Two Texas Longhorns Stars Sponsoring Students’ Trip To Final Four
TAMPA — Support means everything to Texas Longhorns women’s basketball and that’s why head coach Vic Schaefer, senior Rori Harmon and sophomore Madison Booker worked together to bring a group of students to the Final Four.
About 1,146 miles away from the University of Texas at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fl., some students will have the chance to watch their school’s team play, all for free thanks to Schaefer, Booker and Harmon, Schaefer announced during his press conference on Thursday.
“The last thing I want to tell you is I do want everybody to know, we have a bus coming of students from Austin,” Schaefer said. “Rori and Book and myself, we’ve helped put a bus together and got these kids. So our students are coming from Austin. I think it’s the 17-hour bus ride. But we’ve got Booker and Rori have really ramrodded this deal. Bought the tickets. Got them some hotel rooms. So we’re excited that we’re going to be able to have some University of Texas students be able to come to the Final Four and enjoy cheering on their team.”
The students will make the 17-hour trip — all paid for — to watch their school play in the Final Four for the first time in 22 years, something most college students would not have been alive for. Several players on the Texas roster were not even born in 2003, with Taylor Jones, the oldest player, being two years old.
Not only will students be in attendance, but former head coach Jody Conradt, who led the Longhorns to their only national title, going 34-0 in 1987 to take the championship.
Conradt has been a huge part of the team, traveling to most away games and providing words of wisdom to whoever comes seeking. Schaefer wants to honor the legacy that Conradt built at Texas and he also wants to make sure that students can be a part of this historic teams’ journey.
“I know the history and tradition at Texas,” Schaefer said. “Like I said, that banner hangs in there. That 34-0 championship banner hangs in my practice facility. The 2003 (team), the last time they’d been in a (Final Four), it hangs in my practice facility. So it’s a tremendous responsibility for me to be entrusted with the keys to the program. But it’s also why I wanted the job because my vision is their vision.”
Now, Schaefer will look to extend the Longhorn legacy and make history of his own by winning a Final Four game and playing for a national championship. Schaefer, someone who has been so gracious of all of the support he’s recieved all season gets to give back to his fans and give them an experience they won’t forget.
Texas will play South Carolina on Friday at 6 p.m. central and the game will tip off on ESPN.
