Horns Illustrated

Texas is ready to play ball.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016

CONTENTS FEATURES

THE GARRIDO Q&A BASEBALL

Questions surround the Texas baseball team and its head coach, Augie Garrido. After an immediate ďŹ rst-round exit from last season’s NCAA Tournament, many fans called for a change. Well, they got one. In our exclusive interview with Garrido, senior editor Steve Habel reveals what changes will drive the Longhorns to a winning season.

ABOVE IT ALL VOLLEYBALL

The 2015 Texas volleyball team brought to the court trust, unity and team chemistry this season — the ultimate recipe for success. After claiming their ďŹ fth consecutive conference title, Big 12 Player of the Year and the No. 3 NCAA tournament seed, the Longhorns were poised to win another national title. But after losing the crown by just a few points, some thought all was lost for the Longhorns, when in fact, this team made program history.

POWERED UP SOFTBALL

The goal for any Texas team at the beginning of the season is to reach the postseason and make a run for the national title. For the Texas softball team, its goal doesn’t waver from this standard. With a roster ďŹ lled to the brim with talent, the Longhorns are looking forward to a successful 2016 season.

LEADING OFF

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

ROUNDUP

SPIRIT OF THE MONTH - Texas Darlins

MEDIA VOICES

THE HABE ON THE HORNS

IN SEASON - M Basketball

IN SEASON - W Basketball

FINAL SCORE

COVER PHOTO: PHOTO CREDIT FOR INDIVIDUAL MUGSHOTS: UNIV. OF TEXAS. PHOTO CREDIT FOR AUGIE GARRIDO: BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS

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BETH ANY WALTER/U NIV. O F TEXAS

DEPARTMENTS

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LEADING

PATRICK MEREDITH /UNIV. OF TEXAS

OFF

Freshman Jordan Hosey had a career-high 12 points, and senior Imani Boyette posted her fourth consecutive double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds to lead Texas past Oklahoma State 78-48. With the win, Texas remained undefeated and was off to its best start since the 1985-86 national championship squad. The Longhorns (as of Jan. 10) have yet to trail in conference play this year and have outscored their conference opponents by double digits in each contest. This victory marked the Longhorns’ first in Stillwater since 2009. “This is by far the best performance we’ve had from start to finish,” head coach Karen Aston said. “Everybody came in and did their job, and it was fun to watch.”

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ROUNDUP

JIM SIG MON/ UNIV. OF TEXAS

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016

HAPPY 103RD BIRTHDAY JOHN: There are thousands of Texas football lettermen but John Henderson holds the distinction of being the oldest

of them all. On Dec. 24, Henderson celebrated his 103RD birthday. Henderson, who currently resides in the Longhorn Village Retirement Community, played for the Longhorns in the 1930s. Henderson and his wife, 101-year old Charlotte, have been married for 76 years. He’s been a Texas season ticket holder nearly as long — for 75 seasons. Henderson played ironman football, which called for a guard on both offense and defense. His playing days predate the facemask and, not surprisingly Henderson said that the game is entirely different now. Let’s all wish a very happy birthday to John Henderson.

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VALUE PROPS: For the seventh consecutive year, Texas is still the most valuable team in college football.

T

HE LONGHORNS MAY have missed the mark this past football season, but fans continue to support the program through its rough patch. Per CBS Sports, Texas remains the nation's most profitable athletic department by a wide margin. Texas brought in $179.6 million in revenue in 2014 — $8.7 million more than secondplace Ohio State, who won the national title in football. While fellow Big 12 member Oklahoma also cracked the top 5 at $135.7 million, the SEC and Big 10 teams dominated the rest of the list. Overall, the Big 12 averaged $99 million, placing it in the middle of the Power 5, ahead of the Pac-12 and ACC. However, that number dips significantly if Texas and Oklahoma are removed from the equation. Six of the conference's 10 schools brought in less than $88 million last year. Texas is also the most valuable team in college football, as determined by Forbes, for the seventh straight year. Texas' team value is up 16 percent this year to $152 million, and that climb to the stratosphere should hardly be a surprise at this point. Last season Texas generated an unprecedented $121 million in revenue. The brand overall may be tarnished by losing, but Texas Inc. rolls on, continuing to print money.

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JUNIOR HASSAN RIDGEWAY has elected to forgo his senior season and enter the 2016 NFL Draft. “I discussed it with my family, seeing what was best for me, and right now, it's best to come out this year," Ridgeway said. "My teammates and coaches mean a lot to me. Everything that's happened at Texas has helped me.” An honorable mention All-Big 12 selection in 2015, Ridgeway played in 36 career games with 18 starts. During his time as a Longhorn, he recorded 92 tackles with 9.5 sacks, 18.5 tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries. “Hassan is a talented young player whose best years are ahead of him,” head coach Charlie Strong said. “We appreciate everything he's done for Texas, and though we're disappointed to lose him, we’ll continue to support him any way we can. We wish Hassan the best.” “Coach Strong always had faith in me,” Ridgeway said. “Both him and the coaching staff have pushed me to become a better player and person. That's not saying I can't still get better, but they've pushed me farther than I thought was possible.” This past season, Ridgeway played in 11 games, and started in eight before missing the Baylor game due to injury. He posted 36 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss and led the team with two fumble recoveries. Twice he registered six tackles in a game, including against Oklahoma State, when he added one sack, 1.5 tackles for loss, one pressure and a 34-yard fumble recovery return for a touchdown. Hassan Ridgeway

ALL PHO TOS IN TH IS S PREAD: PATRICK M EREDITH/UN IV. OF TEXAS

MONEY TALKS

CAUGHT IN THE DRAFT

MARCHING ON

F

ORMER LONGHORN TARELL Brown was 10 years old when his mother, Tonya Edmonds, was murdered outside their Texas home. A week later, he turned to football for an escape. Twenty years later, he's doing the same thing. “This is my outlet,” Brown said. “Football helps me get away from the real world.” He’ll never forget that morning or the games that followed. His father Robert wanted to keep his son busy in a time of sorrow, so Brown suited up and played. He scored four touchdowns that day. “He motivated me,” Brown said of his father.“He pushed me. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” But his father would never see the payoff. Robert, who had sickle-cell anemia, died of a heart attack months before the cornerback was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. Former Texas defensive coordinator Duane Akina watched Brown fight through physical and emotional pain during his time as a Longhorn. During the same season his father passed, Brown suffered a hairline fracture in his left toe and played out the remaining seven games at less than full strength. The team trainer had to cut his cleat in order to relieve the pressure from swelling.

CHARLIE STRONG SAID the Longhorns have much to look forward to in 2016. Nevertheless, the 2015 campaign produced a wide-range of quotes from Texas’ head coach. Here’s a look at the best quotes from Strong this season:

STRONG ON THE FUTURE: “You look at what we have and the future is bright. I know what’s ahead, and what’s good is that these players understand how hard they have to play.”

STRONG REFUTING THE MIAMI COACHING JOB RUMORS: “I never run from anything. I told our players that I’m not going anywhere. I’ve made a commitment here and we’re going to get the program back on track.”

STRONG ON THE 1-4 START: “I will never say it was Coach [Mack] Brown’s fault — this is on me. It has nothing to do with the last staff. They’re no longer here. It’s about what we have, and now it’s about us working and improving. This start is on us and our staff. It’s on me as a head football coach.”

STRONG ON MAKING OFFENSIVE STAFF CHANGES AFTER LOSING TO NOTRE DAME: “I expect more and want more. The fans deserve more. All of our letterwinners deserve more. There are players that have come through the program and have played for the pride and the tradition — it means something to them. This is why we have to get our focus back.”

OVERCOMING ALL OBSTACLES: Through emotional and physical pain, former Longhorn Tarell Brown has always come out on top.

“I’ve been a fighter my whole life,” Brown said. “My back has been against the wall for a long time. I understand what it’s like to battle life. To fight through that, that’s what I’m here to do. That’s why I’m built to last.”

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE THE TEXAS TRACK & field team opened its 2016 indoor season with a team win on the women’s side at the Texas A&M 11-Team Invitational. The women dominated the meet with 122.5 points to easily capture the team victory. The men’s team finished second behind host Texas A&M. Freshman Teahna Daniels made her mark early as she easily advanced to the final in the 60 meters and then proceeded to set a new meet record at 7.26 seconds. Another freshman came out with a victory for the women’s team as Asa Garcia proved to be an elite triple jumper. She traveled 12.83 meters (42-1.25), already positioning herself as No. 6 in school history. The top performances of the day on the men’s side came in the throwing events, thanks to victories from Ryan Crouser and Alan Zapalac. Zapalac improved on his personal best to move into the No. 2 spot in the record books with a weight throw of 19.37 meters (636.75). Crouser dominated the shot put with a toss of more than 20 meters in an event where he’s eying his fourth NCAA title. Head coach Mario Sategna was pleased with how his teams performed in their first meet of the season. After the meet, he emphasized the importance of taking the strong showings and building on them because the indoor schedule is fairly short. “This is one of four opportunities we have before we go to Ames, Iowa, to defend our Big 12 Championships,” he said. “We can’t take this for granted because the indoor season goes by really fast.”

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AWARD WINNING DRIVING FORCE

FORMER TEXAS GOLFER Bertine Strauss finished 5-under par to tie for 15th and qualify for the LPGA Tour this past December. Strauss shot a 69, 73, 72, 70 and 71 for a 355 total at the Final Stage of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla. to gain full LPGA membership. “I feel relieved,” Strauss said after the tournament. “This a good confidence builder for me for the rest of the year. This is the lowest four-day total I’ve ever shot, so it gives me the confidence to know what I am capable of.” She joins Longhorns Rebecca Bentham, Heather Bowie Young, Lisa Ferraro, Shannon Fish and Katelyn Sepmoree in the field. Strauss graduated from Texas in 2015, recording six top-10 finishes, earning medalist honors at the Ping/ASU Invitational in April and earning Big 12 Player of the Year honors in her senior season. “I’m thrilled for Bertine,” head coach Ryan Murphy said. “She deserves to be out there on the LPGA Tour. She has worked very hard on her game and is constantly improving. “And what makes this special is that this couldn’t have happened to a nicer person,” he continued. “Bertine is one of those people that everyone likes and roots for. She’ll represent Texas well.”

MAN OF HONOR: Diving coach Matt Scoggin received yet another honor this year after being recognized as the nation’s most outstanding diving coach.

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Bertine Strauss

BETH ANY W AL TER/UNIV. OF TEXAS

U

SA DIVING ANNOUNCED Texas men's and women's diving coach Matt Scoggin as the recipient of the Mike Peppe Award — an award given annually to the nation's most outstanding senior diving coach. Scoggin, a former Texas and U.S. Olympic diver who’s in his 22nd season at the helm of the Longhorns' diving program, paced Longhorn Aquatics to the senior team title earlier this year at the 2015 AT&T National Diving Championships. Scoggin placed three Longhorns on the eightmember U.S. squad for the 2015 Pan American Games, where he served as Team USA's head coach. Senior Cory Bowersox and Texas-Ex Maren Taylor won bronze medals at the Pan American Games, and six of Scoggin's divers represented the United States in international competition this year alone. His divers enjoyed continued success at the collegiate level in 2015. Texas was the only Big 12 school to score points in diving at the 2015 NCAA Championships. Texas’ divers contributed to the women’s seventh-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships and the men's 11th NCAA team title.

PACE MAKERS

FROM TOP LEF T: B ETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS, PATRICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS

FALLEN GIANT: The Longhorns lost Cameron Ridley for the season after sustaining a foot injury.

THE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL team wasted no time in setting the game tempo in Morgantown, despite the fact that the team hasn’t won a game in that arena in its past three trips. The Longhorns opened their game against West Virginia on a 10-0 run and never looked back. Texas defeated the Mountaineers 65-54, clinching its first-ever win in Morgantown. Sophomore guard Ariel Atkins led all scorers with 18 points off the bench. The Duncanville native shot 6-of-8 from the field, including 2-of-3 from the 3-point line and 4-of-5 from the free throw line in just her third game back from offseason ankle surgery. Sophomore guard Brooke McCarty and senior center Imani Boyette joined Atkins in double digits. McCarty finished with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Boyette added 15 points and 14 rebounds. “Imani made a lot of plays that won’t show up on the paper or statistically,” head coach Karen Aston said,“but I thought she was terrific. This was probably her best game of the year.” Texas shot 42.6 percent from the field while limiting West Virginia to 30 percent. But the Longhorns had 21 turnovers and shot just 47.4 percent from the free-throw line. Coming into the game, Aston said she was anticipating an ugly game. “Any time the two of us play against each other, it’s usually pretty ugly,” she said. “So it boils down to the little things — hustle plays, extra possessions and offensive rebounds.”

MAN DOWN

T

EXAS' BIG MAN Cameron Ridley broke his foot during practice mid-December and immediately underwent surgery. Texas reported that Ridley is out indefinitely, though head coach Shaka Smart said he hopes Ridley returns later this season. As a highly touted recruit coming out of high school, the 6-foot-9 Ridley is still living up to the expectations from when he entered the program under former head coach Rick Barnes. Ridley was already on the right track for meeting such expectations, averaging career highs of 12.7 points, 10 rebounds and 3.4 blocks through the first 11 games of the season. The loss of Ridley leaves Texas with three big men for two front court positions: 6’11” Prince Ibeh, 6’10” Connor Lammert and 6’8” Shaquille Cleare. Lammert averaged 5.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game through the first 11 games — more than the other two players. “We’re not the only team that has to deal with a curveball like this,” Smart said. “I told our guys that we’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves. They don’t need to reinvent the wheel. They just need to do the things that we’ve asked them to do all along a little bit better.”

AMPED UP: Ariel Atkins led the Longhorns to their first win in Morganstown in three years.

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CALENDAR FEBRUARY 2016 BASEBALL 19: vs. Connecticut, 6 p.m. 20: vs. Connecticut, 2 p.m. 21: vs. Connecticut, 1 p.m. 23: at Sam Houston State, Huntsville, 6:30 p.m. 26: vs. McNeese State, 6 p.m. 27: vs. McNeese State, 2 p.m. 28: vs. McNeese State, 1 p.m. M BASKETBALL 4: vs. Western Kentucky, 7 p.m. 6: vs. Marshall, 1 p.m. 11: at Florida Atlantic, Boca Raton, Fla., 6 p.m.

FOUNDING FATHER: UTSA’s first-ever head football coach, Larry Coker, stepped down after the 2015 season.

GAME CHANGER

T

HE UTSA FOOTBALL program lost its first-ever head coach on Jan. 5 when Larry Coker stepped down from his position. The announcement came a few weeks after offensive coordinator Kevin Brown was let go and defensive coordinator Neal Neathery took a position at Eastern Michigan. The Roadrunners finished the 2015 season with a 3-9 record. Coker leaves UTSA with a record of 26-32. His best season was in 2012, when the program went 8-4. “UTSA has been a special place to me and I’ll forever be grateful for the experience,” Coker said in a statement. “The future of UTSA football is bright and I look forward to watching the Roadrunners’ success in the future.” Coker was hired as the program’s first head coach on March 6, 2009. Two years later, the Roadrunners took the field for the first time. In the 2011 season, they finished 4-6, while setting NCAA records for startup program inaugural game attendance (56,743) and inaugural year average attendance (35,521). In 2012, Coker and the Roadrunners entered the Western Athletic Conference where they finished 8-4 overall and 3-3 in conference. UTSA also led the conference in attendance, averaging 29,226 fans a game that year. “I want to thank Larry for taking on the huge challenge of starting up this football program,” associate vice president and director of athletics Lynn Hickey said. “It required an incredible amount of hard work and dedication over the past seven years. There were a lot of challenges and unknowns, but Larry was able to represent the university and the city of San Antonio in a first-class manner.”

13: at Florida International, Miami, Fla., 6 p.m. 18: vs. Louisiana Tech, 8 p.m. 20: vs. Southern Miss, 3 p.m. 25: at Charlotte, Charlotte, N.C., 6 p.m. 27: at Old Dominion, Norfolk, Va., 7 p.m. W BASKETBALL 4: at Western Kentucky, Bowling Green, Ky., 7 p.m. 6: at Marshall, Huntington, W. Va., Noon 11: vs. Florida Atlantic, 7 p.m. 13: vs. Florida International, 1 p.m. 18: at Louisiana Tech, Ruston, La., 6:30 p.m. 20: at Southern Miss, Hattiesburg, Miss., 4 p.m. 25: vs. Charlotte, 7 p.m. 27: vs. Old Dominion, 2 p.m. M GOLF 8-9: UTSA Oak Hills Invitational, All Day 19-21: All-America Intercollegiate, Humble, All Day 29: Louisiana Classics, Lafayette, La., All Day W GOLF 15-16: Delta Gamma Challenge, New Braunfels, All Day 22-23: Islanders Classic, Corpus Christi, All Day TR ACK & FIELD 5-6: Charlie Thomas Invitational, College Station, All Day 12: Howie Ryan Invitational, Houston, All Day 24-25: Conference USA Championships, Birmingham, Ala., All Day SOFTBALL 12: vs. Weber State, Fullerton, Calif., 3:30 p.m. 12: at Cal State Fullerton, Fullerton, Calif., 6 p.m. 13: vs. San Diego State, Fullerton, Calif., 1 p.m. 13: vs. Canisius, Fullerton, Calif., 4 p.m. 14: vs. San Diego State, Fullerton, Calif., Noon 19: vs. North Dakota, 5:30 p.m. 20: vs. Virginia, 4:30 p.m.

BASKETBALL

20: vs. Tulsa, 7 p.m.

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and scored 20 points off 14 turnovers. The Roadrunners started hot and hit six of their first eight shots, including a 3-for-4 effort from behind the arc, as they held the lead for much of the opening minutes. However, UTSA went cold and connected on just on of its next 11 attempts. Wilson later helped slow UAB’s momentum with a jumper and the Roadrunners pulled to within 34-29 after a Bowie 3-pointer. But UAB outscored UTSA 20-5 over the final five minutes to take a 54-34 advantage to halftime.

21: vs. Virginia, 11:30 a.m. 21: vs. Tulsa, 2 p.m. 26: vs. Northern Iowa, Oxford, Miss., 11 a.m. 26: vs. Stephen F. Austin, Oxford, Miss., 1:30 p.m. 27: vs. TBA, Oxford, Miss., TBA 27: at Ole Miss, Oxford, Miss., 1:30 p.m. 28: vs. TBA, Oxford, Miss., TBA

UTSA shot 50 percent for much of the second half, but could not slow down UAB.

JEFF HU EH N

J.R. HARRIS SCORED a season-high 36 points on the strength of a school-record 10 3-pointers against UAB on Jan. 7. Unfortunately, UAB shot 70 percent en route to a 104-82 victory. Harris finished 11-of-15 from the field and 10-of14 from behind the arc. The junior scored 20 points in the second half and hit the team’s last three shots of the game — all of which were 3-point shots. Christian Wilson added 17 points, while Ryan Bowie and Lucas O’Brien chipped in 11 and 10, respectively. UTSA shot 44.4 percent for the game

CALENDAR

W TENNIS Feb 5: vs. Montana State, 2 p.m.

FEBRUARY 2016

Feb 7: vs. North Florida, 11 a.m. Feb 19: vs. Missouri State, 2 p.m.

M BASKETBALL

Feb 21: vs. Sam Houston State,

Feb 4: at Georgia Southern,

10 a.m.

Statesboro, Ga., 6:30 p.m.

Feb 27: at UCF, Orlando, Fla., Noon

Feb 6: at Georgia State, Atlanta,

Feb 28: at Florida International

Ga., 1:30 p.m.

Miami, Fla., Noon

Feb 9: at Texas State, San Marcos,

BUSINESS AS USUAL: Head coach Scott Cross remained cool, calm and collected when asked about his recent benchmark win.

SHINING MOMENT

Q COURTESY EL LMAN PHOTOGRAPH Y/UTA ATH LETICS

UESTIONS DIRECTED AT men’s basketball head coach Scott Cross after the Mavericks came from behind to beat Georgia State were met with standard “nothing to see here” coach-speak. The 85-70 win was important for the Mavericks, Cross said, because it was the team’s fifth consecutive victory. Of far more significance, however, is what the game meant for Cross. The win was the 163rd in his tenure as UTA’s head coach, moving him to the top of the victories list among coaches in the school’s history. In his 10th season at the helm, the victory improved Cross’ record to 163-130, lifting his wins total past the 162 (to go along with 199 losses) posted by former coach Eddie McCarter. Cross played and served as an assistant coach under McCarter. When asked about his emotions when he passed McCarter for the most victories in school history, Cross was predictably understated, saying only “being 1-0 in conference is the most important thing.” Sophomore forward Kevin Hervey and junior guard Jalen Jones led the way for the team. Hervey had 17 points and eight rebounds, while Jones had 15 points and five rebounds. Two other Mavericks scored in double figures: sophomore guard Kaelon Wilson scored 11 points and pulled down five rebounds, while fellow sophomore guard Erick Neal had 10 points, five rebounds and four assists.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

THE UT ARLINGTON women’s basketball team recorded its most lopsided victory in nearly a decade by hammering Georgia Southern 70-31. Four Lady Mavericks scored in the double figures. Sophomore guard Cierra Johnson put on a dominant offensive performance, hitting eight of nine shots en route to a team-leading 17 points. Amara Wainwright drained a trio of 3-pointers on her way to 15 points, Breck Clark scored a career-high 11 points and center Rebekah VanDijk added 10. “You have to protect home court,” head coach Krista Gerlich said. “The team came out and did a nice job of taking home court and getting some momentum.” The 31 points made by Georgia Southern were the fewest the team had scored since a 28-point effort Nov. 24 against the University of

TBA

SOFTBALL

Feb 13: vs. Appalachian State,

Feb 11: vs. Texas Southern, 6 p.m.

7:15 p.m.

Feb 12: vs. Northern Colorado,

Feb 18: vs. Louisiana, 7:15 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

Feb 20: vs. ULM, 7:15 p.m.

Feb 12: vs. Detroit, 6:30 p.m.

Feb 25: at Little Rock, Little Rock,

Feb 13: vs. Texas Southern, 2 p.m.

Ark., 7:15 p.m.

Feb 13: vs. Missouri State, 6:30 p.m.

Feb 27: at Arkansas State,

Feb 14: vs. Detroit, 10 a.m.

Jonesboro, Ark., 7:05 p.m.

Feb 19: vs. Princeton, 3:30 p.m. Feb 19: vs. South Dakota State,

W BASKETBALL

6 p.m.

Feb 4: at Georgia Southern,

Feb 20: vs. Princeton, 11 a.m.

Statesboro, La., 4 p.m.

Feb 20: vs. South Dakota State,

Feb 6: at Georgia State, Atlanta,

1:30 p.m.

Ga., 11 a.m.

Feb 26: at Savannah State,

Feb 9: at Texas State, San Marcos,

Charleston, S.C., 10 a.m.

1 p.m.

Feb 26: at Charleston Southern,

Feb 13: vs. Appalachian State, 5 p.m.

Charleston, S.C., 2 p.m.

Feb 18: vs. Louisiana, 11:30 a.m.

Feb 27: at Savannah State,

Feb 20: vs. ULM, 5 p.m.

Charleston, S.C., 8 a.m.

Feb 25: at Little Rock, Little Rock,

Feb 27: at Delaware State,

Ark., 5:15 p.m.

Charleston, S.C., 10 a.m.

Feb 27: at Arkansas State,

Feb 28: at Delaware State,

Jonesboro, Ark., 3:05 p.m.

Charleston, S.C., Noon

TRACK & FIELD

BASEBALL

Feb 5-6: Charlie Thomas

Feb 19: vs. Oklahoma State, 11 a.m.

Invitational, College Station, All Day

Feb 19: vs. Stephen F. Austin,

Feb 12-13: Herm Wilson

2:30 p.m.

I n v i t a t i o n a l , W i c h i t a , K a n . , All Day

Feb 20: vs. Oklahoma State,

Feb 22-23: Sun Belt Conference

2:30 p.m.

Indoor Invitational, Birmingham,

Feb 21: vs. Stephen F. Austin,

Ala., All Day

2:30 p.m. Feb 23: at Baylor, 6:30 p.m.

M TENNIS

Feb 26: at Louisiana Tech, Ruston,

Feb 6: vs. Cameron, 10 a.m.

La., 6 p.m.

Feb 6: vs. Seminole, 2 p.m.

Feb 27: at Louisiana Tech, Ruston,

Feb 8: at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi,

La., 2 p.m.

Corpus Christi, 3 p.m.

Feb 28: at Louisiana Tech, Ruston,

Feb 13: vs. UMKC, 1 p.m.

La., 1 p.m.

Feb 19: at Florida Atlantic, Boca Raton, Fla., Noon

M GOLF

Feb 20: at Florida Gulf Coast,

Feb 19-21: Wyoming Desert

Orlando, Fla., 11 a.m.

Intercollegiate, Palm Desert, Calif.,

Feb 21: at UCF, Orlando, Fla.,

All Day

10 p.m.

Feb 28-29: Louisiana Classics,

Feb 26: vs. Incarnate Word, 2 p.m.

Lafayette, La., All Day

Feb 28: vs. Oral Roberts, 2 p.m.

Georgia. The last time the Mavericks Deane said the pair will redshirt dominated a team like this was in their first year on campus to 2007 against Nicholls State. sharpen up their games, get used to the rigors of college academics and learn to balance their academic THE UT ARLINGTON golf team signed and athletic responsibilities. “When we start out in 2017, its first two women’s golf recruits when head coach Stuart Deane they’ll both become team leaders,” received signed national letters of Deane added. “As we fill the team intent from Allison Wade and Rachel with new recruits, they can set the standards for the golf program.” Phillips.

WOMEN'S GOLF

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HEN IT COMES to basketball, no one can question the Texas Darlins’ loyalty. As the official spirit organization for both the men and women’s basketball teams, the Texas Darlins are deeply committed to their teams. Sanjana Shetty, a marketing sophomore who serves as the Basketball Liason, almost missed a final exam this season so that she could support the Longhorns as they defeated North Carolina 84-82, all thanks to Javan Felix beating the buzzer. “I had a final that started at 7 but the game started at 4,” Shetty explained. “It was a close game throughout and the energy was incredible. It was the kind of atmosphere you dream about.” “For the last 10 seconds, though, it looked like Texas was headed into overtime — and my final was in 20 minutes!” she added. “When Felix took the last shot, I could hear my own heartbeat. The ball fell through the net and I screamed for about 10 minutes, then sprinted across campus to make it to my final. I arrived at 6:59.” The Texas Darlins began as a sister organization to the Texas Wranglers in 2003. However the group wasn’t known as the Texas Darlins until 2014, when they split from the Wranglers and became an independent organization.

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Today, the Darlins focus on the three pillars of spirit, sisterhood and service. They work with the Texas Wranglers to host watch parties and park cleanups. On game days, the Darlins live by the Texas motto, “Come early, be loud, stay late.” They have tailgates for home games and loud watch parties when the Longhorns are on the road. “I love how the anticipation just builds and builds,” Shetty said about basketball. “Even at the start of the game, the tip-off is designed to create a dramatic beginning. When the ball is tossed up, you can’t relax until someone finally touches it, and even then, you’re on the edge of your seat until the final buzzer.” In addition to supporting the Texas basketball program, the Darlins are heavily involved in community service. Their official charity is the Chalmers Court Boys and Girls Club. In fact, the Texas Darlins plan to host a fair benefiting the club this spring. “My favorite part of the organization is how genuinely welcoming the girls are to the people we come across,” Shetty said. “We’re constantly changing as individuals, but the Darlins offer a support system that’s focused on uplifting one another. “What makes the Texas Darlins special is that we all come together under our three pillars, but each one of us interprets them a little differently, making Darlins a totally unique organization here at UT.”

MYCK KABONGO WAS a highly sought-after recruit out of high school. As a 2011 McDonald’s All-American and Jordan Brand selection, Scout, Rivals and ESPN also ranked him a five-star prospect. During his freshman season at Texas, Kabongo earned a spot on the Big 12 All-Rookie Team, as well as All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades. The 6-foot-2 guard started 45 games while averaging 10.8 points per game and 5.3 assists during his two seasons playing with the Longhorns. In April 2013, Kabongo elected to for go his final two seasons of eligibility and enter the NBA Draft. He went undrafted but later joined the Miami Heat for the 2013 NBA Summer League. The San Antonio Spurs signed Kabongo that September, but then waived him several weeks later. The Austin Toros (later renamed the Austin Spurs) — an affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs that play in the NBA Development League — picked up his rights two weeks later. Kabongo then moved to the Fort Worth Mad Ants in November 2014. He appeared in 16 games and averaged 8.8 points per game before being waived one month later. In August 2015, Kabongo won the 2015 Basketball Tournament championship with the Overseas Elite. Overseas Elite received a $1 million prize with 95 percent of the winnings going to team personnel or charity and the other five percent going to fans. In October 2015, Kabongo was selected by the Delaware 87ers in the second round of the 2015 NBA Development League Draft, but his rights were traded to the Erie BayHawks on draft night.

FROM TOP L EFT: COURTES Y THE TEXAS DARLINS, PATRICK M EREDITH/UN IV. OF TEXAS

TEXAS DARLINS

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

HELP WANTED CHARLIE STRONG WAVES GOODBYE TO THE LAST OFFENSIVE COACH FROM HIS ORIGINAL STAFF.

PATRICK MEREDITH/UN IV. O F TEXAS

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Tommie Robinson

HEN TOMMIE ROBINSON left the Longhorns’ staff to return to Southern Cal, he sent the Texas football team on the hunt for a new running backs coach. Robinson, who coached one year for the Trojans before joining head coach Charlie Strong’s first “gang of nine” staff, was arguably the most successful coach of that bunch while on the 40 Acres. Now that he’s gone, not one single offensive coach from Strong’s original staff remains. In Robinson’s two years at Texas, he got the most out of the likes of Malcolm Brown, found ways to get the ball to the often-injured Johnathan Gray and developed two running backs —D’Onta Foreman and Chris Warren — who should put their respective stamps on the Longhorn program in the coming season. That level of success is likely how Robinson had managed to survive the terminations that took place at the end of this season. Strong

fired quarterbacks coach/ offensive assistant head coach Shawn Watson and offensive line coach Joe Wickline in mid-December. After the 2014 season, Strong didn’t retain tight ends coach Bruce Chambers or wide receivers coach Les Koenning, the latter despite his nothing-to-all-Big 12 work with John Harris. Robinson is an Alabama native and a 30year coaching veteran who also had stops with the Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys and at the college level with Memphis and Miami. His original two-year contract at Texas, like all the other original staff of assistants, was set to expire this month, prompting a plethora of rumors about his future with the Longhorns. Robinson was never an ace recruiter for Texas — perhaps one of the reasons Strong didn’t work hard to keep him — but he was a tireless worker with his players and a straightshooter, both with the young men he coached and with the media when given the chance to speak. USC coach Clay Helton was overjoyed to have Robinson back in the land of Troy, even moving another assistant from the offensive to the defensive side of the ball to make room for his former colleague. “We’re thrilled to welcome back Tommie to the Trojan family,” Helton said. “He’s one of the most respected running back coaches in our profession. He has had an extensive career in both the NFL and college and he’ll pass on that knowledge to our young running back group. I’ve had the good fortune to work with Tommie on two different occasions, at USC and at Memphis, and have seen firsthand how he develops young men both on and off the field.” In the long run, Texas’ hopes that Robinson’s replacement will be a more enthusiastic recruiter, like defensive backs coach Chris Vaughn, tight ends coach Jeff Traylor and linebackers coach/recruiting coordinator Brian Jean-Mary. The new staff member’s impact, however, will likely not be felt until the 2017 recruiting season.

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JOHNNY WALKER REVIEW FORMER LONGHORN JOHNNY WALKER DISCUSSES THE UPCOMING TEXAS OFFENSE

JOHNNY WALKER'S RESUME • Played football and baseball at Texas from 1987-90

What do you expect from new offensive coaches Sterlin Gilbert and Matt Mattox? I didn’t get a chance to see Tulsa play this season, but I know that its offense leverages Art Briles’ concepts. We’ve seen what the Baylor offense has accomplished over the past few years. Texas should expect the same thing for its offense. We need to see the offensive line improve. Conner Williams and Patrick Vahe established themselves as true freshmen and Texas just picked up a big time commitment from Jean Delance. I don’t think there will be any question of how good the running game will be — the biggest thing is that Texas needs to be more consistent at the quarterback position and more output from both the receiver and tight end positions.

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Which quarterback will excel in this new offense? That’s a tough one. I’ll base my guess on what I’ve seen from Baylor’s offenses and quarterbacks. I don’t think anyone has the lead right now — Texas is basically starting over on the offensive side of the ball. Jerrod Heard showed a phenomenal skill set last year, but again you have a new offensive system and I’m not sure it will bode well for his particular skill set on every down. We’ll definitely see a few quarterbacks get a chance to play this year. I can say with certainty that the best quarterback will play. Do you think Strong and his staff can finish with momentum when recruiting for the 2016 class? The message that Strong gives to the parents and players focuses on the core values system and the expectations of the players on and off the field. I know my mom wouldn’t care what schools I visited — she would say, “I already know what school you’re going to based on having Charlie Strong in our home.” Because his message is resonating with the parents, players are flipping. We saw players flip to Texas last year who were committed to other schools. The great thing about Strong is that he won’t tell players what they want to hear — he’ll tell them what they need to hear. I think that’s important. We lost that in college football, so it’s great to have a coach on the 40 Acres that has brought that back.

• Two-time All-Southwest Conference • Caught the game-winning reception to beat Oklahoma in 1989 • Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 1990 (4th round)

“

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO CONTINUE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THE PLAYERS HAVE TO GO OUT AND WORK HARD — THEY HAVE TO EARN IT BECAUSE EXPECTATIONS ARE HIGH.

”

BETH ANY W AL TER/UNIV. OF TEXAS

What do the players and coaches need to focus on this spring? The most important thing is to continue moving in the right direction. [Head coach] Charlie Strong made a statement letting the players know that not a single position is safe. The players have to go out and work hard — they have to earn it because expectations are high. Take a look at the recent coaching changes. Strong is committed to making sure he has the best coaches out on the football field — to bring out the best product and bring the most out of the football players. The expectations for both the players and coaches are equally as high.

WAITING PERIOD

JESS E DROHEN

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Charlie Strong

a godsend at defensive tackle where the Longhorns are in need of talented youth. Now it’s all about whether or not Strong can close and how he chooses to use his in-home/in-person visits with the top targets prior to decision time. The Longhorns have done all they can to be in a position for a second consecutive furious finish on the recruiting trail. All that remains is time — time for Texas to try and capitalize on a successful weekend and time for its competitors to attempt to thwart the momentum. For the rest of us, all there is to do is wait.

HE BIGGEST OFFICIAL visit weekend of the 2016 recruiting cycle for head coach Charlie Strong and the Texas Longhorns is over. Now comes the hard part for Longhorns fans: waiting. Fans will have to wait until National Signing Day to see what will happen with some of Texas’ top targets. Strong and his staff made their last oncampus recruiting pitch to several prospects that are necessary to Strong’s success on the 40 Acres. A recruiting class that consists of Brandon Jones, Stephon Taylor and Jeffrey McCulloch looks much better than if the group opted to play somewhere else. The good news regarding the staff’s efforts over the weekend is that it could very well lead to difference-makers picking Texas. That’s usually the case any time a group of recruits show up in Austin, but getting Belton offensive lineman Zach Shackelford to flip from Kansas State was a sign of major progress. The Longhorns appear to have the clear lead over Notre Dame for McCulloch who only has an official visit to Alabama and an unofficial visit to Texas A&M left. Texas couldn’t be in a better spot for Taylor, who would be JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 23

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during the week of 9/7 - 9/14

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.

JIM S IGMON/ UNIV. OF TEXAS

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

THE HABE ON THE HORNS

OFFENSIVE MOVES RECENT STAFF CHANGES LOOK TO IMPROVE THE TEXAS OFFENSE — BUT WHAT ABOUT THE DEFENSE?

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HILE COLLEGE FOOTBALL fans around the world recently enjoyed a smorgasbord of bowl games, head coach Charlie Strong was busy making some bold moves in an attempt to get his team back into the postseason party. But did Strong make the right moves? He hired former Tulsa co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks/receivers coach Sterlin Gilbert as Texas’ new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Then he added Matt Mattox, the other half of the Golden Hurricanes’ offensive braintrust, to coach the Longhorns’ offensive line and coordinate their running game. “We made two great hires for our staff,” Strong said. “They’re outstanding coaches who will do a great job of developing our players. We did a lot of research on both of them and we know they’ll be the right fit for our staff.” Gilbert and Maddox replace Shawn Watson and Joe Wickline, respectively, both of who did not have their contracts renewed by the university. At his first press conference, the first question Gilbert had to answer was, “Do you know what you’re getting into?” Gilbert smiled and shot back with the only answer he had to give. “Without a doubt.” In his four seasons as a collegiate coordinator (two at Eastern Illinois and one each at Bowling Green and Tulsa), Gilbert’s offenses have averaged almost 500 total yards and nearly 38 points per game. He’ll be hard-pressed, however, to get that kind of production out of the current Texas offense. The news to me isn’t that Strong retooled his offensive coaches — it’s that he didn’t make

changes to the defense, which was one of the worst ever this past season. In the Longhorns’ 5-7 campaign in 2015, they gave up 5,431 total yards (an average of 452.6 yards per game) in 12 games — the most in school history. They gave up the second most points (364) in school history and the 2,630 rushing yards allowed rank third. But Strong decided to stand pat on that side of the ball, opting to outscore opponents with Gilbert’s spread offense than stopping them with the defense he used to call his trademark. One thing is obvious when watching teams like Alabama and Clemson play for the national championship — Texas has some work to do to even be considered in the same league. Maybe outscoring teams will get the Longhorns back to that stage, and then maybe it won’t. It’s a case of join-‘em-if-you-can’t-beat‘em for Strong, and he’s all in. 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.

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JUST WITHIN REACH: Despite the Longhorns’ best efforts, the Texas volleyball team lost the national championship by slim margins.

ABOVE IT ALL

PATRICK MEREDITH/UN IV. O F TEXAS

DESPITE WHAT SOME MAY CALL A DISAPPOINTING END TO THE SEASON, THE TEXAS VOLLEYBALL TEAM MADE HISTORY IN 2015.

E

VEN THOUGH THEIR season didn’t end how they expected it to, the Longhorns shouldn’t be mad — they accomplished plenty this season. The Texas volleyball team finished the 2015 season with another Big 12 Championship, a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, its fourth-straight trip to the NCAA Final Four, the Big 12 Player of the Year and a 30-3 record. “They have magic between them,â€? head coach Jerritt Elliott said about his team. The Longhorns’ season ended at the hands of a former conference rival. They suffered a 3-0 defeat while competing in the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship Ĺ‚ J=HO BPAN =J EILNAOOERA NQJ PDNKQCD PDA

postseason — which included wins over Florida and UCLA at home — the Longhorns couldn’t stop the momentum created by Nebraska in the Cornhuskers’ own backyard. 1DA C=IA S=O ?HKOA BNKI OP=NP PK ł JEOD with both teams trading leads throughout the match. The Longhorns ended up losing by slim margins (23-25, 23-25, 21-25), unable to build any momentum off impressive performances by junior All-American Paulina Prieto Cerame and freshman Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani. Despite the loss, the Longhorns impressed throughout the season, losing only two games during the regular season and only one at home. Texas started off its 2015 campaign with a series of intense tournaments designed to prepare the team for the rigors of the NCAA tournament. The Longhorns hosted the American Campus Classic, the VERT Challenge

and the Texas Classic during August and September before traveling to Arizona to compete in the Wildcat Classic to wrap up their nonconference schedule. The team faced many challenging nonconference opponents including Rice, LSU, Florida, UTSA, Arizona and eventual J=PEKJ=H ?D=ILEKJ +A>N=OG= 1DAEN ł NOP HKOO of the season came against Florida at home in the VERT Challenge early in September. One of the Longhorns’ only two losses of the regular season, they were able to avenge their loss in the postseason. The Longhorns hosted the Gators in the NCAA Regionals and defeated PDAI EJ = PDNEHHEJC ł RA OAPO EJ KN@AN PK LQJ?D their ticket to the Final Four. "J NKQPA PK PDAEN ł BPD OPN=ECDP EC Conference title, and ninth overall, the )KJCDKNJO ł JEODA@ ?KJBANAJ?A LH=U SEPD = JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 27

PATRICK MEREDITH/UN IV. O F TEXAS

record with their only conference loss coming on the road against TCU. In addition to winning the title, Texas dominated the conference accolades with seven members of the squad honored. Seniors Amy Neal and Molly McCage were named to the All-Big 12 First team with Neal also earning the Big 12 Player of the Year honor. Chloe Collins, Chiaka Ogbogu and Cerame were also named to the All-Big 12 First Team. Sophomore Cat McCoy was named to the AllBig 12 Second Team and Bedart-Ghani was named to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team. Texas was selected as the No. 3 overall seed for the 2015 NCAA tournament, giving the PA=I DKIA ?KQNP =@R=JP=CA BKN PDA Ĺ‚ NOP PDNAA rounds of the tournament. !QNEJC PDA Ĺ‚ NOP =J@ OA?KJ@ NKQJ@O PDA )KJCDKNJO @ABA=PA@ #=ENĹ‚ AH@ =J@ -QN@QA 3-1 to advance to the NCAA Regionals. During the regionals, the Longhorns faced UCLA and Florida. Texas defeated UCLA 3-1 and Florida 3-2 to earn a spot in the NCAA Final Four. In Omaha, the Longhorns came in as the underdogs and faced No. 2 seed Minnesota in the Final Four. The Longhorns defeated Minnesota 3-1 in their fourth-straight NCAA Final Four appearance to set up the National Championship game against Nebraska. This year’s senior class, one without Longhorn legends Haley Eckerman or Bailey Webster, was able to do what no other class has done before. “My seniors have created a culture that has never been created before in terms of chemistry, Kat Brooks trust and unity,â€? Elliott said following the National Championship match in December. Despite only consisting of three team members, this year’s senior class will be a tough one to replace. Amy Neal, Molly McCage and Kat Brooks have set numerous records and will leave the 40 Acres as the winningest senior class in program history, setting high expectations for future classes. In addition to helping the Longhorns win the 2012 NCAA National Championship title as freshmen, this senior class has surpassed expectations. The class has been to an unprecedented four straight appearances in the + #EJ=H #KQN =J@ PDNAA + 0AIEĹ‚ J=H appearances. Neal, McCage and Brooks also account for three Big 12 Conference D=ILEKJODELO =J@ Ĺ‚ JEODA@ PDAEN ?=NAAN SEPD a 113-13 record and a 90 percent winning percentage. “I came here knowing this team could compete for a national championship every year,â€? McCage said. “We’re achieving things; that’s what we came here to do. Every single day, every single touch, is to get us to that point.â€? All three members of this year’s graduating Molly McCage Amy Neal class will be hard to replace. The Longhorns will miss one of their principal leaders in Neal, an IRREPLACEABLE: This year’s senior class — which consisted of Kat Brooks, Molly McCage and Amy Neal — will leave Austin native who came to Texas four years ago the 40 Acres as the most winningest class. from Lake Travis High School. JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 29

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PATRICK MEREDITH/UN IV. O F TEXAS

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT: Chiaka Ogbogu will look to lead the Longhorns next season — right back to the national title match.

PATRICK MEREDITH/UN IV. O F TEXAS

Neal’s career at Texas started off slow and at one point the outside hitter considered transferring away due to an under-performing freshman year. Despite a national title on her resume, Neal was frustrated with just seven kills as a freshman trying to compete behind Webster and Eckerman. Neal ultimately decided not to transfer and she became a huge advantage for the Longhorns. Starting out her career on the >AJ?D +A=H Ĺ‚ JEODA@ DAN PEIA =P 1AT=O =O KJA of the leading outside hitters despite her small height. Äź&P†O IKOPHU =>KQP IU ?KJĹ‚ @AJ?A =J@ IU mental game,â€? Neal said. “Volleyball is mental, and I learned that my freshman year. My BNAODI=J UA=N & HKOP =HH IU ?KJĹ‚ @AJ?A ‡ Neal is the seventh consecutive Big 12 Player of the Year from Texas and the ninth overall since the start of the Big 12. Neal joins the ranks of former Longhorns Eckerman, Webster, Juliann Faucette and Destinee Hooker. This season, Neal led the team with 482 GEHHO =J@ Ĺ‚ JEODA@ SEPD = DEPPEJC ?HEL Furthermore, she led the conference in service =?AO SEPD LAN OAP 1DNKQCDKQP DAN ?=NAAN

Neal had a total of 741 kills and ended her time as a Longhorn with a .234 hitting percentage. McCage came to the Longhorns ranked as the No. 1 player in the nation by Prep 3KHHAU>=HH EJ =J@ ODA @E@J†P @EO=LLKEJP The middle blocker from Klein Collins High School in Spring was an impressive force at the net, providing critical blocking expertise for the Longhorns. “I don’t care about individual accolades,â€? McCage said during the season. “Every single game I put a priority on blocking.â€? &J *? =CA OAP PDA LNKCN=I†O ?=NAAN NA?KN@ BKN >HK?G =OOEOPO Ä =J@ Ĺ‚ JEODA@ PDEN@ BKN PKP=H >HK?GO =P &J PDEO OA=OKJ =HKJA *? =CA Ĺ‚ JEODA@ SEPD GEHHO =J@ = DEPPEJC ?HEL 0DA Ĺ‚ JEODA@ SEPD OKHK >HK?GO >HK?G =OOEOPO =J@ @ECO *? =CA Ĺ‚ JEODA@ DAN ?=NAAN SEPD GEHHO = DEPPEJC LAN?AJP=CA OKHK >HK?GO =J@ >HK?G =OOEOPO Next season, the Longhorns’ defense will have a tough time replacing Brooks, a libero from Punahou High School in Honolulu, KJPEJQA@ KJ L=CA

Amy Neal JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 31

IN AUGIE, WE TRUST: As college baseball’s most winningest coach, Augie Garrido looks to uphold his title this season.

THE GARRIDO Q&A AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH HEAD COACH AUGIE GARRIDO REVEALS WHAT’S TO COME THIS SEASON.

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Augie Garrido, had lost his touch with the players. It was a ludicrous assessment — Garrido is, after all, the winningest coach in college baseball history — and no one knows baseball better than he. Now fast forward to the winter of 2016 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Anticipation is high for the Longhorns as they look to rebound this season. The team is driven by a steely group of hungry veterans out to prove that last season was an anomaly. Along for the ride is a stable of highly talented and motivated freshmen, a handful of who will battle for playing time in the field and on the mound. Horns Illustrated sat down in midJanuary for an exclusive interview with Garrido. The 76-year old coach was fresh off a trip to Nashville where he

was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (an honor too long in coming) and just four weeks removed from left hip replacement surgery. He was already moving around well without a cane.

HI: Tell us how things went with your team during the fall workouts. Garrido: We spent the fall program recognizing the attitude of the players and determining the team’s leadership group, which will likely come from the players that were here when we went to the College World Series two years ago. They had a more difficult time of it last year and have seen both sides of what it’s all about. Those guys have been more responsive in the fall. The conditioning and weight

BETH ANY WAL TER/ UNIV. OF TEXAS

B

Y ALMOST EVERYTHING that’s usually expected of the vaunted Texas baseball team, last year’s first-round exit from the NCAA Tournament was a disappointment. Even the Longhorns’ late run to win the Big 12 Championship and the NCAA playoff berth couldn’t mitigate the feelings about the end of the season. Texas had two separate seasons in 2015. The first was where Texas started 17-8 and looked good for a return trip to the College World Series. The second took place when the Longhorns were 24-24 and had to right the ship to even qualify for the Big 12 Tournament. The dichotomy between the two halves of the Longhorns’ campaign had some wondering if their iconic coach,

games ourselves. At one point we were 24-24 because we didn’t trust the team concept. When we put it back together for that period of time in the Big 12 Tournament (in time to become conference champions), it showed how well we played as a team. Right now we have a feeling of closeness and belief in one another. We’re working to make sure we keep that moving forward.

training work went well but we’ll have to continue to get a better grasp of how to simplify things.

HI: What’s the attitude of the team as it enters the season? Garrido: You don’t see a lot of negativism in the fall because the playing field is level and everyone is equal. It’s when you see how people deal with the adversity of the game and the roles they may have on the team — either by accepting them or not accepting them — that will determine how good this team will be. We’re optimistic about putting a team together with quality players that well represent the University of Texas. That will include some ups and downs — that’s part of the drill — but the indicators are that we have the right attitude.

BETH ANY WAL TER/ UNIV. OF TEXAS

HI: What’s the biggest key to make sure this season is not like 2015? Garrido: Attitude will play the most important role. We have the quality of athletes to compete at a high level if we compete as a team. The excitement is in the unexpected — what we know now is small compared to what we’ll know a month from now and what we know then will be less than we know at the end of the season. Do we have a team at this point in time that can go to the College World Series and be a contender? No one knows that because the team hasn’t been formed yet. Do we have the personnel? Yes. HI: Will you use last season’s disappointment as motivation? Garrido: The difficulties we had last year needs to drive us. It would be a mistake not to point out we were one kind of team when we were having success in the early part of the year working together, and another when we all became individuals and tried to prevent the losing by trying to win the

HI: Did the new baseball with the raised seams have any effect on how the team performed last year? Garrido: That hasn’t affected what we’re trying to do. We’re a team whose home stadium is like the ballpark where they play the College World Series [TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha]. We have to play the game that fits into that environment. Our advantage is in knowing what it takes to win in a park like this — we have to eliminate the egos, the hunt for high batting averages, the home runs and individuality and play good, solid put-the-ball-in-play baseball and execute the fundamentals of the game both offensively and defensively. We strive to try to make the game simple and fun. That’s what, ultimately, will bring us the success we’re all working towards. HI: There were rumblings last season that Texas had to make the NCAAs or you would be forced out of your job. Did that affect the way you coached at the end of the year? Garrido: I didn’t think about it when it was rumored last year and that wasn’t part of the motivation — for the team nor me. We got back together as a team because the team woke up and realized they were going to go nowhere if they didn’t. My focus is on the players and coaches, and to solve the problems of this team, from week to week, day to day and game to game. I spent zero time thinking about what my athletic director was thinking or if I was coaching for my job. There are things you can’t control, and you just have to have confidence in what you’re doing. There’s no use in spending any time trying to control things you can’t. HI: Is your team ready, Coach? Garrido: We’re ready to get things started. If we come together as a team, we’ll have a chance to be very good. We are excited about the season.

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AROUND THE HORN HERE’S A LOOK AT HOW TEXAS WILL LOOK IN THE FIELD AND ON THE MOUND IN 2016 (WITH STATS FROM THE 2015 SEASON).

CATCHER TRES BARRERA, JR., (.288, 61 hits, 9 HR, 34 RBI) MICHAEL CANTU, SOPH., (.249, 46 hits, 1 HR, 20 RBI)

Tres Barrera

FIRST BASE KACY CLEMENS, JR., (.204, 10 hits, 0 HR, 0 RBI) MICHAEL CANTU

GARRIDO: The team is very confident in Kacy Clemens’ defensive abilities at first base. If he can modify his offense to the small game that we’re playing, he’ll be there. He’ll pitch, too. Cantu or Barrera will get some time at the position so that we can get both their bats in the game. Kacy Clemens

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BETH ANY WAL TER/ UNIV. OF TEXAS

TRES BARRERA

SECOND BASE

JOE BAKER, SOPH. (.297, 37 hits, 1 HR, 13 RBI)

SHORTSTOP BRET BOSWELL, SOPH. (.253, 45 HITS, 2 HR, 20 RBI)

GARRIDO: Boswell played third last year but he’s more comfortable at short and he played there all through his youth and high school days.

Bret Boswell

THIRD BASE

KODY CLEMENS, FR.

MATT SCHMIDT, FR.

GARRIDO: Kody is the guy at third base at this point, but there are always opportunities for a challenge.

FROM TOP: BETHANY WALTER/UN IV. OF TEXAS , PATRICK MEREDITH/ UNIV. OF TEXAS

LEFT FIELD

TYLER RAND, FR.

CHASE SHUGART, FR.

TRAVIS JONES, SOPH. (.111, 2 HITS, 0 HR, 0 RBI)

CENTER FIELD ZANE GURWITZ, JR., (.260, 46 hits, 4 HR, 24 RBI)

Zane Gurwitz Jr.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 35

RIGHT FIELD

PATRICK MATHIS, SOPH. (.063, 1 hit, 0 HR, 1 RBI)

DESIGNATED HITTER TRES BARRERA MICHAEL CANTU KALEB DENNY, FR. (RS),

GARRIDO: Denny was one of the best hitters in the state when he was in high school but he’s been hampered by a knee injury that has still not fully healed. We hope he can play this year; it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to play defense but he may be well enough to hit and run the bases.

PITCHING STARTERS

KYLE JOHNSTON, SOPH., RHP (1-1, 2.21 ERA in 25 appearances, 4 starts) CONNOR MAYES, SOPH., RHP (2-4, 2.58, 29 appearances, 4 starts)

Michael Cantu

MORGAN COOPER, SOPH., RHP (4-2, 2.89, 29 appearances, 1 start) *2014 stats JOSH SAWYER, JR., LHP (3-3, 4.82, 13 appearances, 11 starts)

TY CULBRETH, SR., LHP (4-5, 3.95, 27 appearances, 5 starts) GARRIDO: That’s five guys for four spots before taking the freshmen into consideration, and the freshmen are very much competing for starting positions. The pitching staff, as usual will be one of our strengths of our team. Chad Hollingsworth (RHP) will not be pitching for us this year — he just never recovered from the shoulder issue he had last year.

RELIEVERS

TRAVIS DUKE, SR., LHP (1-1, 2.21 ERA in 25 appearances, 4 starts)

CHASE SHUGART, FR., RHP

JON MALMIN, JR., LHP (2-4, 2.58, 29 appearances, 4 starts)

FRESHMEN

NOLAN KINGHAM, RHP

NICK KENNEDY, LHP

BLAKE WELLMAN, RHP

BEAU RIDGEWAY, RHP

GARRIDO: They have all been impressive, with good philosophy and command. We just don’t know yet if they’re going to be distracted by the environment, but they’re good arms and they threw strikes in the fall.

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BETH ANY WAL TER/ UNIV. OF TEXAS

GARRIDO: There are three or four guys that we’ll try in the stopper’s roll. (Freshman righthander Chase) Shugart has the personality for the job — he’s competitive with a 93-95 fastball.

EYE ON THE PRIZE: The Longhorns remain fixated on their longterm goal — making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

POWERED UP

F

OR EVERY TEAM in every sport, each approaching season brings with it a number of questions. How good will the team be this season? How much playing and coaching talent returns from last year, and who needs to be replaced? Are players who were injured a year ago fully recovered? What can be expected from newcomers? How favorable is the schedule? For the Texas softball team, the 2015 season was one of considerable promise, but also one that left the Longhorns wondering what might have been. Texas had several LH=UANO @A=H SEPD EJFQNEAO >QP OPEHH ł JEODA@ PDA season with a record of 38-17. The Longhorns tied for second place in the Big 12 and later earned a trip to the Los Angeles Regional of the NCAA Championship. The trip to southern California was the program’s 11th NCAA bid, but the postseason ended quickly when Texas lost two of its three games. Considering the slew of standout players Texas had lost to graduation in each of the

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two previous seasons, a trip to the postseason was considered a nice accomplishment. But in Austin, merely qualifying for the NCAA Championship is more of a standard than a cause for a huge celebration. Head coach Connie Clark and her staff begin each season assuming they’ll end the year in Oklahoma City, playing in the World Series, and there’s no reason to believe that’s not the goal in 2016. “I thought we had a good year last year — not a great year, but a good year,” Clark said. “Going into the year, our expectations were high — I thought that with good health and a little luck, maybe we could get into a Super Regional, and at that point, you never know what can happen.” The Longhorns return the vast majority of their 2015 team, and hope a crew of talented newcomers can supplement the returning core of talent. Eight of Texas’ nine everyday players return from last season. The returning players scored 88 percent of the Longhorns’ runs last

year, and had 87 percent of the total hits, 86 percent of the doubles, 100 percent of the triples, 95 percent of the home runs and 93 percent of the stolen bases. In the pitching circle, the Longhorns get back 68 percent of the victories from a year ago, a number that is skewed by the fact that junior Tiarra Davis — assumed by many to be last season’s ace — IEOOA@ OECJEł ?=JP PEIA SEPD =J =JGHA EJFQNU and never quite returned to form. Among those returning are two 2015 ?=LP=EJOġ OAJEKN KQPł AH@ANO )EJ@OAU 0PALDAJO and Rachel Scott. Stephens and Erin Shireman were both National Fast-Pitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Central Region honorees last season, along with junior KQPł AH@AN 0PALD=JEA 4KJC OAJEKN @AOECJ=PA@ LH=UAN EJł AH@AN %KHHU (ANJ =J@ OKLDKIKNA pitcher Erica Wright. Clark said that the return of so much veteran experience, including all three captains from last season, is an immeasurable asset for her team. “It’s tremendous,” she said. “With the

SU SAN S IGMON/ UNIV. OF TEXAS

STACKED WITH NEW AND VETERAN TALENT, THE TEXAS SOFTBALL TEAM IS READY FOR THE 2016 SEASON.

expectations we had last year, we had a group of juniors who jumped into that leadership role. So now we have proven players who also are proven leaders. Our culture around the team was tremendous last year and that should continue this year.â€? Junior All-Big 12 shortstop Devon Tunning, who hit .350 in 2015, had 17 extra-base hits, smacked seven home runs and drove in 26 runs, also returns this season, along with sophomore third baseman Randel Leahy, senior second baseman Stephanie Ceo =J@ FQJEKN EJĹ‚AH@AN (AHHE %=JVAH Äź!ARKJ EO =I=VEJC ‡ H=NG O=E@ Äź0DA S=O =I=VEJC EJ PDA HA=@KBB OLKP BKN QO 4A talked about sliding her down in the order to produce more RBI, but it’s tough to move her and her on-base percentage from that leadoff position. Besides, leaving her where she is means she gets more at-bats.â€? Several newcomers joined this year’s NKOPAN PDA IKOP OECJEĹ‚?=JP KB SDKI IECDP well be third baseman Celina Felix, a transfer from Mount San Antonio (Calif.) College. Felix is a solid defender, but really stands out at the plate, where she displayed a disciplined eye by not striking out a single time in 119 at-bats (and 138 total plate appearances) last OA=OKJ %AN =NNER=H =HOK CERAO PDA )KJCDKNJO IQ?D EILNKRA@ RANO=PEHEPU EJ PDA EJĹ‚AH@ =O she and Tunning each can play both third and shortstop, or even second, in case of injury. Clark said that Felix’s discipline at the plate couldn’t be ignored. “That’s one of the things that attracted us to her,â€? Clark said. “You look at the stats, and that gets you on the plane. There are different levels of pitching when you get to this level, but that stat really tells you about her ability to pick the ball up early out of the pitcher’s hand. “But it’s not just her bat,â€? she continued.“She’s fun to watch on the left side KB PDA EJĹ‚AH@ PKK 0DA D=O = PNAIAJ@KQO CQJ and comes to us with a lot of experience.â€? The other newcomer is freshman Reagan %=PD=S=U = PSK PEIA +# HH IANE?=J BNKI ,H=PDA +KNPDSAOP %ECD 0?DKKH EJ )AJAT= (=J O = OAJEKN ODA OAP = OP=PA NA?KN@ with 18 home runs (in just 25 games), hitting .640 with 41 hits, 50 runs scored, 30 walks, 61 runs batted in and a slugging percentage of 1.950. During her junior season, she was ARAJ IKNA @EBĹ‚?QHP BKN KLLKOEJC LEP?DANO to get out, hitting .741 while smacking 11 doubles, six home runs, driving in 36 runs and slugging 1.316. %=PD=S=U SDK†O ATLA?PA@ PK P=GA KRAN EIIA@E=PAHU EJ NECDP Ĺ‚AH@ BKN PDA )KJCDKNJO was one of 69 athletes (along with Malory 0D=PPHA =J EJĹ‚AH@AN KQPĹ‚AH@AN BNKI AHPKJ who has signed to join the Longhorns in 2017) named as age-eligible for the U.S. +=PEKJ=H 1A=I =PDHAPA LKKH =BPAN L=NPE?EL=PEJC in the 2015 USA Softball Junior Olympic Cup JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 39

Erin Shireman

in Chino Hills, Calif. “She’s a beast,” Clark said. “She and Holly (ANJ SEHH >=PPHA BKN PD=P NECDP ł AH@ OLKP & I OK CH=@ ODA O EJ PDA IET BKN PD=P 20 OMQ=@ PNUKQP ODA O = OLA?E=H P=HAJP 0DA D=O PD=P kind of ability.” 1SK KPDAN BNAODIAJ PD=P SEHH HEGAHU ?KJPNE>QPA PDEO OA=OKJ =NA EJł AH@AN DNEOPEJ= =N@SAHH =J@ KQPł AH@AN AG=D H?KVAN =N@SAHH H=NG O=E@ EO = RANO=PEHA LH=UAN SDK ?KQH@ ł HH EJ BKN AEPDAN #AHET KN 1QJJEJC KJ PDA HABP OE@A KB PDA EJł AH@ 2J@AN H=NG = BKNIAN LEP?DEJC ?K=?D PDA )KJCDKNJO =HS=UO SEHH NAHU KJ LEP?DEJC =J@ @ABAJOA =J@ SDEHA PDAU @E@ HKOA LAN?AJP KB H=OP UA=N O LEP?DEJC OP=BB SEPD PDA @AL=NPQNAO KB $=>>U 0IEPD =J@ )=QNAJ 0H=PPAJ PDA OP=BB EO =JUPDEJC >QP @A?EI=PA@ >U CN=@Q=PEKJ 1DA Longhorns didn’t steal a lot of bases in 2015, OSELEJC >=CO EJ =PPAILPO NAHUEJC IKNA KJ DKIA NQJO ĠPDA PA=I DEP H=OP OA=OKJ =J@ @KQ>HAO Ġ PK CAJAN=PA NQJO QP SDEHA =JU H=NG ?K=?DA@ PA=I SEHH >A REASA@ =O = LEP?DEJC =J@ @ABAJOA ł NOP PA=I PDANA O =ILHA NA=OKJ PK >AHEARA = OPNKJC KBBAJOA SEHH >A >APPAN EJ PDA QL?KIEJC OA=OKJ 1DA )KJCDKNJO SAH?KIA >=?G PDAEN PKL AECDP DEPPANO BNKI = UA=N =CK Ġ=J@ @ELLEJC @AALAN EJPK PDA OP=P ODAAP KB PDA PKL =J@ KB PDA PKL BNKI = UA=N =CK !=REO ATLA?PA@ PK >A H=OP UA=N O =?A =LLA=NA@ EJ C=IAO ĠOP=NPEJC ?K>>HEJC PKCAPDAN = NA?KN@ SEPD =J "/ KB =HHKSEJC DEPO =J@ NQJO EJ EJJEJCO LEP?DA@ S=HGEJC =J@ OPNEGEJC KQP 4EPD !=REO HEIEPA@ >U DAN =JGHA 4NECDP >A?=IA PDA SKNGDKNOA =LLA=NEJC EJ C=IAO ĠOP=NPEJC CKEJC SEPD = PA=I HA=@EJC "/ KB CEREJC QL DEPO =J@ NQJO S=HGEJC =J@ OPNEGEJC KQP 4EPD !=REO JKS BQHHU DA=HPDU ODA =J@ 4NECDP =NA ATLA?PA@ PK A=P QL PDA >QHG KB PDA EJJEJCO =J@ OP=NP PDA I=FKNEPU KB PDA C=IAO EJ Ġ A?=QOA PDA QJ@AND=J@ PDNKSEJC IKPEKJ EO HAOO P=TEJC KJ = LEP?DAN O =NI PD=J PDA KRAND=J@ OPUHA AILHKUA@ >U JA=NHU =HH >=OA>=HH LEP?DANO EP O JKP QJ?KIIKJ BKN PA=IO PK NAHU DA=REHU KJ = NKP=PEKJ KB PSK DQNHANO EJ PDA LEP?DAN O ?EN?HA

ļ"NE?= EO IKNA KB = LKSAN LEP?DAN H=NG O=E@ ļ0DA HH >A = OPNEGAKQP PULA KB GE@ SDK PDNKSO PDA >=HH EJ PDA OPNEGA VKJA %AN NEOA>=HH 40 HORNS ILLUSTRATED

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Rachel Scott

Tiarra Davis

Celina Felix

LNK>=>HU S=O DAN >AOP LEP?D H=OP UA=N =J@ ODA FQOP D=O PD=P NA=H =CCNAOOERA IAJP=HEPU PD=P UKQ S=JP BNKI = BNKJPHEJA LEP?DAN ļ1E=NN= EO IKNA @A?ALPERA ODA ?KJPEJQA@ ļ0DA ?=IA BNKI = OI=HH ?KIIQJEPU Ġ%AJ@ANOKJ =J@ NA=HHU CKP DAN ł NOP >EC C=IA ATLANEAJ?A PSK UA=NO =CK SDAJ ODA S=O = BNAODI=J "NE?= D=@ PD=P NECDP BNKI PDA CAP CK =J@ JKS PK D=RA PSK KB PDAI SEPD OK IQ?D P=HAJP =J@ >KPD SEPD PD=P ATLANEAJ?A PDAU CERA QO = JE?A KJA PSK LQJ?D /APQNJEJC =HKJC SEPD 4NECDP =J@ !=REO EJ PDA LEP?DAN O ?EN?HA EO OKLDKIKNA NECDP D=J@A@ DQNHAN (NEOPAJ H=NG SDK BKQJ@ DAN BKKPEJC EJ PDA ?KHHACA C=IA H=OP UA=N CKEJC ĠIKOPHU EJ NAHEAB ODA D=@ FQOP KJA OP=NP EJ JEJA =LLA=N=J?AO H=OP OA=OKJ SEPD =J "/ KB OQNNAJ@ANEJC DEPO =J@ NQJO EJ EJJEJCO 1DA 1AT=O OP=BB =HOK SEHH CAP = >KKOP BNKI -=ECA RKJ 0LNA?GAJ = OKLDKIKNA SDK PN=JOBANNA@ BNKI PDA 2JERANOEPU KB 0=J Diego. ļ4A HH D=RA PK ł CQNA KQP KQN NKP=PEKJ H=NG ?KIIAJPA@ ļ4EHH SA CK PK PDNAA OP=NPANO SDAJ SA CAP PK ?KJBANAJ?A C=IAO KN SEHH SA NAHU IKOPHU KJ 1E=NN= =J@ "NE?= 1D=P O OKIAPDEJC SA HH ł CQNA KQP >QP SA HEGA PDA LEA?AO SA D=RA BKN PD=P OP=BB 1DA )KJCDKNJO OLAJP PDA I=FKNEPU KB PDA OA=OKJ KJ PDA >Q>>HA KB PDA PKL @ELLEJC EJ =J@ KQP KB PDA J=PEKJ=H N=JGEJCO =J@ HEGAHU SEHH OP=NP PDA OA=OKJ EJ PDA O=IA N=JCA KHHACA OKBP>=HH PA=IO LH=U =J =>>NARE=PA@ B=HH O?DA@QHA PD=P >=OE?=HHU =IKQJPO PK = @A B=?PK ATDE>EPEKJ OA=OKJ EJ SDE?D ?K=?DAO LH=U = HKP KB LH=UANO PK BQNPDAN AR=HQ=PA P=HAJP =J@ ł J@ ?KI>EJ=PEKJO PD=P SKNG SAHH PKCAPDAN &J PDA )KJCDKNJO ?=OA PDA B=HH EJ@E?=PA@ PD=P !=REO JK HKJCAN BAAHO =JU EHH ABBA?PO BNKI PDA =JGHA EJFQNU PD=P ODAHRA@ DAN BKN L=NP KB DAN OKLDKIKNA ?=IL=ECJ =J@ =HOK C=RA PDA PA=I EPO ł NOP ATPAJ@A@ HKKG =P #AHET =P PDEN@ >=OA =J@ %=PD=S=U EJ NECDP ł AH@ 1DA )KJCDKNJO OEP EJ =J KLPEI=H LKOEPEKJ =O PDA OA=OKJ =LLNK=?DAO 2JPEH PDANA O ARE@AJ?A PK PDA ?KJPN=NU ,GH=DKI= SEHH NAI=EJ PDA B=RKNEPA PK SEJ PDA EC =C=EJ =HPDKQCD PDA 0KKJANO HKOP PDAEN PSK >AOP DEPPANO Ġ+E?KHA -AJ@HAU =J@ )=QNAJ D=I>ANH=EJ BNKI H=OP OA=OKJ =UHKN SDE?D PEA@ 1AT=O NA?KN@ EJ Ġ>QP 1AT=O D=@ PDA DA=@ PK DA=@

Reagan Hathaway

Lindsey Stephens

A@CA D=O PK >A ?KJOE@ANA@ PDA PDEN@ PA=I =HKJC SEPD 1AT=O =J@ ,GH=DKI= =P PDA DA=@ KB PDA ?H=OO BKN PDA ?KJBANAJ?A ,GH=DKI= =HS=UO NAHK=@O N=PDAN PD=J NA>QEH@O >QP QJPEH ?=L=>HA NALH=?AIAJPO BKN -AJ@HAU =J@ D=I>ANH=EJ =NA BKQJ@ EP O JKP QJNA=OKJ=>HA PK =OOQIA PD=P PDA )KJCDKNJO =J@ PDA A=NO ?KQH@ PECDPAJ PDA C=L >APSAAJ PDAIOAHRAO =J@ the Sooners. ļ1DEO ODKQH@ >A = >=H=J?A@ HA=CQA H=NG O=E@ ļ,GH=DKI= D=O PK >A ?KJOE@ANA@ PDA B=RKNEPA QJPEH OKIAKJA GJK?GO PDAI KBB 4A HH ?KILAPA =J@ =UHKN SEHH >A OKHE@ =C=EJ PDAU =HS=UO =NA (=JO=O @E@ OKIA JE?A PDEJCO >QILEJC QL PDAEN /-& KQPOE@A KB ?KJBANAJ?A C=IAO =J@ 1AT=O 1A?D ?KILAPA@ SAHH H=OP UA=N 4A HKRA EP JU PEIA UKQ ?=J CAP PDA >KPPKI PK N=EOA QL EP I=GAO PDA SDKHA HA=CQA PKQCDAN ļ1DA EC EO OPNKJCAN BNKI PKL PK >KPPKI OK PD=P IA=JO UKQ ?KQH@ OAA IKNA HKOOAO KJ PDA S=U PK PDA ?D=ILEKJODEL ODA =@@A@ ļ QP PD=P =HOK IA=JO PD=P PDKOA PKQCD C=IAO SEHH LNAL=NA QO >APPAN BKN PDA LKOPOA=OKJ 4EPD = HACEPEI=PA ?D=J?A =P = EC title, there’s no reason to believe that the )KJCDKNJO ?=J P I=GA = NAPQNJ PNEL PK PDA + D=ILEKJODEL =BPAN PDA OA=OKJ =J@ SEPD = LNK@Q?PERA RAPAN=J HEJAQL >KHOPANA@ >U LKPAJPE=HHU LKPAJP JAS?KIANO =O SAHH =O = LEP?DEJC OP=BB PD=P ODKQH@ >A >APPAN PDEO OA=OKJ SEPD PDA NAPQNJ KB !=REO O FQOP =>KQP ARANU ?K=?D SEHH O=U PDA CK=H EO OEILHU PK CAP PDA LKOPOA=OKJ =P SDE?D LKEJP ARANU PA=I D=O = ?D=J?A KJOE@ANEJC PDA P=HAJP =J@ RAPAN=J ATLANEAJ?A NAPQNJEJC BKN 1AT=O PDA )KJCDKNJO D=RA = ?D=J?A JKP KJHU PK NA=?D PDA LKOPOA=OKJ >QP =HOK PK I=GA = OECJEł ?=JP NQJ ļ1DA 4KNH@ 0ANEAO EO = NA=HEOPE? CK=H PDEO UA=N H=NG O=E@ ļ& I ?KILAPEPERA OK & PDEJG PD=P =P OKIA LKEJP ARANU UA=N QP SA NA CKEJC EJPK PDEO UA=N >QEH@EJC KBB H=OP UA=N O ?QHPQNA 4A D=RA P=HAJPA@ LH=UANO OI=NP LH=UANO PDEO B=HH SA D=@ KQN DECDAOP PA=I $- EJ IU UA=NO DANA =J@ SA D=RA = PA=I KB LH=UANO SDK =NA LQODEJC A=?D KPDAN EJ PDA ?H=OONKKI =J@ KJ PDA ł AH@ 1DEO EO =HS=UO =J AT?EPEJC PEIA KB UA=N >QP PDANA O = HEPPHA IKNA PDEO UA=N 4A D=RA = ?D=J?A PK @K OKIAPDEJC OLA?E=H

CLOCKWIS E FROM LEFT: SUS AN S IG MON/UNIV. OF TEXAS , PATRICK MEREDITH/ UNIV. OF TEXAS, JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS, SUSAN SIG MON/UNIV. OF TEXAS, PATRICK M EREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS, S US AN SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS

Devon Tunning

IN SEASON YOUNG GUN:

KERWIN ROACH JR. FANS SHOULD EXPECT KERWIN ROACH JR. TO DOMINATE THE HIGHLIGHT REELS OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS.

C

ONDUCTING A GOOGLE search on Kerwin Roach Jr. will return a dozen pages — not just entries — that document the freshman guard accomplishing feats that shouldn’t be humanly possible. Numerous videos show Roach dunking on helpless prep opponents when he was a star at Galena Park North Shore, a suburb of Houston. Scrolling further down, even more videos are available, this time showing Roach traveling more than 50 feet to win back-to-back Class 5A triple jump state championships. And his video library continues to grow. Thanks to social media, there’s repost after repost of Roach running and leaping high during vertical jump testing on the 40 Acres this summer. In the video Roach’s chin is at the rim, and the 6-foot-4 guard’s entire right arm is above it, putting his hand at the top of the backboard. “What the video didn’t show is that Roach said he was going to do it before he actually did — and then he did it again and again,” guard Javan Felix said. “Then he just went over to the side and did a standing backflip. He’s the most athletic player I’ve ever seen.” Yet none of those highlight-reel plays prepared his followers for the audacious dunk Roach performed in the Longhorns’ overtime win against upset-minded UT Arlington on Dec. 1 at the Erwin Center. That dunk earned Roach constant relays on ESPN as one of its top 10 plays of the day and remains one of

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HIGHER LEARNING: Kerwin Roach Jr., although already known for his incredible vertical, still has much to learn about the college game.

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His winning jump –— a personal-best 50 feet, 8 inches, which came on his fifth jump and topped runner-up Wichita Falls Hirschi’s Charles Brown by more than a foot — was the nation’s best high school mark last spring. Without question, scouts from far and wide came to North Shore to recruit Roach. “I blew up and became the hot name,” Roach said. “I played my game and I guess they liked what they saw. The first week of the evaluation period, I had a few mid-major programs scouting my games and had a few offers. By the third week I had like 30 college coaches watching and was up to 27 offers.” In the end, he signed with Texas. Today Roach is far from limited to poster production, but the Longhorn need even more from him. Through Texas’ first 16 games, Roach

is the seventh-leading scorer with a 5.3 pointsper-game average and he has more turnovers (32) than assists (21). He’s shooting 35 percent from the floor and just 27 percent from 3-point range and has hit on just 20 of his 38 free throw attempts. Roach will get better as the season progresses and he learns the college game. Next season, when the Longhorns lose Felix and Demarcus Holland, Roach will need to step up and be at his best. Until then, Longhorns fans will at least have Roach’s monster dunk to remember and, hopefully much more to look forward to. “I’m happy but I’m not satisfied,” Roach said about his game after the UTSA win. “I want to come out here and play basketball like I know I can.”

SU SAN S IGMON/ UNIV. OF TEXAS

the most remarkable finishes of the 2015-16 basketball season. “You look for a spark any way you can get it,” Felix said. “[Roach’s dunk] woke up everyone in the building.” “I was just in the moment,” Roach said about the dunk. “I felt like the team needed something, and I provided it.” Now that Roach has accomplished things that even the best basketball players on the globe can’t, he’s looking to do something more, especially for his team. He has to become more than just a highlight machine. “I love to play hard and fast,” Roach said. “I can score and defend, and I play with a big chip on my shoulder. I like to play up and down the floor but nothing too fancy. And I DO have a little showtime in me.” While “potential” can often imply future reference, Roach’s budding talent could serve as a continual stepping stone, a block to build on with each practice and game. “His potential is limitless,” head coach Shaka Smart said. “He has the most potential on our team.” Since arriving in Austin this offseason after crushing Texas high school track & field records and leading North Shore to the 6A state title, Roach has done nothing but impress. Yet long before suiting up for his first collegiate appearance, Roach earned national praise for a how high he can jump. Roach, who emulates his game after Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook, was a four-star recruit according to Scout before becoming a Longhorn. He was rated the No. 62 player in nation. Roach played in 36 games and averaged 16.1 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game during his junior season at North Shore High School. He then upped the ante during his senior year when he averaged 20.7 points, 4.8 assists and 3.0 steals per game while leading his team to a 27-7 mark. North Shore is known as a football school, but in the spring of 2014, Roach and his teammates pushed the high school to the forefront of the basketball landscape when they won the Class 5A state championship. “Winning the state basketball championship had been one of my dreams since I was a little kid,” Roach said. “Right after that was track season, and I felt so strong and in shape from the basketball season. The triple jump is basically the same motion as going up for a dunk without a basketball. It just came easier during track season.” Roach added yet another state championship title to his name that year, this time for the triple jump. He put himself on the map as one of the nation’s top triple jumpers with a wire-to-wire win at the last year’s Texas Relays. He was the only competitor in the 27-person field to reach 50 feet, and he did it four times.

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Hawaii. Brooks, along with Nicole Dalton and Cat McCoy, controlled the back row for the )KJCDKNJO NKKGO Ĺ‚ JEODA@ PDA OA=OKJ SEPD @ECO =J@ LKEJPO =J@ DAN ?=NAAN SEPD @ECO =J@ LKEJPO Brooks’ contributions to Texas’ success are not necessarily displayed within the box score. Despite starting her career with lower expectations than her fellow classmates, her four years of consistency for the defense was immeasurable. She was able to provide quality passing on the back row to help ensure Texas’ dominance on the court. “I can tell you I wish I wasn’t a senior,â€? McCage said at the end of the season. “I wish that I had more time with this team. Not only the volleyball part — the relationships I have with these players is incredible. The amount I’m going to miss them is insane. I regret nothing with this group.â€?

The team will certainly miss this trio of OAJEKNO >QP PDA )KJCDKNJO ł J@ PDAIOAHRAO with enough returning talent to be in the early talks of making another national championship NQJ EJ PDA OA=OKJ 0EILHU OP=PA@ JATP year doesn’t look to be a rebuilding year for the Longhorns. At middle blocker, Ogbogu will lead the Longhorns’ blocking efforts at the net. Ogbogu S=O J=IA@ PK PDA HH EC #ENOP 1A=I PDA HH 0KQPDSAOP /ACEKJ =J@ S=O J=IA@ = 3 #ENOP 1A=I HH IANE?=J 0DA ł JEODA@ PDA OA=OKJ SEPD JEJA OKHK >HK?GO =J@ >HK?G =OOEOPO EJ =@@EPEKJ PK GEHH O=J@ = DEPPEJC ?HEL 0DA†HH >A FKEJA@ KJ PDA ?KQNP by freshman Morgan Johnson and sophomore Mirta Baselovic. McCoy, who likes to refer to herself as PDA ğ/A=H *? KU ‡ SEHH =J?DKN PDA )KJCDKNJ @ABAJOA CKEJC EJPK PDA OA=OKJ *? KU S=O J=IA@ PK PDA HH EC 0A?KJ@ 1A=I PDA ?=@AIE? HH EC #ENOP 1A=I =J@ S=O

OAHA?PA@ PK PDA EC KIIEOOEKJAN†O %KJKN /KHH 0DA Ĺ‚ JEODA@ PDEO OA=OKJ SEPD digs and 22 points scored. Sophomore Kate Palladino and freshmen Lauren Beard and Natalie Gilbert will help McCoy on the back line for Texas next season. At outside hitter, Cerame and freshmen *E?=U= 4DEPA =J@ A@=NP $D=JE SEHH =PPAILP PK NALH=?A +A=H A@=NP $D=JE Ĺ‚ JEODA@ PDA OA=OKJ SEPD GEHHO =J@ = DEPPEJC ?HEL KB P OAPPAN FQJEKNO +E?KHA !=HPKJ =J@ KHHEJO will return for the Longhorns. Collins was J=IA@ PK PDA HH EC #ENOP 1A=I =J@ HH 0KQPDSAOP /ACEKJ PA=I KHHEJO Ĺ‚ JEODA@ PDA OA=OKJ SEPD @ECO =J@ =OOEOPO !=HPKJ Ĺ‚ JEODA@ SEPD =OOEOPO @ECO =J@ LKEJPO O?KNA@ “This team, more so than any team that I’ve ever coached, took me for a ride [this season],â€? "HHEKPP O=E@ Äź1DAU EJOPEHHA@ ?KJĹ‚ @AJ?A EJ IA made me believe in them. They made me a believer.â€?

PATRICK MEREDITH/UN IV. O F TEXAS

Chiaka Ogbogu

Yasmeen Bedart-Ghanie

Kat Brooks

Paulina Prieto Cerame JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 45

IN SEASON

BACK FOR MORE: Finally cleared to return to the court, Ariel Atkins is already making an impact for the Longhorns.

YOUNG GUN: ARIEL ATKINS

A

RIEL ATKINS BEGAN the season on the sidelines. The sophomore guard watched from the bench as the Texas women’s basketball team won game after game throughout the first month of nonconference matchups. Atkins looked on as the Longhorns took down top-15 opponents Tennessee, Mississippi State and Stanford. She struggled to watch her teammates play without her. After sitting out nine games due to an offseason ankle surgery, Atkins is finally

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back on the court for No. 4 Texas. “It was hard watching my team,” Atkins said. “I wasn’t anxious, though, because my teammates were supportive and told me to take my time.” On Dec. 20, Atkins finally stepped out under the lights and took the court against Arkansas in Oklahoma City for the Big 12-SEC Challenge. In her first game back, Atkins scored 5 points — a 3-pointer and a couple free throws — as the Longhorns defeated the Razorbacks, 61-50, and improved to 10-0. “It’s a process — coming back,” associate head coach Travis Mays said. “It builds confidence with more time on the

court because it gives you confidence to believe in what your body can and can’t do.” Atkins suffered a right ankle injury during practice last December and missed eight games in the 2014-15 season. She returned to the court in late January after rehabbing her injury and proved to be an asset down the conference stretch. She led the Longhorns in scoring in Big 12 play with 10.4 points per game and in free throw percentage at .825 (66-of-80). Atkins was a bright spot in Texas’ 105-54 loss to No. 1 UConn in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Championships. She led the Longhorns with 11 points in 23 minutes

SU SAN S IGMON/ UNIV. OF TEXAS

SOPHOMORE ARIEL ATKINS FINDS HER STRIDE ONCE AGAIN — AND AT THE PERFECT TIME.

SU SAN S IGMON/ UNIV. OF TEXAS

on a night when not much was going right for Texas. “It’s been difficult for the coaches, but more so for the players,� head coach Karen Aston said last February of the team’s injuries. “Their chemistry is affected because they have to play new roles — they can’t ever get their feet on the ground.� Atkins’ ankle problems nagged her through her offensive production last spring. She played limited minutes during the rest of the season and elected to have surgery on the ankle in the offseason. After a year of physical therapy and rehab, Atkins feels as though her ankle is back to full-strength. “Physically, I feel fine,� Atkins said Dec. 27 after Texas defeated Sam Houston State. “I came into practice a week before I actually played [on Dec. 20], and the team banged me up pretty good. I feel like, physically, I was ready to come in and play. But in terms of conditioning — I’m still working on that.� Since returning, she has wasted little time putting points on the board for the Longhorns. Atkins is averaging 10.2 points per game through five games. She logged 12 points and four rebounds in Texas’ 83-49 win over Sam Houston State — only her second outing of the season. Aston said Atkins provides valuable energy off the bench for the Longhorns in addition to her ability to score. “It’s huge when you know you have production that will come off the bench,� Aston said. “When you look at the players that come off our bench, they give us good defensive energy. You have to have that in league play because there are nights when the league is hard.� Texas started Big 12 play Dec. 30 with a tough 65-54 win at West Virginia — Texas’ first-ever victory in Morgantown. Atkins shined, scoring a team-high 18 points on 6-of8 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 free-throw shooting. She also grabbed three steals and three rebounds. Atkins’ teammates continue to support and encourage her as she finds her stride on the court again. “We’re already proud of what she’s done and how far she’s come,� senior guard Celina Rodrigo said. “She’s a scorer and she adds a lot of value to our team, even defensively. At West Virginia she took a couple of huge charges that really helped us out.�

Atkins notched her third double-digit scoring effort over four games when Texas routed Texas Tech 86-62 on Jan. 2. She scored 11 points and brought down three rebounds. She was also perfect on five from the free-throw line. As Atkins builds back to full recovery, her time on the court is essential to Texas’ energy and production. Aston says Atkins’ versatility makes her an asset to the team. “Ariel is capable of doing a lot of things,� Aston said. “To put her in a box isn’t a good thing because she’s a versatile player who can score, rebound, defend and communicate. Her role, at this point right now, is coming off the bench to serve as another energy player for us. With her capabilities of scoring you want her to look for her shot and to be aggressive offensively.� Atkins is doing more than just providing energy off the bench and scoring — she’s contributing for Texas on both sides of the ball. Her role for the Longhorns in conference play will only increase as she continues to get stronger and returns to top form. Needless to say, she isn’t watching from the sidelines anymore. “My focus right now is to just let the game come to me,� Atkins said, “and, as a team, do what we need to do on the floor on any given night.�

Horns Illustrated (ISSN 1096-2573), Volume 23, Number 1. Copyright Š 2016 by Texan Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Published nine times a year (monthly in January, February, March/April, May, June, July, October, November and December) in the United States by Horns Illustrated, 1505 Ridgecrest Drive, Austin, TX 78746. 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, oneyear basic rate, $49.95. 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. (512) 626-8513. 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 IAJPEKJA@ EJ PDA ł ?PEKJ KN OAIE ł ?PEKJ =J@ NA=H places or persons living or dead is coincidental. Single copies: $4.95 in U.S.

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016 HORNS ILLUSTRATED 47

FINAL SCORE

Prominent Texas lawyer and philanthropist Joe Jamail passed away Dec. 23. He was 90 years old. Jamail was the undisputed “King of Torts,” having tried more than 500 cases and achieving more than 200 verdicts and settlements in excess of $1 million. He was most known as the famed trial attorney who won the landmark verdict in the 1985 Pennzoil v. Texaco case, resulting in a $10.53 billion verdict for Pennzoil Co. Jamail graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1953, and he received numerous awards and honors throughout his life. His philanthropic efforts included multiple donations to Texas, totaling more than $50 million. More than 4,000 students are enrolled in, or have graduated from the university thanks to scholarships donated by Jamail. The field at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium was named Joe Jamail Field in his honor and he has two statues on the university’s campus. “It’s sad to hear a great friend and Texas legend Joe Jamail has left us,” Vince Young said.“He’ll be missed, but leaves us all with many great memories, stories and life lessons. I can’t thank him enough for all of the support.”

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JIM S IGMO N/UNIV. OF TEXAS

IN MEMORIAM: JOE JAMAIL