The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Women’s Basketball’s Vic Schaefer named Naismith Coach of the Year semifinalist
03.13.2025 | Women's Basketball
AUSTIN, Texas — University of Texas women's basketball head coach Vic Schaefer has been named a semifinalist for the 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year presented by AXIA Time, the Atlanta Tipoff Club/Naismith Awards announced on Thursday.
Following the SEC regular season in which Schaefer guided Texas to a share of the regular season championship he was named the SEC Coach of the Year. For Schaefer, the 2018 Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year, it was his fourth SEC Coach of the Year honor in the first year in the SEC for Texas. Schaefer won SEC Coach of the Year honors as the head coach at Mississippi State in 2015, 2018 and 2019.
Schaefer led Texas to an SEC regular season championship in their first year in the conference. Texas is 31-3 on the season and finished the regular season 15-1, beating every team in the conference as they played South Carolina twice and split those games.
The Longhorns have 10 wins over AP-top25 teams and six wins over AP-top 10 teams this season. Texas has now won 30 or more games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1986-87 and 1987-88.
Schaefer has guided teams to 20 or more wins in a season in 12 straight years and has five seasons of 30 or more wins. As his teams regularly improve over the course of the season, since the 2021-22 season, his teams are 48-9 in the months of February and March.
Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year Semifinalists
Geno Auriemma UConn
Kenny Brooks Kentucky
Mark Campbell TCU
Cori Close UCLA
Lindsay Gottlieb USC
Niele Ivey Notre Dame
Wes Moore NC State
Shea Ralph Vanderbilt
Vic Schaefer Texas
Dawn Staley South Carolina