Achi news desk-
AUSTIN, Texas: Texas point guard Rori Harmon knew it was bad when she hurt her knee during a pregame practice in December while doing a basketball move she had probably done thousands of times. sometimes.
“Nobody even touched me,” Harmon said. “But I knew….”
She was right. The leader of a Longhorns team that started the season as a favorite to reach the Final Four was done for the season with a torn ligament.
But after the initial tears from Harmon, her teammates and coach Vic Schaefer, she didn’t slip into the shadows of a long recovery. Harmon has been a forward and center with Texas, cheering, coaching and mentoring freshman Madison Booker, who has taken over as a team leader and has the No. seed. 1 Longhorns (32-4) rolling into Sweet 16 and March Madness matchup with No. .4 Gonzaga (32-3) Friday night.
Harmon said she can continue to be the “heartbeat” of a team seeking its first Final Four appearance since 2003.
“It’s not like I’m going to fall off the face of the Earth and never play again … I can’t quit” on this season, Harmon said this week. “I still had to give my experience and knowledge to my fellow members and have my voice heard.”
The biggest benefactor has been Booker, who was already projected as the 12th new preseason of the year.
With the 5-foot-6 Harmon’s quickness, playmaking and defense balanced by the size, creativity and shot-making of the 6-foot-1 Booker, they were a force on the floor together. Texas dismantled powerhouse UConn 80-68 in a December game where the Longhorns were in complete control.
Harmon was injured three weeks later, forcing Booker to move from shooting guard to point. Texas began Big 12 play with a loss to Baylor.
But with Harmon on the bench, by Booker’s side and constantly in her ear, the new man gradually took over. She is averaging 16.8 points and five assists per game, and was the first freshman to earn Big 12 player of the year honors.
In that early season loss to Baylor, Booker was overwhelmed by the Bears’ fast start and was benched.
Harmon, still wearing his knee brace, hobbled over to meet Booker coming off the court.
“Relax,” Harmon told her. “Take a deep breath.”
“One of the problems I had as a freshman was maturing. It was very challenging,” Harmon said. “There was really no one I could look up to… I didn’t want that to happen to her. I also wanted to let her know what you have to do to be good at basketball. Sometimes I’m not going to tell you what you have to do. You have to calculate it. During the game, there is no headset.”
Booker absorbs everything.
“She’s like a smaller Schaefer coach, really,” Booker said. “She knows everything. To me, she’s like a big sister.”
Harmon does more than talk. Sitting on the bench during games and practice, she tracks defensive rebounds, turnovers and defensive stops. As an unofficial helper, the staff presented her with a customized “Coach Harmon” notebook.
When Texas won the Big 12 Tournament, Harmon slowly climbed the ladder to take her turn to cut the net. Schaefer was there, carefully guiding her first steps up.
“Rori has been nothing short of spectacular,” Schaefer said. “Having an injury like that is devastating … And it could have gone one or two ways, and obviously it went the right way. She’s really engaged.”
Harmon was nicknamed “Coach Harmon”. But it also means she doesn’t play.
She remembers how the Longhorns carved up UConn before her injury. Harmon had 27 points and 13 assists, and her lockdown defense held Huskies All-American Paige Bueckers to 13 points.
Booker scored 20 and the Huskies had no answer to the duo that day.
Watching Bueckers and UConn now can be an inspiration for Harmon. Bueckers was the AP Player of the Year as a freshman but missed most of the past two years with injuries. She scored 32 points against Syracuse on Monday to get the Huskies back to the Sweet 16.
“I prayed so hard a year ago today to be in my shoes where I am right now,” Buekers said.
Harmon said her rehabilitation is ahead of schedule. She has started running and will jump again this week.
“I want to come back fast,” Harmon said. “I’m not going to rush myself, but I’m very capable.”
And when she does? The rebirth of the Rori and Madison show that was so short but so exciting in December?
“You saw us … You can see what firepower we have,” Harmon said. “People are going to see Madison get better, playing with someone who is ready for revenge.”
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AP March Madness Bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)
