Texas women's basketball facing major roster turnover as seven players depart after Final Four heartbreak
After another Final Four exit, Vic Schaefer's program will look much different next season
Despite reaching the Final Four for a second consecutive season, the Texas women's basketball team is facing a significant roster turnover this offseason, with seven players saying goodbye to coach Vic Schaefer's program.
While starting point guard Rori Harmon and center Kyla Oldacre, as well as reserve forward Teya Sidberry, are out of eligibility, four other players have entered the transfer portal, including sophomore Jordan Lee, the team's second-leading scorer. Lee started 38 games and her 13.2 points per game trailed only All-American forward Madison Booker's 18.9. Lee took more than twice the 3-point attempts (207) of any of her teammates, and she shot 34.8%.
Lee joined Justice Carlton, Aaliyah Crump and Aaliyah Moore in the transfer portal. Moore missed the season due to knee surgery, but Carlton and Crump's departures will be felt more.
Crump, 247Sports' No. 5 player in the class of 2025, was expected to be a boost for the Longhorns' offense as a strong 3-point shooter. However, the freshman did not get a full season because she missed 15 games due to a stress fracture in her foot. By the time she returned, Texas was in the thick of SEC play and her minutes were inconsistent the rest of the way. In 24 games (with five starts), she averaged 7.9 points and 2.3 rebounds on 31.5% shooting from beyond the arc.
Carlton, a coveted class of 2024 recruit, started 28 of 38 games for the Longhorns and scored 15 points in both the SEC Tournament title game victory over South Carolina and the Elite Eight win over Michigan. She averaged 8.5 points and 4.0 rebounds, both fourth on the team, while shooting 53% from the field in 19.3 minutes per game.
Carlton said on social media that chasing more NIL money was not the reason for her departure. In another comment, she said she never expected to leave the program.
"I really wanted to play at Texas all 4 years of college, I never imagined I'd transfer," she wrote. "But some things just don't work, it sucks but I'll figure it out!"
Moore was a key piece for the Longhorns, starting 56 of the 89 games she played in over four seasons. But injuries have limited her. She received a medical redshirt after playing in only nine games in 2023 and played in only 19 games last season due to her knee. She later had surgery that caused her to miss this season, and now she is in the portal with one season remaining.
Where does Texas go from here?
In six seasons under Schaefer, Texas has reached three Elite Eights and two Final Fours. This year, Texas lost in the Final Four in heartbreaking fashion to UCLA, which later beat South Carolina for the national championship.
For Texas to win the title for the first time since 1986, Schaefer will now have to do some rebuilding. As things stand now, Booker is the only one of Texas' six top scorers returning. Booker and Breya Cunningham (7.7 points, 5.6 rebounds per game) are the only two starters still on the roster, and only two of the three significant contributors, along with backup guard Bryanna Preston.
Schaefer will go into the portal to add to his roster but will also bring in the top recruiting class in the country. The five-player class features four players ranked in the top 20 by 247Sports.
The highest-ranked incoming player is No. 12 Addison Bjorn, a 6-foot-2 shooting forward who 247Sports Director of Scouting Brandon Clay said can defend multiple positions on the floor and has a game of "built on a combination of conditioning and versatility." The others in the class are No. 13 Isi Etute (who flipped her commitment from UCLA but has yet to officially sign), No. 14 Bri Crittendon, No. 20 Aaliah Spaight and No. 58 Amalia Holguin.
"The freshmen will potentially play an even bigger role now than they would have been projected to just seven days ago," Clay told CBS Sports. "That said, I anticipate that the Longhorns will be extremely active in the transfer portal. There's no shortage of legitimate Power Four-level starters available in the portal to Vic Schaefer's staff over the next month."
