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Vic Schaefer joins special company

Vic Schaefer joins special company

USA Today14-03-2025

Vic Schaefer joins special company Vic Schaefer named a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award
After leading the Longhorns to a 31-3 record in the regular season, Vic Schaefer has joined special company. The Longhorns head coach has been named a semifinalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award. Schaefer's latest recognition comes just a few weeks after, he was named the SEC coach of the year.
As Schaefer looks to add to his trophy case he has joined an impressive list. The other semifinalists include Geno Auriemma, Kenny Brooks, Mark Campbell, Dawn Staley, Shea Ralph, Wes Moore, Niele Ivey. During the regular season the only coaches Schafer lost to on that list are Dawn Staley and Niele Ivey.
Due to Schaffer's efforts this year, the Longhorns have the chance to be the top seed in the Women's March Madness tournament. Schafer believes his team has made a very good case.
"I think our body of work and our net, you know, it speaks for itself," Schaefer said. "I think with what we've been able to do, you know. And again, I'm not in there. I'm not on that at this point. For me, it's just tell me what time the bus needs to load, where from, and I'll make sure my team's on it. But I certainly think we've established ourselves as one of the top two teams in the country when it comes to see and I know Dawn (Staley), I think (South Carolina) should be over us because they beat us twice."
When tournament play begins, Schaefer's team will be one of the hardest to beat. They have an offense that includes Madison Booker and a defense led by Rori Harmon. That talented duo has frustrated opposing teams all season long. Texas is in good hands with one of the best coaches in the sport drawing up plays.
Adding more hardware to his trophy case would be a nice bonus for Schaefer. He has earned SEC Coach of the Year honors three times at Mississippi State and once at Texas.

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