Aston envisions ’Runners growing into force
Just a few hours before the Final Four tipped off across town, new UTSA women’s basketball coach Karen Aston stepped onto the Convocation Center floor Friday to deliver her first public comments since taking the job, outlining her vision for revitalizing the Roadrunners’ program.
Though the summit of women’s college basketball was only about 20 miles away, UTSA has immense ground to cover to be a contender on a national stage. The Roadrunners posted the worst season in program history last year with a 2-18 record and a winless mark in Conference USA, plummeting to 317th out of 343 Division I teams in the NCAA’S NET rankings.
But Aston’s hiring last week gave UTSA a coach with a proven pedigree. She rose to become the second-winningest coach in Texas Longhorns history during her stint from 201220, advancing to four consecutive Sweet 16s and earning Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2017.
Aston said she was drawn to UTSA because of the direction presented by athletic director Lisa Campos. A rise to the “middle of the pack” in the league is a “realistic goal” for this year, Aston said, and she hopes to invigorate the base of women’s basketball fans in San Antonio.
“I’m excited to see where we can go,” Aston said. “This place can get filled pretty quick, I feel like, if we put a better product on the court. A product for people to be proud of. … I just don’t see any reason why we can’t get the word out as quick as possible and make some immediate
changes.”
Spending much of her coaching career in Texas, Aston said she often drove to San Antonio to watch the WNBA'S Silver Stars, who called the city home from 2003-17. She remembers a “rabid” group of supporters and a culture that adopted women's basketball, with young girls wearing the jersey of former WNBA All-star and current San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon.
Aston said college coaches across America would vote to have the Final Four in San Antonio every year because of the fan turnout the city provides, and she believes that base is inclined to embrace a successful women's program at UTSA.
She also pointed to the city's “terrific” and “dramatically improved” high school basketball scene, calling the talent from San Antonio “unbelievable.”
Wagner alumna Kiana Williams led No. 1 seed Stanford to a national championship on Sunday, East Central grad Nalyssa Smith was awarded the Wade Trophy as the national player of the year for No. 2 seed Baylor, and Brandeis product Gabby Connally wrapped up her career as a three-year starter for No. 3 seed Georgia.
Aston said UTSA can offer local talent the same opportunities for development and a path to the WNBA while they rebuild a program in their own backyard.
“The vision is one of the pitches, is that you can be a part of change,” Aston said. “You can stay home, and your family can come watch you play. You don't have to go across the country to be part of something good, or something special.”
Campos' commitment to growing UTSA'S program shows in Aston's contract — a six-year deal that
Campos said will pay $350,000 annually.
When previous coach Kristen Holt signed at UTSA in 2017, her three-year contract paid an average of $130,000 per year.
“We always talk about our aspirational vision is to be San Antonio's nationally recognized Division I program,” Campos said. “We've hired someone with experience, with high expectations, who is going to move our program forward.”
Aston's pay will be about half of what she earned at Texas, and she steps into a Roadrunners athletics program that spends about onefifth of UT'S annual budget.
Rather than pondering the resource gap, Aston said she was focused on the excitement she saw in her players' eyes and their desire “to be a part of change.”
“I'm worried about the basketball court, and we have it,” Aston said. “I've got young women to work with, and that's what I'm concerned about. I haven't really spent a lot of time trying to figure out what's going to be different, because I'm embracing this job for where it is right now, and what I need to do to help the program improve.”