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AUSTIN, TX — The Texas Longhorns women's basketball team led by 40 points with five minutes remaining in an NCAA Tournament game devoid of drama when the chants began in earnest.
“We want Sarah!” chorused repeatedly from the stands facing Texas’ bench as the top-seeded Longhorns closed in on a first-round win over Missouri State on Friday at Moody Center.
The fans got their wish with about two minutes left in the fourth quarter when Longhorns senior guard Sarah Graves checked into the game.
Graves missed two shots and Texas point guard Rori Harmon slapped her palms against her legs in exasperation. But a few possessions later, Graves nailed a turnaround jumper with 14 seconds remaining and the arena erupted in celebration.
Graves went down the Texas bench collecting high fives and handshakes. Longhorns star forward Madison Booker pretended to fan money all over Graves.
“It’s just so fun because I remember coming here four years ago and no one knew who I was,” Graves told USA TODAY Sports. “So it’s just cool to see the progression of being a nobody and nobody knowing who you are versus finding a way to make an impact no matter what your role is. So, ‘humbling’ is the word I would use.”
Graves, a former Longhorns walk-on whose relentless work ethic ultimately earned her an athletic scholarship, has become a sort of celebrity in Austin and beyond. She’s been featured in The Athletic and on ESPN’s College GameDay. She is shamelessly self-promotional on social media and on LinkedIn.
It’s the same bet-on-herself attitude that inspired Graves, a finance major, to spend $70 to purchase Texas coach Vic Schaefer’s coaching manual three years ago, so that she could study his plays before she joined the team.
Graves’ last-second bucket on Friday against Missouri State was her eighth field goal this season and first NCAA Tournament field goal of her career. In three previous NCAA Tournament games that she played in, she was 0-for-2 from the field.
“Sarah is probably as comfortable as anybody I got on my team in our offense. She knows how to probably run the five position if I put her there,” Schaefer said after the game. “Her teammates were ― they care deeply about her because they know she cares deeply about them. It's a fun time. It's great that you can play those kids in that moment and of course the crowd, the crowd's pretty cool, too.”
Texas’ pressure defense and interior scoring helped the Longhorns dominate all game long and paved the way for Graves’ late entrance. Her teammates were just as ecstatic.
“When we score in the game, she's always first one off the bench and everything. We kind of wanted to give that back to her when she scored,” Booker said. “When the ball was going through the hoop, we wanted her to see how much we appreciate her on the bench and just give her back energy. But yeah, we love Sarah to death over here.”
Harmon said, “She's a great leader. She's a great culture kid. She does so much for us. When she goes out there and has a great attitude every time she gets in the game and she does something like that. We see it in practice and not a lot of people see that, but that turnaround fade in the paint that she had is a great shot to have.”
Graves said while she hopes the attention helps her land a job after graduation, she’s mainly enjoyed seeing the effect her story has on others.
“It’s awesome because it’s a way for me to deflect onto my teammates and my team,” Graves said. “It’s not really about me at all, but if I can inspire one player, one kid – which is what I’ve usually heard from these, kids getting inspired – then that makes all the difference in the world.”
Graves had no aspirations of being a college basketball player. Growing up in Keller, Texas, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, she ran track for most of her life. She was 14 when she decided to give basketball a try and joined her high school team. It didn’t go well at first.
“Not at all,” Graves said, laughing. “I was on the ‘C team.’ I had like, three five-second violations in my first game. I was traveling. But I genuinely lived in the gym. My parents would tell you, I was there four hours every single day before, after school. Six a.m. on the weekends.”
She had no intention of continuing her basketball career beyond high school, but the summer after she graduated, she realized she deeply missed the competition. When she enrolled at Texas in the fall of 2022, a friend told her about an opportunity to practice with the Longhorns. By October of her freshman year, she was on the team. She was put on scholarship prior to the 2023-24 season.
“I’ve seen a lot of late bloomers, a lot of people inspired to work hard and not give up,” Graves said. “If you’re obsessed with your craft and you work way harder than everybody else, it’s never too late to start.”
Graves’ other tips for the masses: “Be authentic and shameless.”
“It might be a little bit cringe to put yourself out there, not just on LinkedIn but anywhere, but seeing the results and seeing the impact that it’s had has made me even more shameless and having the mindset that I don’t care what anyone thinks,” she said.
On Friday, when thousands of fans roared with approval after Graves scored the game’s final basket, it was incredibly clear what those people thought.
Standing at her locker afterward, Graves shook her head and wondered out loud how it had all happened.
“Kind of a storybook ending,” Graves said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former Texas women's basketball walk-on scores first NCAA Tournament points
Continue reading...
“We want Sarah!” chorused repeatedly from the stands facing Texas’ bench as the top-seeded Longhorns closed in on a first-round win over Missouri State on Friday at Moody Center.
The fans got their wish with about two minutes left in the fourth quarter when Longhorns senior guard Sarah Graves checked into the game.
Graves missed two shots and Texas point guard Rori Harmon slapped her palms against her legs in exasperation. But a few possessions later, Graves nailed a turnaround jumper with 14 seconds remaining and the arena erupted in celebration.
Graves went down the Texas bench collecting high fives and handshakes. Longhorns star forward Madison Booker pretended to fan money all over Graves.
“It’s just so fun because I remember coming here four years ago and no one knew who I was,” Graves told USA TODAY Sports. “So it’s just cool to see the progression of being a nobody and nobody knowing who you are versus finding a way to make an impact no matter what your role is. So, ‘humbling’ is the word I would use.”
Graves, a former Longhorns walk-on whose relentless work ethic ultimately earned her an athletic scholarship, has become a sort of celebrity in Austin and beyond. She’s been featured in The Athletic and on ESPN’s College GameDay. She is shamelessly self-promotional on social media and on LinkedIn.
It’s the same bet-on-herself attitude that inspired Graves, a finance major, to spend $70 to purchase Texas coach Vic Schaefer’s coaching manual three years ago, so that she could study his plays before she joined the team.
Graves’ last-second bucket on Friday against Missouri State was her eighth field goal this season and first NCAA Tournament field goal of her career. In three previous NCAA Tournament games that she played in, she was 0-for-2 from the field.
“Sarah is probably as comfortable as anybody I got on my team in our offense. She knows how to probably run the five position if I put her there,” Schaefer said after the game. “Her teammates were ― they care deeply about her because they know she cares deeply about them. It's a fun time. It's great that you can play those kids in that moment and of course the crowd, the crowd's pretty cool, too.”
Texas’ pressure defense and interior scoring helped the Longhorns dominate all game long and paved the way for Graves’ late entrance. Her teammates were just as ecstatic.
“When we score in the game, she's always first one off the bench and everything. We kind of wanted to give that back to her when she scored,” Booker said. “When the ball was going through the hoop, we wanted her to see how much we appreciate her on the bench and just give her back energy. But yeah, we love Sarah to death over here.”
Harmon said, “She's a great leader. She's a great culture kid. She does so much for us. When she goes out there and has a great attitude every time she gets in the game and she does something like that. We see it in practice and not a lot of people see that, but that turnaround fade in the paint that she had is a great shot to have.”
Graves said while she hopes the attention helps her land a job after graduation, she’s mainly enjoyed seeing the effect her story has on others.
“It’s awesome because it’s a way for me to deflect onto my teammates and my team,” Graves said. “It’s not really about me at all, but if I can inspire one player, one kid – which is what I’ve usually heard from these, kids getting inspired – then that makes all the difference in the world.”
Graves had no aspirations of being a college basketball player. Growing up in Keller, Texas, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, she ran track for most of her life. She was 14 when she decided to give basketball a try and joined her high school team. It didn’t go well at first.
“Not at all,” Graves said, laughing. “I was on the ‘C team.’ I had like, three five-second violations in my first game. I was traveling. But I genuinely lived in the gym. My parents would tell you, I was there four hours every single day before, after school. Six a.m. on the weekends.”
She had no intention of continuing her basketball career beyond high school, but the summer after she graduated, she realized she deeply missed the competition. When she enrolled at Texas in the fall of 2022, a friend told her about an opportunity to practice with the Longhorns. By October of her freshman year, she was on the team. She was put on scholarship prior to the 2023-24 season.
“I’ve seen a lot of late bloomers, a lot of people inspired to work hard and not give up,” Graves said. “If you’re obsessed with your craft and you work way harder than everybody else, it’s never too late to start.”
Graves’ other tips for the masses: “Be authentic and shameless.”
“It might be a little bit cringe to put yourself out there, not just on LinkedIn but anywhere, but seeing the results and seeing the impact that it’s had has made me even more shameless and having the mindset that I don’t care what anyone thinks,” she said.
On Friday, when thousands of fans roared with approval after Graves scored the game’s final basket, it was incredibly clear what those people thought.
Standing at her locker afterward, Graves shook her head and wondered out loud how it had all happened.
“Kind of a storybook ending,” Graves said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former Texas women's basketball walk-on scores first NCAA Tournament points
Continue reading...
