialist Rounsaville leading the team and keeping the ball off the floor.

The likely return of middle blocker Chiaka

Ogbogu, who was sidelined by academic issues this season, will be the equivalent of adding a three-time All-American middle blocker to the Texas front line.

“The places where we were vulnerable this season will be addressed and fixed with the experience we gained and with our additions,” Elliott said. “Our backcourt will be better and our blocking can improve. It’s my job to create the chemistry and unity to make that happen because, on paper, it’s going to be one of our best teams.”

Texas has corralled a four-player signing class that’s highlighted by three of the nation’s top six prospects — outside hitter Lexi Sun (ranked first), middle blocker Brionne Butler (second) and Ashley Shook (sixth).

Of those three, Shook, a setter, will likely have an early impact on the Longhorns because of Texas’ dearth at that position.

Shook will join freshman Riley Fisbeck as the only setters on the roster.

Coming into the 2017 season, everyone wearing the burnt orange and white will be hungry to take the next step.

“I have one more season to win a championship,” Nwanebu said. “I know Caya [White] said in the locker room that all of us need to work our butts off to get to this point next year and have a different outcome, and I’m going to do everything in my power to do that.”

I’m devastated that we didn’t win this because we came in believing we could get it done; It stinks going home with the silver or bronze medal. We’re ready to take the next step forward and we have the talent to do that.

- Head Coach Jerritt Elliott

WHATEVER IT TAKES: Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani had 11 kills even though she played the majority of the match out of position.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 29

and

LOCKED LOADED

N

HERMAN ASSEMBLES A BLUE-RIBBON STAFF PREPARED TO CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF THE TEXAS PROGRAM

EW TEXAS FOOTBALL coach Tom Herman took more than six weeks to put together the coaching staff he believes will help return the Longhorns to the upper echelon of college football. Herman completed his quest on Jan. 4, just in time for the coaches to come together before players report for the spring semester.

Herman pulled a coach from the NFL, several from his Houston staff and reached back into his stints at Ohio State, Iowa State, Rice and Texas State for the rest. As a group, the new Longhorn staff has 108 years of combined recruiting prowess in the state of Texas and 17 years of head coaching experience.

“I’m excited about the staff we put together,” Herman said. “We were given the opportunity to go and get any coach in the country for this staff. The guys we went after had to fit into what we wanted to do — these are not hired guns.

“My job is to coach the coaches and to disseminate our culture,” he added. “I have to be able to trust that the guys in our nine position rooms are working together and with me to get done what we need to get done.”

Here’s some insight on each of the new assistant coaches who make up the Texas staff, with a comment from each on why he wanted to come to, or come back to, the 40 Acres.

The rushing attack was also in the top 15 in the country, ranking 12th at 245.2 yards per game, which led the Big Ten, while the team's completion percentage (62.3 percent) also led the conference and ranked 24th in the nation.

Beck went to Ohio State after working seven years at Nebraska, four as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2011-14) and three as running backs coach (2008-10). Nebraska won nine games or more during each of Beck's seven seasons on staff, and the team advanced to the 2012 Big Ten and 2010 Big 12 championship games, along with seven bowl games.

He was named a nominee for the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant coach in both 2012 and 2013.

Beck's time at Kansas came on the heels of his two high school head coaching positions in the state of Texas at R.L. Turner High School and Mansfield Summit. He also was the head coach at Saguaro High School

in Scottsdale, Ariz., from 1993-95.

His high school accomplishments include leading Summit to the state playoffs,Turner to back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time in 35 years, and Saguaro to the 1995 4A State Championship. He was the 2003 Dallas Fort Worth District Coach of the Year while at Summit, and the 2000 District Coach of the Year while at Turner.

Beck started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Miramar (Fla.) High School for the 1988 and 1989 seasons and then moved to Illinois State as outside linebackers and punters coach in 1990.

He then spent two seasons on Bill Snyder's Kansas State staff (1991-92) as a graduate assistant.

In between his time as a high school coach in Arizona and Texas, Beck spent three years at Missouri State, where he was the offensive coordinator from 1996-98.

Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Beck has a 29-year coaching resume that includes 18 seasons in the collegiate ranks, another 11 seasons in high school and nine years as a head coach. He returns to the state of Texas after spending the past two seasons as Ohio State's co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

With Beck, Ohio State featured one of the top offenses in the nation in 2016 en route to an 11-2 record and an appearance in the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes ranked 14th in the FBS in scoring offense with an average of 39.4 points per game, while their 512 total points was the thirdhighest single-season total in school history.

30 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

Tim Beck

ALL PHO TOS IN TH IS ARTICLE COURTESY UH ATHL ETICS

TIM BECK

“I can't say enough about what joining the staff at Texas and representing this state means to me,” Beck said. “There are so many unbelievable high school coaches here. The great thing is having coached high school football here, once you're a part of that circle, you'll always be a part of it. There's a special bond with Texas high school coaches and I'm thrilled to be back here and humbled by the opportunity to be representing all of them.”

TODD ORLANDO

Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers During his 23-year coaching career, Orlando has served as a defensive coordinator at UConn (2005-10), Florida International (2011-12), Utah State (201314) and Houston for the past two seasons under Herman.

In Orlando's two years at Utah State, the Aggies' defense ranked among the nation's best in scoring defense (12th in 2014 at 19.7 ppg, and seventh in 2013 at 17.1 ppg) and turnovers forced with 59 over two seasons. The 59 turnovers was the nation's eighth-best twoyear total. The Aggies' defense also ranked 10th nationally in 2014 with 30 turnovers.

The Utah State defense was fourth with 49 sacks in 2014 and second in tackles for loss with 114 as the Aggies advanced to back-toback bowl games during Orlando's tenure.

Prior to Utah State, Orlando spent two years as the defensive coordinator at Florida International (2011-12), helping the Panthers reach the 2011 Beef ‘O’ Brady's Bowl.

Orlando went to Florida International after a 12-year stint at Connecticut, including six seasons (2005-10) as the defensive coordinator. In 2010, Orlando's defense helped the Huskies capture the Big East Championship and play in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Before Connecticut, Orlando spent three seasons as the linebackers coach at the University of Pennsylvania. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., he began his coaching career as defensive coordinator at Central Catholic High School (1994) and Fox Chapel Area High School (1995) in Pennsylvania.

Orlando was a three-year letterwinner at inside linebacker at Wisconsin and a member of the 1994 Big Ten Championship team that defeated UCLA in the Badgers' first Rose Bowl appearance since 1963.

“It's a great opportunity to get back with coach Herman and the defensive staff,” Orlando said. “Our defense is going to be multiple — it's an attack kind of mode. It is player friendly in terms of the concepts, and it's very learnable. To have some of the athletes that I know we’re going to have will be exciting.”

Todd Orlando

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 31

STAN DRAYTON

Associate Head Coach/Run-Game Coordinator/Running Backs Drayton, who has both collegiate national championship and NFL experience during his 24-year career, previously worked on the same staff as Herman for three seasons at Ohio State (2012-14). He was also part of the staffs at Florida and Ohio State as running backs coach under Urban Meyer. He spent the past two years (2015-16) with the Chicago Bears, where his pupil, rookie Jordan Howard, set the Bears' single-season rookie rushing record with 1,313 yards, breaking the previous mark held

by Matt Forte despite having only 12 carries in the team's first three games.

The mark was also the second-best rushing total of any player in the NFL regular season, trailing only Ezekiel Elliott (1,631), who was coached by Drayton at Ohio State.

Another of Drayton's Buckeye protégés, Carlos Hyde, finished 14th in the league with 988 rushing yards. After working with Drayton, Elliott went on to be the fourth overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, while Hyde was a second-round selection by the San Francisco 49ers in 2014.

Drayton spent four seasons (2011-14) at Ohio State, with the final two as assistant head coach on offense and as the running backs coach. He worked three years with the Buckeye running backs after working with the wide receivers in 2011. In 2014,

Stan Drayton

Drayton helped the Buckeyes win the National Championship as Elliott, who was a sophomore, finished third in the nation and second in single-season school history with 1,878 rushing yards.

Prior to his time at Ohio State, Drayton spent the 2010 season as the running backs coach/recruiting coordinator at the University of Florida, his second stint at the school after serving as the Gators' running backs coach from 2005-07. In 2006, Florida won the BCS National Championship and averaged 160 rushing yards per game.

During his coaching career, Drayton has also served as running backs coach at Syracuse (2009), Tennessee (2008), Mississippi State (2004), Bowling Green (2000, also serving as special teams coach), Villanova (1996-99), Pennsylvania (1995, assistant running backs/ director of football operations) and his alma mater Allegheny (Pa.) College (1993).

He has also served as a graduate assistant at Eastern Michigan (1994) and offensive quality control coach/special teams of the Green Bay Packers (2001-03).

“Anytime you have a chance to play or coach at a place like Texas, you have to jump on board,” Drayton said. “From the time I started playing and coaching I've always been impressed by the pride and tradition of Longhorn football. It's always one of the premier jobs in the country and an unbelievable opportunity.

“Working with Tom as a head coach makes 32 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

it even more appealing,” Drayton added. “I love him, his family and I know he's a guy I can absolutely trust. He cares so much about the kids and the program and we as a staff will be aligned in that. Tom has a formula and knows what it takes to establish a winning culture and sustain it.”

OSCAR GILES

Defensive Line Giles is a former Longhorn standout defensive end who spent a total of 10 seasons at UT as both defensive ends coach (2005-13) and a graduate assistant (1999).

He spent the past two seasons with Herman at Houston coaching the defensive line.

Houston featured the nation's secondranked rush defense (99.7 yards per game) in 2016 in addition to the 14th-best defense in total yards allowed (325.0 ypg). The Cougars were 12th in sacks and 18th in tackles for loss. In his first season at Houston, Giles' position group set the tone for the nation's No. 8 rushing defense (108.9 ypg) and 21stranked scoring defense (20.7 ppg).

Prior to his two seasons at Houston, Giles spent a season at Louisiana Tech.

During his nine seasons as defensive ends coach under Mack Brown at Texas, Giles coached players including Malcom Brown, Jackson Jeffcoat, Cedric Reed, Alex Okafor, Sam Acho, Sergio Kindle, Lamarr Houston, Brian Orakpo, Henry Melton, Tim Crowder and Brian Robison — all of whom went on to careers in the NFL. A native of Palacios and a 1991 Texas graduate, Giles' coaching career began in 1998 at Texas State. He has also spent time at SMU (2000-02) and enjoyed another stint at Houston (2003-04).

“I'm excited,” Giles said. “It's a great opportunity to get back where I started and have a chance to work with great kids.

I have the passion inside me where I can't wait to get out on that football field and work with those kids, share with them the experiences I had as a player and the experience I had the first time I was here as a coach.”

YANCY MCKNIGHT

Head Strength and Conditioning Coach McKnight brings ties to both the state of Texas and the Big 12 after spending the past two seasons as director for football sports performance at Houston and previously working at Iowa State (2009-14), Rice (200608) and Oklahoma State (2002-03).

He also served as the head strength and conditioning coach at Louisiana Tech for two seasons (2004-05).

“I'm ready for the challenge and ready to get to work,” McKnight said. “I'm looking forward

Oscar Giles

Yancy McKnight

to getting with our players. It's a big-time opportunity. The expectations and traditions at the University of Texas are obvious. That's what we're going to expect on a day-to-day basis in every single rep, every single practice and every single day that we train. It's going to be about winning championships.”

McKnight is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS), a certified strength and conditioning coach (SCCC) and a USA Weightlifting Level I certified coach.

“Most of our current staff at Texas has

been together the last few years, so I have a good feeling of what the expectations are for positional needs and what the demands are for the players,” McKnight said. “Having one voice and one message throughout our whole program is critical. It all comes from Coach Herman and trickles down to every person who touches our football program.”

A native of Joplin, Mo., McKnight was a Division II All-American on the offensive line at Missouri Southern, earning his degree from the school in 2001. He was inducted into the Missouri Southern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 33

CORBY MEEKINS

Corby Meekins

Tight Ends Meekins, a long-time high school head coach in the state of Texas, coached tight ends and fullbacks under Herman at Houston the past two seasons.

Prior to joining the Houston program, Meekins was the head coach at Westfield High School for 11 campaigns, accumulating a record of 114-27. During those 11 seasons, Westfield won seven district championships and advanced to the playoffs 10 times with one state championship trip, three appearances in the semifinals and six quarterfinal trips.

With Houston, he groomed tight end Tyler McCloskey into a dual-threat player.

McCloskey had 35 catches for 269 yards in his two seasons working with Meekins.

Meekins was also responsible for the recruitment of defensive tackle Ed Oliver, the first five-star player to ever sign with to a Group of 5 program. Oliver had 19.5 tackles for loss as a true freshman last season and is an All-American candidate.

A native of Shepherd, Meekins is a 1990 graduate of Sam Houston State.

“It's a great opportunity, and I'm excited to wear the burnt orange and white,” Meekins said. “I've grown up and lived my whole life in Texas. This is a great place and a great city. I'm blessed to be a part of this.”

DREW MEHRINGER

Drew Mehringer

34 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

Pass Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers Mehringer comes to Texas after spending one season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Rutgers, where, at age 28, he was the youngest play-caller in the Power Five conferences.

He joined the Rutgers staff after spending the 2015 season as wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator under Herman at Houston. Mehringer has also worked with Herman at Ohio State, Iowa State and as a student assistant at Rice.

Prior to arriving in Houston, Mehringer spent the 2014 season at James Madison as the cooffensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

While at JMU, the Dukes advanced to the FCS Playoffs for just the second time six years, and their offense ranked 10th nationally.

Mehringer spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons as a graduate assistant at Ohio State, working with the program's tight ends and wide receivers in his first season before working with the offensive line in his second. He also spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Iowa State, where he worked with the wide receivers.

A native of Mansfield, Mehringer attended Rice as a quarterback before suffering a career-

ending injury. He then served as a student assistant with the quarterbacks under Herman for three seasons.

“As somebody born and raised in the greatest state and greatest place in the world, the opportunity to be back here, to be back near family, to be working with a group of guys I know well and love and are great football coaches and great men, it's incredible,” Mehringer said.

CRAIG NAIVAR

Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties Naivar has spent 18 of his 23-year coaching career in Texas, including a pair of stops at Texas State (2004-06, ‘11-13), at Rice (200710), Sam Houston State (2000-03) and HardinSimmons (1994-95), in addition to Houston. In that time, he served as either a defensive or special teams coordinator or co-coordinator for 21 seasons.

In his two seasons at Houston, he served as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.

During his lone season at Kentucky in 2014, Naivar tutored two Freshman All-Americans on special teams — kick returner Stanley Williams and kicker Austin MacGinnis.

Naivar arrived at Kentucky from Texas State, where he was the defensive coordinator and safeties coach for three seasons, helping the Bobcats transition from independent status

Craig Naviar

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 35

to the Western Athletic Conference in 2012 to the Sun Belt Conference in 2013.

Naivar spent four seasons at Rice as special teams coordinator and safeties coach in 2010, and co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach from 2007-09. The Owls’ best season came in 2008 when Rice went 10-3, (its best record since the 1950s), capped by a share of the Conference USA Western Division championship and a 38-14 rout of Western Michigan in the Texas Bowl.

Naivar coached at Texas State from 200406, where he was defensive coordinator and safeties coach. That term was highlighted by the 2005 season, when the Bobcats posted an 11-3 record and advanced to the semifinals of the FCS playoffs. Texas State ranked in the nation's top 25 in scoring defense and total defense while generating 33 turnovers.

He was a graduate assistant at New Mexico before landing at Southern Illinois as special teams coordinator and defensive line coach. From there he coached at Sam Houston State, serving at various times as defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, safeties coach and defensive line coach.

A native of Taylor, Naivar was a four-year letterman, playing safety and quarterback, and was team captain at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene. He began his coaching career there, helping lead the Cowboys to the NAIA Division II Playoffs in 1994 and 1995.

“The model of how we run our program with people who have been through the process will make this an easier transition than bringing in coaches from different places,” Naivar said. “Every job is different, but bringing in familiar faces makes it easier.

I'm excited to get these young men out on the football field.”

DEREK WAREHIME

Offensive Line Warehime spent the previous two seasons coaching the offensive line at Houston under Herman.

In his first season at UH, he was forced to use 11 different starting lineups in 14 games.

Despite numerous injuries, the Cougars finished 13th nationally in rushing offense and two players were named All-Conference. In 2016, the Houston offense was one of the least penalized in the nation and allowed just 30 sacks on nearly 500 pass attempts.

Prior to his time at Houston, Warehime coached for three seasons at New Mexico.

He was responsible for tight ends, adding the title of run game coordinator in his final season. In all three seasons with the Lobos, New Mexico finished in the top five nationally for rushing yards.

A native of Choctaw, Okla., Warehime has 36 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

Derek Warehime

also coached at Sam Houston State (201011), Arkansas-Monticello (2008-09) and Rice (2006-07) and served as a student assistant at his alma mater, Tulsa (2005). He started 34 career games at center for the Golden Hurricanes from 2001-04.

“I'm excited to be here with Coach Herman,” Warehime said. “He's been a mentor of mine for the past 10 years. I'm fired up to get with the players and help them develop into what they came here to be. We want to make them all champions in life and football.”

Jason Washington

JASON WASHINGTON

Recruiting Coordinator/Cornerbacks Washington has coached in the secondary his entire career, which started in 2004 at Texas State. He added his special teams' responsibilities under Herman at Houston, turning the Cougars into one of the most respected special teams units in the nation.

In his first season at UH, the Cougars' special teams units improved from 125th to 28th on kickoff return, while featuring top-50 units on both kickoff return defense and punt return.

Houston’s punt return defensive unit was ranked fourth nationally. That trend continued in 2016, as the Cougars were once again fourth nationally, allowing just 1.8 yards per punt return.

Washington has coached seven NFL players throughout his career, including William Jackson II and Demarcus Ayers, who were AllConference cornerbacks for Houston during his first season.

A native of San Antonio and graduate of Texas State, Washington coached at Texas State (2004-06; 2011-14) and Rice (2007-10) prior to his two-year stint at Houston.

“I'm excited for the opportunity to come to Texas,” Washington said. “Growing up watching Texas and the great players who have played here and the great coaches who have coached here, I‘m excited to be able to wear the burnt orange.”

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 37

IN SEASON

LEADING LADY

IN HER SENIOR SEASON, KELSEY LANG HAS EMERGED AS A TEAM LEADER

40 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

Personally, my main goal is to do everything I can to help the team win, whether that’s scoring, defense or rebounding — whatever it takes to get where we want to go.

T

EXAS CENTER KELSEY Lang is not one for excuses. After a sophomore season in 2014-15 in which she led the Longhorns in points and rebounds and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors, expectations soared.

But in her junior season, Lang’s numbers dipped. She averaged 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game after averaging 10.6 points and 6.4 rebounds the previous year. However, the change in her performance was due to legitimate reasons. During offseason training, Lang broke a bone in her left (nonshooting) hand that limited her workouts. At the same time, Imani Boyette became a dominant inside presence, averaging 11.3 points and 8.9 rebounds, and blocking 104 shots, effectively demanding a starting role and major playing time en route to becoming a first-round draft pick by the WNBA’s Chicago Sky. Lang was cleared to return to the lineup in time for her junior season but had missed much of the Longhorns’ offseason program. She shared time in the paint with Boyette, and while her value to the team was undeniable, it contributed to her rollercoaster of a career at Texas.

What a difference a year can make.

Head coach Karen Aston said while the broken bone in Lang’s hand and Boyette’s emergence were factors in Lang’s performance last season, the interruption in Lang’s development may have caused her confidence to waver.

“I don’t want to make excuses for anyone, and neither will Kelsey — she didn’t make any last year, and that’s just not who she is,” Aston said. “She had a break in her hand and was out for a large part of the preseason. When she came back, her aggressiveness regressed a little. Imani was playing well, and deserved to play, and Kelsey did a great job in her role. However, it wasn’t the role anyone expected for her. Every year, players have to play different roles, and that included her.

“This year, though, has been totally different for her,” she continued. “Every season is a learning process, and she learned a lot last year, and that paid off this year. She did the work in the offseason. The last piece for me was to help her understand what I’m depending on her for, me telling her that her role changed and how it has changed, and she has done wonders with it.”

Lang is back in the starting lineup and exceeding expectations in her new role. Through the Longhorns’ first 14 games, Lang was one of four Texas players to score in the double figures with an average of 10.0 points per game. She is by far the team leader in rebounds (9.2 per game) and her 32 blocked shots are twice as many as teammate Joyner Holmes. She posted six double-doubles in her team’s first 14 games, establishing new career

highs in points, when she had 23 against New Orleans — a game in which she connected on all 11 field goals she attempted — and rebounds when she pulled down 14 in the Longhorns’ Jan. 7 victory over TCU. “Coach Aston said in interviews that I play better when I know the team needs me and when I’m not the ‘other’ option,” Lang said. “During my sophomore year Imani was injured, so we had no other option — I had to play, and I had a good year.

“Between sophomore and junior year, I had my injury — I was just going for a rebound — and I was out for a while and lost some confidence,” she added. “When I came back, Imani was playing well, so we ended up sharing minutes.”

The fact that Lang is even at Texas, and now in the position to have a renaissance season, was far from a sure thing.

Born in Georgia, Lang and her family moved to Texas when she was three. The daughter and granddaughter of athletes — her mother, Carrie, was a swimmer, and her father, Bernie, and grandfathers all played basketball — She started playing basketball for her dad at a YMCA during elementary school.

“I was terrible — really terrible,” Lang laughed. “If you called my dad and asked him, he would agree. If you asked him when I was in seventh or eighth grade if I had a chance to play for Texas, he would've said, ‘No way — absolutely no way.’ I definitely was a late bloomer.”

For her coach, there’s a lot to like about Lang, above and beyond her 6-foot-5-inch frame. Aston said that in addition to Lang’s physical gifts, she’s impressed with how Lang thinks about the game.

“Anyone can see she can shoot, rebound and block shots, and we need those things,” Aston said. “But Kelsey is a cerebral player. She always understands the game plans — not just what we’re trying to do, but why we’re trying to do it. She has an extremely high basketball IQ. “We vary our game plans for each opponent and Kelsey’s understanding of the way we change our plan is obvious,” Aston added. “When we scout each opponent, she understands it right away. She understands the changes we make, and is able to follow the game plan.”

Lang said that her extensive knowledge of the game started while learning from her father. And although he might have been her first coach, he wasn’t the only one who made a significant impact on her development.

“After I played at the YMCA, my dad decided he couldn’t coach me anymore,” Lang said. “But one of our close family friends had started a basketball academy called Cut The Nets and I learned a lot there, too. They taught me how to shoot, and how to be an inside and outside threat.”

As Lang and her game developed, her success on the court couldn’t be ignored. She became a force, earning allJANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 41

PREVIOUS S PREAD: PATRICK MEREDITH /UNIV. O F TEXAS . THIS S PREAD: BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS

HOT SHOT: Through the first part of the season, Lang was one of only four players to average 10 points per game.

state recognition from the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) and District 14-5A Defensive Player of the Year honors. ESPN.com ranked her among the nation’s top 15 post players. While her hometown of the Woodlands, a suburb of Houston, isn’t known as a factory of Div. I-caliber players, the coaches came calling. As impressive in the classroom as she was on the court, Lang had plenty of options.

But becoming a Longhorn didn’t seem likely because Lang was eager to leave the state for college.

“I wanted to see different parts of the country,” Lang said. “I wanted to go somewhere with four distinct seasons, which doesn’t happen much here.”

Lang didn’t dismiss in-state schools altogether, and ultimately narrowed her choices to Texas and Duke University. She scheduled visits to both schools, but only ended up taking one.

“I visited Texas in the fall, and then two weekends later I was scheduled to go to Duke,” Lang said. “I came to Texas and loved it. I loved the school, the coaching staff and the team. Austin is an amazing place and the campus is unbelievable.

“After I returned home, I was still supposed to go on my visit to Duke,” she explained. “But I told my dad I wanted to call Coach Aston and commit to Texas. He asked if I wanted to take my trip to Duke, just to be sure, but I already knew. I called Coach Aston and committed. A few years before that, I never would’ve imagined I’d be at playing at Texas, but there’s something about coming to Austin.”

Once she arrived in Austin, Lang acclimated to her new school and surroundings. In her second year, Boyette got hurt, and whether or not Lang was ready, the center position was hers. She worked to prepare for the challenge, and she shined. Suddenly a starter, she averaged just over 27 minutes per game. Her 359 points and 218 rebounds led the team, with her 48 blocked shots ranking second.

Aston may easily be right. Lang is at her best when she is most needed if you compare this season to the one two years ago. In 2014-15, Boyette was hurt; this season, backup center Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau missed significant time during the first part of the season, forcing Lang to play more than 27 minutes per game, an average that trails only the 31 minutes averaged by guard Brooke McCarty.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 43

need a little while to develop, because they don’t know how to play with space. In college, teams really can’t bunch three players around someone, because the other players are too good and will make you pay.

“But there’s no question in my mind that Kelsey can play at the pro level,” she added. “She has the size, but she also has the work ethic and the stroke. You don’t find players her size who can shoot like she can.”

Lang is open to an alternate career path.

“I’m not ready to give up the game just yet,” she said. “I think every young player dreams of playing professionally. Whether that goal was obtainable a few years ago was questionable, but definitely over the past few years, it became much more of a realistic goal, and hopefully I get that chance.”

Before that, however, Lang has some unfinished business in Austin.

The Longhorns won 31 games last season and finished the season ranked seventh in both polls. Texas finished second in the Big 12 and were eliminated from the NCAA tournament in the Elite Eight by eventual national champion Connecticut.

“We have young players and they’re talented, but they’re learning and we’re learning with them,” Lang said. “At the start of the year, we had more confidence than maybe we should have, and that showed in some of our early losses. But we’re such a young team that it wasn’t the end of the world. If we continue to work hard, I don’t think there are limits for what this team can do.

“Personally, my main goal is to do everything I can to help the team win, whether that’s scoring, defense or rebounding — whatever it takes to get where we want to go,” she added. “Keeping that mindset will help us throughout the rest of the season, including the postseason. I’m not the person to worry about [individual] things. At the end of the season, those things are nice, because it’s nice to know that people appreciate what you have done for your team. But if you do the things that bring in the individual recognition that usually means you’re doing the things to help your team win, and that’s most important.”

Kelsey Lang 44 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

BETH ANY W AL TER/UNIV. OF TEXAS

“We asked a lot of her [two years ago] because we needed her, and she came through for us,” Aston said. “This year is the same situation because we've had to deal with an injury to Kelsey’s backup. So Kelsey has been having to do more. Last year, Imani was carrying a pretty big load, and while Kelsey didn’t like playing less, she did a great job on a team that had a good year.

“I don’t think any player at this level who’s competitive — and Kelsey definitely is competitive — ever wants to come off the floor,” she continued. “Yes, she’s playing a lot of minutes, but she’s embracing her role. She doesn’t wear her emotions on her sleeve, so you might not think she’s as motivated as she really is, but she’s a great leader for us, on and off the floor.”

Part of that leadership has been in the classroom, where Lang has stood out. In fact, Texas was even on the list of schools she considered after her parents were satisfied with the school’s academic standards.

Lang is majoring in economics and has a minor in business, and said she would like to attend graduate school to pursue a career as a financial advisor. But there are those who think that chapter of her life should wait.

Travis Mays is the women’s basketball head coach at SMU, but the former Texas player and women’s assistant coach knows Lang well, having helped in her recruitment. Mays acknowledged that the career Lang calls a “rollercoaster” might have dipped a little last season, but he also pointed out that post players often develop a little later than many perimeter players. He also stated that Lang has the ability to play professionally, if she chooses to go that route.

Aston agreed with her former assistant coach.

“I agree post players are a little slower in their development, but that’s because of how they’re guarded in high school,” Aston said. “When you have a player with her height and length, [opposing] high school teams often will have three or four players around them. Most teams don’t have a player who can match up physically. So sometimes those post players

IN SEASON

YOUNG AND HUNGRY: The younger players, like Jarrett Allen, are stepping up to try and pull Texas out of its rut.

BETH ANY W AL TER/UNIV. OF TEXAS

IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE

T

TEXAS NEEDS TO FIND THAT SPECIAL SOMETHING TO TURN AROUND THIS YEAR’S SEASON

EXAS’ TUMULTUOUS SEASON is ready for a turnaround.

For the Longhorns to hit the reset button and start a winning streak, head coach Shaka Smart needs his squad to seize something intangible during the last month of the regular season.

But what exactly is that “something”?

When asked, Smart stood silent for a moment as he searched for the words to describe how his team is capable of avoiding previous pitfalls.

“I have a vision of it, but it’s not something you can describe in 10 words,” Smart said, before another reflective pause.

“It’s playing hard, with a higher level of smarts on the floor, and being extremely connected around each other.”

Within the Frank Erwin Center, the Longhorns look like a formidable team capable of playing through a couple of rounds in the NCAA Tournament.

However, once away from Austin, the Longhorns tumble. Through 16 games Texas was still under .500 at 7-9. Texas was 7-3 at home and a disappointing 0-6 delete away on the road entering February.

Smart is pushing his team to learn to let go and keep moving forward — but not as individuals. He wants an intertwined squad.

“We’re still learning how to be OK with where we are, to be a part of something bigger than yourself and to focus on the people around you,” Smart commented.

Through the first half of the season, the Longhorns already had four three-point losses to its ledger, along with a five-point loss to Kent State.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 45

Eric Davis Jr.

Jacob Young

Texas had an impressive three-point win over Oklahoma State to kick off Big 12 play, but then a series of losses — five to be exact.

During the Oklahoma State game, the offense started to work through its kinks, even though the stat sheet showed otherwise. The Longhorns’ assist totals were shockingly low for a team with an ability to score in spurts. At 400 made field goals, Texas had only had 183 assists and a robust 213 turnovers — ratios that almost always reveal a squad with tendencies to get stagnant and then scorch on offense in a hurry. This type of behavior makes consistency in both playing and winning out of reach.

Getting the ball moving efficiently between the scorers could create cohesion throughout the entire team — part of the something the Longhorns need to do to turn around the season. “[Assists] are something I look at,” Smart said. “Assists are the result of a pass directly leading to a basket. It’s a sign, where we are at in the season. We have to create shots for our teammates with passes.”

Texas also needs to enhance the defense down the stretch if they expect to have a chance of making the tournament at this point, which would be another unexpectedly large surprise on the 40 Acres this season.

The good thing for Texas is the offense can still score. More fluidity on offense will also help solidify the team’s defense, which has faltered 46 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

Kendal Yancy

Andrew Jones

down the stretch in the close losses.

Freshman forward Jarrett Allen averaged nearly 14 points and 10 rebounds per 32 minutes in a seven-game stretch spanning December and January. As the 2016-17 season winds down, he’ll need to be the Longhorns’ leader on both ends.

While the offense can gain better movement from its ball handlers, Smart also thinks his team can benefit from working inside-out through its big men in the post.

“There’s a pass to get out of trouble, but then there’s a pass to get my teammate a shot — and we need to be able to make more of those,” he said. “Part of that comes from playing out of the post and making the accurate pass.”

Part of the help could come from returning players. Kendal Yancy, who missed several games after suffering a high-ankle sprain Dec. 30, can facilitate the offense with the ball in his hands. Up front, Smart looks for Mareik Isom to make his way back into the fold this season, but the 6-foot-9 senior transfer is coming back slowly after preseason surgery and complications stemming from an infection.

Building on the connection with his players, Smart, who’s in his second season with Texas, will jump into workouts if it can benefit someone recovering, such as he did in joining a pool workout with

TH IS S PREAD CL OCK WIS E FROM E TOP LEFT: B ETHANY W ALTER/UNIV. O F TEXAS , S USAN SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS, BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS , BETH ANY W AL TER/UNIV. OF TEXAS , BETH ANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS

Yancy during his recovery. Smart also works out consistently with Dylan Osetkowski, who transferred from Tulane and has to sit out this season before resuming his collegiate career for the 2017-18 campaign, with two years of eligibility remaining. “It’s all about their situation,� Smart said about his players. “If I can jump in, it’s time well spent,� Smart said.

Osetkowski, along with the rest of the young talent on the Longhorns’ roster, provides plenty of hope for next year.

And that hope will have to suffice as this year’s results continue to be up and down. The Longhorns keep creeping closer to turning the hardfought losses into some wins, with games like TCU and Iowa State going down to the final buzzer. However, such fights will be much harder as Texas lost its leading scorer indefinitely. Tevin Mack was suspended Jan. 12, the day after another close yet late loss for the Longhorns. “We have a set of standards that we expect people in our program to adhere to,� said Smart in a statement released by the team. “Tevin has failed to reach them.�

At the time of the suspension, Mack led the team in scoring, shooting 46 percent and averaging 14.8 ppg.

Days before the suspension was announced, Smart praised Mack for how he was transitioning into a better, all-around player and was more actively engaged with his teammates. “He’s progressing in many different areas on the court,� Smart said. “He’s shooting the ball with more confidence, he’s stronger and more vocal on the floor with his teammates.�

Reports following the suspension stated Mack shouted at Texas' second-leading scorer, Kerwin Roach Jr., following the loss to TCU on Jan. 11. Mack also missed the first game of the season — along with Roach — in November because both players were punished for an offseason, off-the-court issue. (Mack was not available for comment as of press time.)

Even while Mack was making moves on the court, buckets were still hard

to come by for the entire team. This was one of Smart’s major concerns.

TCU led 64-61 with 17 seconds remaining and the Longhorns had a chance to tie, but a corner 3-point try from Eric Davis Jr. was off the mark. The Horned Frogs missed a pair of free throws with seconds left, but Texas couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer. “To be honest, it's not a matter of what the score is, it's a matter of are you willing to play 1000-percent for Texas,� Smart said to Texassports.com following the three-point loss to TCU, “and following the plan as a team, regardless of what happens on the last play, or last series of plays, or last half. There was a level of frustration that came into play tonight and it took the guys out of the right mindset.�

Following the loss, Smart sensed his team was getting agitated with the late-game failures. Then the suspension was announced the following day. “Guys want to win so it depends how you look at it,� Smart said. “They were disappointed with the last play. There was frustration throughout the game at different times.�

Texas and its fans will know the fate of this season quickly through February, and perhaps, what the fall will hold for what is, as of now, a luck-of-the-draw team.

The Big 12 has become a testing ground for teams with eyes on springtime success, and the competition quickly lets a team know of its standing. “Every game [in conference] will be competitive. We have some of the best teams in the country in our league,� Smart said.

Texas faced a tough triumvirate of No. 10 West Virginia, No. 1 Baylor and No. 2 Kansas before hosting Oklahoma on Jan. 23, a game nationally televised on ESPN. Kansas State was also in the top 25 as of press time.

February and the first week of March bring five home games and five road games to close up Big 12 competition. “We’re trying to focus on being the best team possible,� Smart added, “especially during conference play.�

SMART STRATEGY: Smart expects each one of his players to contribute to the team's winning strategy by playing hard and by playing together.

Horns Illustrated (ISSN 1096-2573), Volume 24, Number 1. Copyright Š 2016 by Texan Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Published seven times a year (monthly in January/February, March/April, May/June, July-September, October, November and December) in the United States by Horns Illustrated, 9417 B Solana Vista Loop, Austin, TX 78750. Subscription Inquiries: Send new or renewal notices or change of address (send both old and new addresses) to Horns Illustrated, P.O. Box 50069, Austin, TX 78763. Allow 6-8 weeks for change of address. Subscription Problems: Call 855-246-7677.

Subscription Costs: U.S. and its possessions, one year basic rate, $39.00. Periodicals Postage Paid =P QOPEJ 1AT=O =J@ =@@EPEKJ=H I=EHEJC KBł ?AO POSTMASTER – send address changes to Horns Illustrated - P.O. Box 50069, Austin, TX 78763.

Tel. (855) 246-7677. Publisher disclaims all responsibility to return unsolicited editorial matter, and all rights in portions published vest in publisher.

Letters to Horns Illustrated magazine or its editors are assumed intended for publication in whole or in part without permission from the writer. Any similarity between persons or places mentioned EJ PDA Ĺ‚ ?PEKJ KN OAIE Ĺ‚ ?PEKJ =J@ NA=H LH=?AO KN persons living or dead is coincidental. Single copies: $4.95 in U.S. JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 47

FINAL SCORE

Running back D’Onta Foreman was named the winner of the 2016 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award on Jan. 11.

He’s the first Longhorn, and also the first non-quarterback, to win the award, which started in 2013. He joins quarterbacks Bryce Petty (Baylor, 2013), Trevone Boykin (TCU, 2014) and Greg Ward Jr. (Houston, 2015) as winners of the award. “This means so much to me to win the award named for Earl Campbell,” Foreman said. “To be here tonight with him and Ricky Williams as part of the tradition of Texas running backs couldn't be more special.

I'm so grateful to God, to my family, coaches and teammates, and I'm sharing this with them because I wouldn't be here without them. I also want to thank all the Longhorn fans for their support.” Foreman was second in the nation with 2,028 rushing yards and rushed for at least 124 yards in all 11 games he played, finishing 10th in NCAA history with an average of 184.4 yards per game. He rushed for 100 yards or more in 13 consecutive games to end his Texas career, eclipsing Campbell's previous school record of 11 straight. Foreman owns the longest active streak in the nation. His 11 100-yard games in 2016 also tied Campbell's (1977) single-season school record. The award, which is named after Campbell, is given annually to the top offensive player in Division I football who also exhibits enduring characteristics that define Campbell. In addition, the award is limited to players who were born in the state of Texas, attended a Texas high school or attended a Texas junior college or university.

48 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017

JIM S IGMO N/UNIV. OF TEXAS

AND THE AWARD GOES TO…