No. 4 Texas Longhorns Freshman Known As ‘Life Of The Team’ By The Veterans
AUSTIN, TX – If there is ever a point in any practice or game for the Texas Longhorns that needs a boost, the freshmen are there to pick up the energy. Their love for the game is contagious and lifts the mood of the team and gym.
In Texas’ win over Vanderbilt, point guard Bryanna Preston could be seen yelling and jumping around in celebration after making a layup as time expired at the end of the third quarter. Sophomore guard Madison Booker shared what makes Preston and fellow freshman Jordan Lee so special. Their energy makes her and the rest of the team appreciate the game of basketball more when games and practices get tough.
“When it’s dead, those two are the only ones talking, which is, you know, sometimes sad, but also it’s a good thing because they’re freshmen coming in and with so much energy,” Booker said. “They’re lowkey being leaders out there. And you know, just, you know, they’re giving us, you know, for these vets, some juice, because I’m just a sophomore, but you know, it’s just a great thing to see.”
Making the comments about veterans needing to have more juice, Booker jokingly pointed at fifth-year senior Shay Holle, who has been known as a juice player for Texas during her time as a Longhorn. One of the teams’ most consistent three-point shooters, Lee is following in her footsteps as the team’s next up-and-coming long-range shooter.
Holle knows the importance of bringing energy to the floor and is impressed with how Preston and Lee constantly bring joy to the game.
“I’ll just say that the joy of the game being contagious, is so apparent with both Bry and Jordan,” Holle said. “Having fun and reminding all of us that, it’s basketball and it’s fun, even when it gets hard, , that’s when it’s right for us. And just like Maddie said, the juice that Bri brings, I love playing with her. I love seeing her emotion on the court because it’s contagious. You can see it go through the whole team, the whole bench, everyone.”
Against Vanderbilt, Lee played 31 minutes and Preston played 18, both contributing significantly to the win. But for Lee, she isn’t changing anything about how she acts just because she’s a freshman on the team.
In just her first year, she has learned to lean on the seniors for support, allowing herself to play free. Because of this, she is making the largest contributions of all freshmen, paving the way for herself to move into a starting role next year.
Despite all of her success, she just wants to have fun playing basketball.
“It’s a great balance. I mean, we have a great, great group of veterans. I mean, five seniors. Our grannies are just amazing,” Lee said. “But it is really fun because they take a lot of the weight off our shoulders. And so it’s really easy for us to just provide energy when they’re doing so much, to lead the way, and all we really have to do is follow and provide an additional boost when needed because their thing is being serious and being dialed in and when they need something different, we will provide something different.”
While the veterans are always locked in, the freshman will need to lock in as well for Texas’ next game. On Sunday, the No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks will take on No. 4 Texas for the second time this season as a top-five matchup. Last time, the Gamecocks were victorious and the freshman had a limited impact on the game. Now, they have a chance to upset the No. 2 team in the country in front of their home crowd.
The game will tip off at 1 p.m. and be aired on ESPN
