Horns hoping Collier will be a game-changer
Freshman could be the key to ending Baylor’s long run
AUSTIN — Charli Collier’s love for Texas was no secret. Still, her flip was stunning, especially given the program she turned away from.
She had given a verbal commitment to the Longhorns as an eighth-grader — even then her talent and potential were evident and coveted. Then UConn coach Geno Auriemma came knocking and, well, he’s a hard man to turn down.
Collier sprouted into a 6foot-5 dynamo at Barbers Hill, garnering myriad accolades and rising all the way to espnW’s No. 2 player in the nation as a senior. Soon, she’d be in Connecticut, another superstar prodigy on another Auriemma super team destined for greatness.
It was a wonderful vision, but not the right one for Collier.
On Sept. 22, 2017 — Collier’s 18th birthday — she pledged to Texas.
Thirteen months later, she scored 21 effortless points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 21 minutes in an exhibition rout of West Texas A&M. Burnt orange and white seemed to suit her just fine.
Collier could be the key for 11th-ranked Texas in coach Karen Aston’s seventh season.
With 6-7 freshman Sedona Prince (broken leg) expected to miss the season and 6-3 junior Joyner Holmes still working back from ankle surgery, Collier will be relied on to control the interior on both sides of the ball.
“As a freshman, my biggest goal is to just play my part and get better each and every day,” Collier said. “Your freshman year is your learning experience. I just want to be a sponge right now and learn as much as I can from these coaches and adjust. I’ll focus on the future later, but right now I’m just focused on getting better, being a better Charli and a better teammate.”
‘Work in progress’
A cast of veteran teammates will help Collier adjust to the speed and physicality of the college game, including senior center Jatarie White and senior forward Olamide Aborowa.
But the team will have to adapt to life without Brooke McCarty and Ariel Atkins.
The senior backcourt duo started together in all but one game last season. With the pair graduated, Aston expects growing pains.
“This team in particular is going to be a work in progress,” Aston said. “When we talk amongst our staff and when we talk about the potential of this team, it’s very, very exciting.
“What I’m the most excited about is we have some versatility that we haven’t had in the past and we have come competition at spots, in particular at the guard position, that we definitely did not have last year.”
Backcourt by committee
Senior Lashann Higgs, junior Sug Sutton, sophomores Destiny Littleton and Chasity Patterson, and Texas A&M graduate transfer Danni Williams should all split time in Texas’ rotation.
Aston was pleased with the offseason development of Littleton and Patterson, who she said are still like freshmen because of their relative lack of college game experience. Littleton played a total of 93 minutes last year; Patterson averaged 7.6 minutes per game in 24 appearances.
“Last year I didn’t care what anyone told me,” said Littleton, the 2016-17 California Gatorade Player of the Year. “I was very to myself and I didn’t understand that they were trying to help me. This year I’m approaching it differently. I’m embracing the process and embracing the work that I have to do to get where I want to be.”
Fans should quickly get over Williams’ prior affiliation with rival A&M once she starts drilling 3-pointers and spacing the floor.
She nearly defeated Texas guard Matt Coleman in the joint Texas Tip-Off shooting competition and last year connected on an A&M school-record 71 3-pointers. No returning Longhorn hit more than 27.
But Collier remains the X-factor in Aston’s quest to burst Baylor’s bubble. If she proves a quick learner, Texas could snap the Lady Bears’ run of eight straight Big 12 regular-season titles.
“Charli Collier has really, really made some significant strides,” Aston said. “I think Charli’s going to be an impact player for us, there’s no question.”