The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2011
- Class:
- 1979
Basinger was the first basketball student-athlete to commit to former head coach Jody Conradt and became the leader of the UT program in the early years. After spending her freshman year at the University of Texas at Arlington (where she played for Coach Conradt), Basinger transferred to Texas prior to the fall semester in 1976 when Conradt took the head coaching job in Austin. During her sophomore season (1976-77), she led the Longhorns to a 36-10 mark and a third-place showing at the AIAW Region 4 Tournament and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player. As a junior (1977-78), Basinger was a finalist for the first-ever Wade Trophy, which honors the women’s National Player of the Year in college basketball. She helped Texas to a 29-10 record and a No. 15 ranking in the final Associated Press poll. Basinger was a team co-captain as a senior and led the Longhorns to a 37-4 mark and a No. 4 ranking in the final AP poll. In addition, she earned two letters with the UT volleyball team as a sophomore and junior (1976-77). One of the top student-athletes of her era, Basinger received her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Physical Education, summa cum laude, from The University of Texas in 1979. She also earned the UT Scholar-Athlete Award, given to the top female student-athlete at The University, and received UT’s Outstanding Student Award by the Health and Physical Education Department as a senior. Basinger was drafted by the New Orleans Pride of the Women’s Professional Basketball League (WBL) in 1979 and played briefly for the franchise. A recipient of the Texas Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (TAIAW) Graduate Study Scholarship which honored the graduating student-athlete with the highest GPA in the state of Texas, she served as a Graduate Assistant Coach in women’s basketball at Stephen F. Austin until completing her Master’s degree in Education with honors in 1982. Basinger was the head women’s basketball coach at Sam Houston State University from 1982-86, directing the LadyKats to the Lone Star Conference post-season tournament finals in 1984. She then returned to Austin in 1986 and received her J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law in 1988. Basinger joined her current Austin-based law firm in 1988, was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1989 and became a partner in what is now the firm of Wilson Grosenheider Jacobs Basinger & Loiacono, L.L.P., in 1996. The firm’s practice consists primarily of insurance defense litigation, construction litigation, ERISA litigation, defense of professional liability claims and insurance coverage analysis.