Most students experience some growing pains at the beginning of their freshman year of college. But not all freshmen are on the No. 2 Texas women’s team-beats-byu-extending-home-winning-streak-to-30-games/” title=”UH basketball team beats BYU, extending home-winning streak to 30 games”>basketball team and already making a difference.
Jordan Lee and Bryanna Preston came to the Forty Acres this summer as national top 40 recruits and joined a squad of talented players and seasoned veterans. That hasn’t stopped the two guards from fitting in with the team with confidence.
“I wish y’all could see our practice sometimes,” sophomore forward Madison Booker said. “Those two are the only ones talking, which is sometimes sad, but also it’s a good thing because they’re freshmen coming in with so much energy.”
As the Longhorns struggled in the first three quarters against LSU on Sunday, Lee and Preston both came off the bench and turned up the heat. A jumper by Lee slashed the Tigers’ lead to just one point, and almost a minute later Preston nailed a layup that gave Texas its first lead since the beginning of the game.
It was exactly the kind of momentum shift that the Longhorns needed to clinch a win over an accomplished LSU team and bring the team to a 12–1 Southeastern Conference record and a 26–2 record overall.
“We came here to help contribute to (the team) because at the end of the day, we want to win a national championship, so you got to have a national championship mindset,” Preston said. “And you can’t do that if you just come in being passive.”
Because head coach Vic Schaefer isn’t handing out any favors. He’s not playing Lee or Preston because he wants to be nice. He puts those two on the court because they put points on the board, defend hard and force turnovers.
“It’s all about reliability,” Schaefer said. “The SEC is not a time for a tryout. Tryouts were back when we were playing the three-name directional schools. This is not the time for a tryout. When a coach is going to play you in an SEC game, they have to trust you.”
Even when they’re not playing, it’s hard to miss Lee and Preston. When junior center Kyla Oldacre puts up a shot in the paint, they jump off the bench cheering. If senior guard Shay Holle sinks a three, they’re celebrating with three fingers in the air and screaming their approval.
“We have a great, great group of veterans,” Lee said, laughing. “Five seniors, all grannies are just amazing. Because their thing is being serious and being dialed in, and when they need something different, we will provide something different.”
With three games left in the regular season, the Longhorns have their sights set on maintaining the best record in the conference and winning the SEC Championship.
