The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
02.24.2017 | Women's Basketball
Seniors Kelsey Lang and Brianna Taylor honored when Women’s Basketball concludes its home regular-season schedule on Friday night against Iowa State.
Texas Women's Basketball vs. Iowa State
Friday, Feb. 24
7:30 p.m. at Frank Erwin Center
TICKETS AVAILABLE
The journey so far has been historic, emotional and full of drama.
A pair of road victories against top-five opponents. A record-setting win streak. Overtime wins and last-second losses.
And there's still two regular-season games left to play for Texas Women's Basketball.
The journey is far from over, the ending yet unwritten, but what the sixth-ranked Longhorns do know is they host Iowa State on Friday night in their final Big 12 home game of the year. Seniors Kelsey Lang and Brianna Taylor will be honored prior to the 7:30 p.m. tipoff at the Frank Erwin Center.
In this season, when so much has already been accomplished, and yet the Longhorns still strive for so much more, it's appropriate Lang and Taylor will get a moment to stand under the lights and be recognized. This hard-working duo embodies the spirit and purpose of this year's team.
"They're the anchors," head coach Karen Aston says.
Lang and Taylor are leaders by age, maturity and stature. Statistics don't exist to measure the unglamorous duty of consistent effort and attitude. What's necessary doesn't often draw attention, unless it's missing. The important and critical aren't appreciated until they fade away.
"Show up, put their shoes on, lace 'em up and go to work," Aston says of their daily demeanors.
Lang and Taylor, longtime friends and roommates, embraced their roles on the team with a philosophy that speaks to their character: Effort over ego.
As the leaders of the team, they invited more people to lead. Finally, after four years of enduring coaching and construction, when it was time to step into their spotlight, Lang and Taylor turned the attention back on their teammates.
Instead of being the ones to dictate how to be Longhorns, following Aston's lead, a leadership council was created. The seniors encouraged the juniors to step into leadership roles, and observed personalities that naturally bonded together. In this way, everyone is a mentor, and yet everyone accepts they still have more to learn.
"We all have someone that we're able to talk to on the court, and the relationship being so strong is different than just one person telling everyone what needs to be done or what needs to be done better," Lang says.
Aston allowed Lang and Taylor to stay true to their natures, even as early season practices and games begged for a dominant personality to take the reins.
"Leadership is a process," Aston says. "These two, (it's) more like coaching. They've been there and done it, lived through so many scenarios, they can coach and teach."
Lang and Taylor have experienced the re-emergence of the Longhorns, helping to assemble four 20-win seasons and three NCAA Tournament berths. They've played in two Big 12 Championship games, and seen the progression from qualifying for the NCAA Tournament to making the Sweet 16 to playing national champion UConn in last year's Elite Eight.
"Just being able to go a step farther each year for us has been something special," Lang said. "This year, watching this team grow has been amazing."
Taylor points to the Longhorns's 92-88 double overtime thriller at Florida State as one of the most memorable moments of her Texas career, and not so much for the win itself, but how it was earned.
"Literally everyone contributed. It showed our depth and our growth, and it shows that everyone is hungry," Taylor said. "It showed that we're a team."
The legacy for Lang and Taylor is still to be determined. There' a lot of basketball yet to play. And Aston says that legacy is escalated by how a team completes a season.
And it's as if Lang and Taylor knew this all along.
"We depend a lot on our underclassmen. They can do some things better than we can. In that aspect, we look to them and rely on them," Taylor said. "We're able to pass along knowledge.
"We lean on and rely on each other."
