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BIRMINGHAM, Ala – With Saturday’s Sweet 16 game tied entering the fourth quarter, Texas assistant Elena Lovato turned to head coach Vic Schaefer and offered a suggestion.She wanted him to go back to their small-ball lineup that included both point guards Rori Harmon and Bryanna Preston on the floor together. They had finished the first quarter combined for a plus-11 in the stat column — the only quarter the top-seeded Longhorns had won to that point against fifth-seeded Tennessee.
It took Schaefer one minute into the fourth quarter to sub in Preston, and the freshman point guard changed the game for Texas.
With 7:46 left and Texas trailing by two points, Preston jumped a pass across the top of the key and fought through the Tennessee player to score on the fastbreak to tie the game. Tennessee answered with a basket and then Preston tied the game again. Two possessions later, with Texas up by two, she forced another steal and assisted a Madison Booker basket that put Texas ahead by four, a lead the Longhorns would never relinquish.
That sequence was Preston in a nutshell, the freshman guard Schaefer called “lightning in a bottle” the first time he saw her play.
“That’s her every day in practice and every day in life. The kid has juice,” Lovato said.
That was Preston’s signature NCAA moment. She scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting with four assists and three steals to help spark Texas’ 67-59 victory that punched its ticket to the Elite Eight on Monday against TCU.
A year ago, Preston was a high school senior who couldn’t wait to put on the Texas uniform and play in the biggest moments the sport has to offer. On Saturday she lived it and showed the country that not only does Texas have an elite guard in Harmon, but when this season is over, Schaefer already has her replacement waiting in the wings.
And she’s not running from the pressure, because her mindset is simple. “Compete,” she said.
During Preston’s official visit, Harmon was her host. An elite guard in her own right, Harmon was surprised by something Preston told her that weekend.
“She said she wanted to come here and learn from me,” Harmon said. “When somebody thinks that about you, don’t let them down.”
When Texas recruited Preston, the staff didn’t promise her that she’d get starter-level playing time right away. She didn’t get it, either. Coming into Saturday’s Sweet 16, Preston was content with averaging 12 minutes a game and Preston.
She was serious about learning from Harmon. Preston absorbed early advice from Harmon: A leader doesn’t have to be a senior. Preston had to lead as a point guard. She couldn’t turn the ball over and had to knock down shots.
“I live with that every day,” Preston said.
Since that time, Preston and Harmon have built a close relationship. They calm each other in the big moments and hype each other when needed. Preston is open to Harmon’s mentoring, and Harmon is open to Preston running things on the floor when needed.
Their unselfishness made feasible the idea of playing them at the same time more often. It wasn’t something Texas did much of during the regular season.
In fact, it was the two weeks off after the SEC championship loss to South Carolina, when Texas starting working on it more. “That’s coach Schaefer adding to his toolbox,” Lovato said. It worked in a big way on Saturday.
In an effort to get Harmon off the ball more, Preston broke the Tennessee press in the fourth quarter. When Texas needed a jolt of energy in the fourth quarter, Preston stepped in and provided it.
Harmon loved it.
“She wanted that moment. To be successful like that you can’t be afraid,” Harmon said.
Fear is one thing Preston has never had. She knew what the pressure and expectations were going to be when she signed to play for Schaefer.
And she’s embraced all of it.
When the coaching staff came to her, before Saturday’s game, they told her, “Be ready.” Her response: “Always. I’m always ready.”
She didn’t expect to play 27 minutes. Texas didn’t expect to play her 27 minutes, but when she got her chance, Preston took control.
Now Texas is going back to the Elite Eight with an experienced guard in Harmon and its high-energy guard of the future in Preston playing off one another.
“This is an SEC guard through and through. We knew we had to replace Rori, and that was going to be a tough one to fill her shoes,” Lovato said, “but we knew this one would be able to do that.”
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Texas Longhorns, Women's College Basketball, Women's NCAA Tournament
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