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On Wednesday, Rori Harmon answered the biggest question of the Texas women's basketball team's offseason.
Harmon announced on social media that she will return to Texas for the 2025-26 season. A 5-foot-6 point guard, Harmon has already been at Texas for four years but had a medical redshirt to use.
Given a 48-hour window after the Texas basketball season ended to decide if she would enter the WNBA Draft, Harmon will be holding off on her professional aspirations for now. Since she wasn't projected as a first-round pick in ESPN's most-recent mock draft, Harmon could conceivably improve her stock during another year of college.
A return to Texas also means that Harmon won't jump in the transfer portal and use her final year of eligibility at another school. That is the course of action taken recently by Notre Dame's Olivia Miles (TCU) and Florida State's Ta'Niya Latson (South Carolina) although Harmon herself had said it would be tough to play anywhere but Texas.
"There's a legacy that you can make here and earn throughout this process. You can't really get a legacy when you jump school to school," Harmon said earlier this year. "I don't think the grass would be greener too many other places. I'm getting treated really well here. We're winning and we're getting better."
The No. 10 prospect in the 2021 recruiting cycle, Harmon has served as a building block for the Vic Schaefer era at Texas. Harmon joined UT's 1,000-point club this winter and her 731 career assists rank behind just Kamie Ethridge's 776 in the Texas record books. Harmon, who won the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award as a sophomore and was an all-SEC defender this past season, has recorded the eighth-most steals in school history.
With Harmon as its point guard, Texas has gone 100-18 and won eight games in the NCAA Tournament.
Perhaps Harmon's marquee moment in a Texas uniform was a 27-point, 13-assist performance on Dec. 3, 2023 against UConn that led Geno Auriemma to assess that "I think she's the best player we've played against so far this year." Twenty-four days after that 80-68 win over UConn, however, Harmon tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee and was lost for the rest of the 2023-24 season.
Harmon completed a successful comeback from her injury this season. While starting in all 39 of Texas' games, Harmon averaged 29.8 minutes and accumulated the third-most assists in the country. She helped lead Texas to a share of the Southeastern Conference championship and its first Final Four appearance since 2003.
With Harmon back, Texas should enter next season among the favorites to contend for a national championship. Texas went 35-4 during a 2024-25 campaign that ended with Friday's 74-57 loss to South Carolina in the Final Four round of the NCAA Tournament.
Already a two-time All-American who has won a Player of the Year award in both the Big 12 and SEC, rising junior Madison Booker will be the team's headliner next season. Texas is also set to return Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, who started in 15 of the team's last 18 games, as well as key contributors like Jordan Lee, Bryanna Preston and Kyla Oldacre. Aaliyah Crump, the No. 5 recruit in the Class of 2025, signed with Texas this past November, and Laila Phelia, who led Michigan in scoring during the 2023-24 season, will be another offensive option after playing in just eight games this winter because of an eye injury.
A decision to return to Texas makes both sense and cents for Harmon. While declining to divulge numbers, Harmon admitted to reporters last month that she is doing well in the NIL space. According to Spotrac, WNBA rookies will only make between $66,079 and $78,831 this upcoming season.
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Rori Harmon makes decision regarding Texas basketball future, WNBA
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Harmon announced on social media that she will return to Texas for the 2025-26 season. A 5-foot-6 point guard, Harmon has already been at Texas for four years but had a medical redshirt to use.
Given a 48-hour window after the Texas basketball season ended to decide if she would enter the WNBA Draft, Harmon will be holding off on her professional aspirations for now. Since she wasn't projected as a first-round pick in ESPN's most-recent mock draft, Harmon could conceivably improve her stock during another year of college.
A return to Texas also means that Harmon won't jump in the transfer portal and use her final year of eligibility at another school. That is the course of action taken recently by Notre Dame's Olivia Miles (TCU) and Florida State's Ta'Niya Latson (South Carolina) although Harmon herself had said it would be tough to play anywhere but Texas.
"There's a legacy that you can make here and earn throughout this process. You can't really get a legacy when you jump school to school," Harmon said earlier this year. "I don't think the grass would be greener too many other places. I'm getting treated really well here. We're winning and we're getting better."
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The No. 10 prospect in the 2021 recruiting cycle, Harmon has served as a building block for the Vic Schaefer era at Texas. Harmon joined UT's 1,000-point club this winter and her 731 career assists rank behind just Kamie Ethridge's 776 in the Texas record books. Harmon, who won the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award as a sophomore and was an all-SEC defender this past season, has recorded the eighth-most steals in school history.
With Harmon as its point guard, Texas has gone 100-18 and won eight games in the NCAA Tournament.
Perhaps Harmon's marquee moment in a Texas uniform was a 27-point, 13-assist performance on Dec. 3, 2023 against UConn that led Geno Auriemma to assess that "I think she's the best player we've played against so far this year." Twenty-four days after that 80-68 win over UConn, however, Harmon tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee and was lost for the rest of the 2023-24 season.
Harmon completed a successful comeback from her injury this season. While starting in all 39 of Texas' games, Harmon averaged 29.8 minutes and accumulated the third-most assists in the country. She helped lead Texas to a share of the Southeastern Conference championship and its first Final Four appearance since 2003.
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With Harmon back, Texas should enter next season among the favorites to contend for a national championship. Texas went 35-4 during a 2024-25 campaign that ended with Friday's 74-57 loss to South Carolina in the Final Four round of the NCAA Tournament.
Already a two-time All-American who has won a Player of the Year award in both the Big 12 and SEC, rising junior Madison Booker will be the team's headliner next season. Texas is also set to return Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, who started in 15 of the team's last 18 games, as well as key contributors like Jordan Lee, Bryanna Preston and Kyla Oldacre. Aaliyah Crump, the No. 5 recruit in the Class of 2025, signed with Texas this past November, and Laila Phelia, who led Michigan in scoring during the 2023-24 season, will be another offensive option after playing in just eight games this winter because of an eye injury.
A decision to return to Texas makes both sense and cents for Harmon. While declining to divulge numbers, Harmon admitted to reporters last month that she is doing well in the NIL space. According to Spotrac, WNBA rookies will only make between $66,079 and $78,831 this upcoming season.
Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Rori Harmon makes decision regarding Texas basketball future, WNBA
Continue reading...
