The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Women's Basketball's Lang looks to peak in senior season
09.05.2016 | Women's Basketball
Center from The Woodlands, Texas, preps for final year on the Forty Acres
AUSTIN – Early in the recruiting process, senior Texas center Kelsey Lang could have never imagined attending the University of Texas. Years prior, the thought of playing basketball at the college level was not one that she entertained.
And yet, the 6-foot-5 Lang enters her final campaign having made a significant impact on a Texas program that has returned to among the nation's elite.
"The environment here is just amazing," Lang said. "Knowing I could be a part of changing the culture and getting Texas back on the map was something that was exciting to me, and I love it."
CONTINUING A FAMILY TRADITION
Lang grew up in The Woodlands, Texas, a suburban township located 28 miles north of Houston. Given her family lineage, it was nearly inevitable that she would develop a passion for sport.
Lang's father Bernie – whom she credits as the primary influence on her basketball career – had been a standout player at Clear Lake High School and went on to play at Lee Junior College and Southwest Texas State. Her mother, Carrie, was an honorable mention All-America swimmer at Southwest Texas State, currently Texas State.
Two grandfathers also were basketball players – Bernard Lang lettered for Southwestern Louisiana, currently Louisiana-Lafayette, and Jack Spisak competed for the University of Miami. John Hoggard, a step-grandfather, played basketball at Baylor.
Lang picked up basketball at an early age but, for many years, it would be more of a hobby than a vehicle for her future plans.
"I started at the YMCA; my dad was my coach," Lang said. "Then there were a few Woodlands teams that I played on, but I really didn't start playing seriously until my freshman year in high school. That's kind of when I knew I would actually be able to continue playing in college. Up until then, it was just kind of a fun thing to do.
"My dad has said a thousand times that he didn't think when I was in the seventh grade that I would actually be playing in college."
In her younger years, there were few role models to emulate from her local area. The former Texas standout and NBA first-round draft pick Lance Blanks hails from The Woodlands, but there were few, if any, women's basketball notables who came from Lang's hometown. It was hard for her to visualize a path to big-time basketball success.
Then, in 2008, Amanda Anderson, a player who had led The Woodlands High School to a pair of state playoff appearances in her final two seasons, signed to play collegiately at UNLV.
That started Lang thinking about her future options.
"I didn't really have anyone to look up to until [Anderson] went to UNLV," Lang said. "The seventh and eighth graders would always go to support the high school girls, and she was a senior when I was in eighth grade. Then, the girls a year ahead of me started taking basketball seriously and they went and played in college. Just having them all surround me and knowing that I could actually have the opportunity to play in college was when I started taking it more seriously."
Lang's father noticed the difference in her focus on basketball.
"You could definitely tell when I actually got to high school, he started getting on me more," Lang said. "Before that, it was just kind of like, I would go outside and shoot some shots. After that it was 'Do you want to go to the gym or the high school or 24 Hour Fitness to get some shots up? I'll rebound for you.' He started taking it more serious once I started taking it more seriously."
A PATH TO THE FORTY ACRES
Lang finished her prep career as an All-State selection by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches and she was named the Class 5A-14 District Defensive Player of the Year. She was rated one of the nation's top-15 post players by ESPN.com.
At that time, she was convinced she wanted to leave the Lone Star State for her collegiate experience. She hadn't been recruited by Texas and had no desire to look at in-state schools.
"Throughout the whole recruiting process, I wanted to get out of Texas," Lang said. "I wanted to get away from home and go see different parts of the country. My big thing was that I wanted to go somewhere that had four seasons, somewhere that actually had a winter."
Karen Aston arrived back in Austin as the Longhorns' head coach in the spring of 2012, determined to canvass the state of Texas for its best high school players. One of her new assistant coaches, George Washington, had been a high school and club coach in the Houston area for many years and had built a relationship with Lang.
"I never had any kind of feel on Kelsey as far as interest here," Aston said. "There's no question that we probably wouldn't have gotten in the door had it not been her relationship with George. She felt comfortable with him and trusted him."
Still, Lang was not interested in considering Texas. It was her father, Bernie, who convinced her to take a visit to Austin. Her mother Carrie – whom she credits as her biggest academic influence – was pleased with the top academic reputation of UT.
Aston's vision – which Lang has since helped bring to fruition – was highly appealing.
"Once we got in the trenches with her in the recruiting process, there was something about her that wanted the challenge of helping this program be better," Aston said. "I think she knew where we were and she knew that she could come here and have a positive impact on this program. She wasn't afraid of the challenge."
A CHAMPION IN THE CLASSROOM
Academics have always been a central focus in Lang's life. That may never have been more evident than on the recruiting trail.
"Every time a school would call or contact one of my coaches, my mom would go and look at the academics part of that school and say 'Oh sure, you can talk to them,' or 'No, you need to steer clear,'" Lang said. "Clearly, she knows Texas is a great academic school, so she was perfectly fine with me coming here for academics."
Lang is an economics major at Texas with a business minor. She aspires to attend graduate school for finance with the thought of becoming a financial advisor.
"I've always loved math and it just comes easy to me," Lang said. "I love having formulas and calculations and seeing everything put together with all the data. People in grad schools for finance really like you to have a diverse background, not just a background in finance coming in. Obviously, economics is not too out there; it's very similar."
By any measure, Lang has definitely positioned herself well for graduate studies and any career path she chooses to follow. She has been an academic All-Big 12 selection each of her three years in Austin and is a five-time selection to the Big 12 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll.
"Kelsey is very gifted from an intellect standpoint," Aston said. "It took her a while to figure out her potential and get really serious about it, but she has become exactly what I thought she could be from a student-athlete perspective. She's the epitome of a student-athlete."
RIDING THE ROLLER COASTER
Lang describes her career at Texas as a bit of a roller coaster.
As a freshman, she played in each of her team's 34 games, starting 13. Lang, who scored in double figures on five occasions as a rookie, helped the Longhorns to a 10-win improvement from the previous season, which resulted in Texas winning a game in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008. Her 4.5 rebounds per game contributed to a Texas defensive effort that led the Big 12 in 2013-14.
Her sophomore season of 2014-15 was a breakout season for Lang. She was an All-Big 12 Second Team honoree and earned 31 starting nods during the year. Lang led the Longhorns in points (359) and rebounds (218), leading or tying for the team lead in scoring on nine different occasions. Texas advanced to its first NCAA Sweet 16 since 2004 and won 24 games.
It was somewhat of a bittersweet experience for Lang as a junior last year. She played in all 36 games, starting six, but averaged just 6.5 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game. While being a steady contributor for the Longhorns, Lang wasn't the standout she had been in the previous year.
Still, her team posted a 31-5 record and made its first NCAA Elite 8 appearance since 2003. It gave Lang a good taste of the grind of a long season and the elements needed for national success.
"The most obvious thing to me right now is that she understands the process of the year," Aston said. "Even though she does have a sense of urgency and knows that the level of competition in going up in our schedule, I also think she has a really good grasp of the journey."
The journey to this point has been a remarkable one. Aston and Lang entered UT with similar mindsets – they were both hungry to help take the Longhorns to the next level. Along the way, they both had to realize that success wouldn't be instantaneous but, with hard work, it would become a reality.
"We've almost kind of grown up together at Texas because there is a different mindset that you have to have," Aston said. "You can't come in here and think that if it doesn't go well on day one that the world is coming to an end. You have to sort of build up that sense of urgency and understand the highs and lows of the season, and how much energy it takes to get to April. I see a maturity in her. From a coach's perspective, she understands what this is all about."
As a senior on a team that has the potential to be a national contender, Lang appreciates the process that has taken her and the University of Texas to this point.
"I don't think you truly understand that sense of urgency until you realize this is it; you're not guaranteed time after this playing basketball," she said. "It's amazing to think that, four years ago, people weren't even thinking about Texas and women's basketball at Texas. People now are asking us if our goal is to go to the Final Four and they're saying it's realistic for us. I'm just so glad I'm a part of this."
It's not just the success on the court that has grown. The building of the team camaraderie has been equally impressive. This off-season, even when no team activities were scheduled, Lang and her teammates have chosen to spend the majority of their free time together. That closeness is apparent, in the locker room and on the court.
"I honestly thought with last year's team we were so close," Lang said. "And I still think we were close, but this is just a whole different level. These girls are my sisters. And sister is the best word for it because you may argue and you may fight, but you'll do anything for one another. Everyone really likes each other."
For Lang, who has, to this point, made the most of her opportunity at the University of Texas, she wants to maximize her individual potential and the potential of the team to result in one of the finest seasons in program history.
"My whole freshman, sophomore and junior years were kind of like a roller coaster," Lang said. "I just want it to end on the peak."
