Globl Jam Texas Longhorns Team Analysis

Style of Play:

Texas Longhorns is a team that plays fast in transition after a defensive stop and off a rebound. They have multiple guards and ball-handlers that bring the ball up with quickness, explosiveness, changing of speed and direction, and a tight handle that allows them to get all the way to the rim and break down the defense or get to a dribble-pull up mid-range shot in transition. They also play back to the basket in transition where a ball-handler brings the ball up quickly and the big is already in a post up scenario since they don't have many rim running bigs. They aren't as effective on dribble pull-up mid-range jumpers as their players have a flat shot and need to be more in a rhythm to make it.

They are an extremely heavy post up offense in the half-court. They have size, strength, and physicality they can utilize to their advantage to get deep post positioning or sealing off the defender. Their players utilize mismatches well against smaller defenders and are quick to get their shots off in the post allowing Texas to run a quick early post up offense. Texas is a team that lives in the mid-range. Their players are constantly moving without the ball and getting handoffs, side to side ball movement, or come around pindowns and off-ball screens in which they could get to their shot fluidly. They are an inside-out team. Their offense primarily is post ups, getting downhill, and mid-range shots which open up three-point opportunities in the game. Because of their size advantage they can grab extra possessions and get second-chance opportunities crashing the offensive glass.

On the defensive end, Texas runs a heavy full-court press denying the inbounds pass from the ball-handler and getting steals or deflections that way which is their defensive identity. They force the opposing team into many turnovers and get quick scores. They pick up ball-handlers from the backcourt applying resistance and using their strength and physicality to wear them out challenging them to cross the half-court line. Having strong and physical guards who get through picks with defensive lateral quickness and a low base, they don't execute many switches. The only players who lack size on their team are their undersized guards, but they make up for it with their ability to get downhill, put rim pressure, and be pests on the defensive end.

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Player Analysis:

Rori Harmon

Position: G

Height: 5 Feet 6 Inches

Age: 22 Years Old

Team: Texas

Draft Year: 2026

Rori Harmon is the primary ball-handler for Texas and likes to play at a fast pace. She is in attack mode in transition using her quickness and explosiveness to bring the ball up and get all the way to the rim. She is a strong physical guard who uses her body well to shield defenders and keep them on her hip or behind her when attacking the rim. Her ability to stay low on drives makes it hard for bigger players who lack footspeed to stay in front of her. She doesn't shy away from contact, absorbs it, creates bumps, and gets to the free-throw line at a high clip. She can get to her spot for a dribble pull-up jumper in transition. She has good lift and elevation on her shot allowing her to get it over taller players.

She can create quality looks for her teammates. She is loud and vocal on the offensive end initiating and orchestrating the offense and showing leadership qualities as a guard. She is a willing passer and can find the open player. She sets up her teammates off dribble penetration, drive and kick, in transition, and can make the entry pass into the post in the half-court.

She is an elite hard-nosed defensive guard. She can operate in almost all defensive situations. She guards the opposing team's best players and makes it tough for them to score in one on one isolation situations. She moves her feet well, is in a defensive stance, and has defensive lateral quickness. Her main skillset is applying pressure from the backcourt on the ball-handler bringing the ball up making it tough for them. She can sacrifice her body and take hits drawing charges forcing a change in possession. She creates offensive opportunities from her defense by anticipating and getting into passing lanes giving her easy opportunities in transition where she can get all the way to the rim. She also has quick, strong, and active hands to strip the ball or poke it away. She is an effective off the ball defender preventing good movement without the ball by limiting cuts and constant movement along the three-point line. She can break up dribble handoff plays as well using her strength and physicality. Her ability to get to the rim in transition, be a pest defensively, make plays for others, being vocal orchestrating the offense, and high motor makes her have all the qualities and skills you want out of an undersized guard like her.

Madison Booker

Position: F

Height: 6 Feet 1 Inch

Age: 20 Years Old

Team: Texas

Draft Year: 2027

Madison Booker is a very unselfish player. She has a good balance hunting for her shot and getting other teammates involved. She has guard skills at the forward position. She is one of the primary ball-handlers in transition with a good tight handle for her size. She can change speeds and directions bringing the ball up in transition making it hard for defenders to stay in front of her. In transition when pushing the pace, she likes to go to a dribble pull-up mid-range shot rather than getting all the way to the rim. On leak-outs, she runs the floor well and can beat the opposing team down, but more often she is used as a ball-handler in transition. She can also play off the ball and get to her spots in the mid-range. She lives in the mid-range and that is where she looks to operate. She is constantly moving without the ball, finding the open space, and relocating in the mid-range area. She can also come around off-ball screens fluidly and quickly and curl to the mid-range area to get into her shot. When taking mid-range shots, she has the high release point and size to shoot over smaller defenders. She can also create a good amount of separation from her defender with a step-back jumper. She isn't a volume three-point shooter and operates more in the mid-range, but when the defense sagged off her and gave her space, she takes catch and shoot three-pointers. She has a quick release and fluid shooting mechanics. As the tournament progressed, she had more opportunities to be involved in the pick and roll as a ball-handler.

She is a willing passer and can find the open man. She knows the spots her teammates operates in, gets them quality looks, and puts them in a position to be successful. As a passer, she is best in transition finding the leak-out man, drive and kick and dribble penetration, finding the post up threat, and finding cutters in the half-court. She doesn't operate much on drive and kick and off dribble penetration but when she does she can get deep in the paint, attract multiple defenders, and kick it out to the three-point shooter for a high percentage catch and shoot three-pointer. When she makes entry passes from the high post into the low post, she has good timing and poise waiting for the post up threat to get deep post positioning so they can put themselves in a position to score. She is vital and effective in setting up Texas's post up heavy offense in the half-court. She can make tough passes through tight windows allowing her to operate and pass through pressure, size, and length.

On the defensive end she fights through picks and moves through them quickly. If she gets hung up on a pick she can recover on the pick and roll ball-handler.

Breya Cunningham

Position: C

Height: 6 Feet 4 Inches

Team: Texas

Draft Year: 2027

Breya Cunningham is a post up big and interior presence. She has size, strength, poise, footwork, finesse, and the ability to get deep post positioning making her a tough cover for teams to handle her. In the post, she is mostly attempting hook shots. She can seal off defenders and finish over them or through them. She can also spin off defenders fluidly and get to the rim for a high-percentage shot in the paint. She attracts double teams and multiple defenders in the post. She uses angles and footwork to finish over double teams and around the defense through traffic. She can absorb the contact, finish through it, and get to the free-throw line. She is the go-to post scorer when the game slows down and her team needs a basket. She moves along the baseline without the ball to set up her post up opportunities and make herself available which shows her aggressiveness.

She grabs extra possessions and second-chance opportunities with her ability to grab offensive rebounds and limits them for the opposing team with her ability to grab defensive rebounds. She either gets tip-ins on putbacks or looks to come down with it and pass it out to a teammate.

On the defensive end, she isn't someone who will block shots at a high level, but she protects the rim by rotating from the weak side and contests or alters shots. She doesn't give easy shots in the paint. When blocking shots in the paint she has timing, instincts, and covers a lot of ground. She is smart about how she blocks shots and doesn't get overaggressive or undisciplined, which limits her foul trouble and keeps her on the floor. She keeps the ball in play when blocking shots sparking easy fast-break opportunities for Texas.

Bryanna Preston

Position: G

Height: 5 Feet 9 Inches

Team: Texas

Draft Year: 2028

Bryanna Preston is a guard who pushes the pace in transition on leak-outs and as a ball-handler. When leaking out she is quick, explosive, and fills the lane well allowing her to outrun the other team and be a vital component of Texas’s fast play. As a ball-handler she is quick pushing the pace and getting all the way to the rim. She is aggressive attacking the rim and is always looking to get downhill as a main source of her offense. Her ability to change speed and direction makes it tough for defenders to stay in front of her. When finishing in the paint, she has a quick and explosive shot fake that gets the defenders up in the air and off-balance so she can get a higher-quality shot. She struggles with her shot on dribble pull-up mid-range shots. She has a quick release, but it is a flat shot with little to no backspin. The defense at times sagged off her daring her to shoot to take away her opportunities in the paint. She is a rhythm shooter. As the game moves on and she attempts more mid-range shots, she becomes more confident and starts knocking them down at a higher rate.

She creates offense for teammates. As a guard, she can initiate dribble handoffs to teammates with a good handle and make entry passes into the post. She is vital for setting up Texas's offense in the half-court where they run an early quick post up offense and take advantage of their size. She can create looks off dribble penetration with the pressure she puts at the rim and the ability to get deep into the paint.

She is a defensive pest and is a tough defender to score on. She gets through picks and moves well through them laterally. She shows a high IQ knowing when to go over the pick when matched up against a shooter and when to go under when matched up against a driver. If a hard pick is set on her, she will keep fighting through it and recover to stay in the play. In one on one isolation situations she has defensive lateral quickness, moves her feet well, and can cut off driving lanes beating her matchup to their spot. She is in the right spots at the right times and can draw charges. Her combination of speed, strength, and physicality makes it tough for the ball-handler to bring the ball up and wares them out. She is a big part of Texas's identity when it comes to defensive pressure and their full-court press. She executes the press really well that Texas runs. She can deny the inbound pass, steal it, and force turnovers creating easy offensive opportunities at the rim off her defense either for herself or her teammates. She has quick, strong, and active hands to strip the ball from bigger players driving or poke it away from the ball-handler.

Ashton Judd

Position: G

Height: 6 Feet 1 Inch

Team: Texas

Draft Year: 2026

Ashton Judd is a 2 guard who has a mindset of a shooter and is always looking to spot up for threes. She is a catch and shoot three-point specialist and volume three-point shooter. Her ability to space the floor for her teammates allows them to play inside to their strength or in the post. She has a quick release, fluid shooting mechanics, and a high release point allowing her to use her size to shoot over smaller defenders closing out on her. She is shot ready and doesn't hesitate when shooting catch and shoot threes. She moves well without the ball, finds the open space, and relocates. When she isn't moving without the ball, she is setting good hard picks and off-ball screens as a guard for her teammates, making the game easier for them and freeing them up for more quality looks. She is limited in her ability to attack a closeout and finish inside. She has a limited loose handle and gets out of control making her turnover prone when she operates on multiple dribbles. She loses body control in the paint resulting in a tough off-balance low percentage shot. She adjusted the way she attacked closeouts later in the tournament by doing more drive and kick passes and setting up teammates rather than taking a forced shot at the rim with poor body control. When she is missing her catch and shoot three-pointers she is trying to track down her misses to get the rebound.

On the defensive end, she can sacrifice her body and draw charges. She can beat her matchup to their spot, absorb contact, be in the right spot at the right time, and have her feet set with a strong base. She also executed her team's press defense well. She was a glue girl in the press defense. She was denying catches and staying with her matchup making it hard for them to get freed up to get the ball.

Teya Sidberry

Position: F

Height: 6 Feet 1 Inch

Team: Texas

Draft Year: 2026

Teya Sidberry is a big post up threat. She can take advantage of size mismatches and switches in the post. She gets deep post positioning. She has footwork and finesse in the post. She is quick to get to her shot before double teams and multiple defenders pressure her. Her main go-to in the post is hook shots which she can finish over both shoulders. She runs the floor well and immediately plays back to the basket in transition. She can make passes out of the post creating a quality three-point look or finding the cutter in the paint.

She is relentless crashing the offensive glass allowing her to get extra possessions and second-chance opportunities. When she is rebounding, she uses her body to block out opposing team's rebounders and positions herself well to get to the ball. She converts second-chance opportunities into points by having good poise and finishing putbacks with a nice finishing touch in the paint. She can initiate dribble handoffs for teammates and set them hard screens freeing them up for a quality look.

On the defensive end, she can pick up the ball-handler from the backcourt and apply resistance with her size, strength, and physicality making it exhausting and tough for them to bring the ball up. She is active getting into passing lanes leading to either steals or deflections.

Aaliyah Crump

Position: G

Height: 6 Feet 1 Inch

Age: 18 Years Old

Team: Texas

Draft Year: 2029

Aaliyah Crump is a high-level scorer in limited minutes and gives a scoring punch off the bench. She is an effective off the ball player who gets her shots within the flow of the game and the offensive system. She moves well without the ball and is constantly moving along the mid-range or three-point range areas finding the open space making it exhausting for defenses to chase her down. She has a quick release and fluid shooting mechanics. She uses her size to rise up and shoot over smaller defenders effectively. She has the footwork and balance setting up into her shot. When shooting catch and shoot threes she is shot ready, doesn't hesitate, and shoots the ball confidently. Even when her three-point shots aren't falling, she spaces the floor for her teammates with the volume of three-point shots she takes, allowing them to operate to their strengths in the paint or on post-ups. Her ability to be a threat to knock down catch and shoot three-pointers draws closeouts from the defense in which she could attack them and get to her spot for a two dribble pull-up mid-range shot.

Jordan Lee

Position: G

Height: 6 Feet 0 Inches

Age: 19 Years Old

Team: Texas

Draft Year: 2028

Jordan Lee is a player who took a lot of mid-range shots to start the tournament. She took dribble pull-up mid-range shots getting to her shot fluidly with good footwork and balance but was inconsistent at knocking them down. She can play off the ball and cut to the rim. She is constantly moving along the baseline and cutting backdoor to get to the open space or cutting from the top of the wing and top of the key. She finds holes in the defense and gets to them. When cutting to the rim she has trouble finishing inside but can absorb contact and get to the free-throw line. She comes around off-ball screens and pindowns getting to her spot in the mid-range for quality looks. She is more effective scoring inside when she has a size advantage and a mismatch she can attack. She is also at her best off the ball rather than creating off the dribble where she can just get to her spot, not overthink, and rise up and shoot.

As the tournament went on and she wasn't making shots from two-point range, she adjusted to become more of a catch and shoot three-point shooter where the game came easier to her. When defenders closeout on her from the three-point line, she puts the ball on the floor and attacks the closeout, but she looks to pass rather than attack the rim and get deep into the paint.

On the defensive end, she can get through picks and fight through them. She moves well laterally through them, has defensive lateral quickness, and has a low base.

Kyla Oldacre

Position: C

Height: 6 Feet 6 Inches

Team: Texas

Draft Year: 2026

Kyla Oldacre didn't play much as she suffered a foot injury in the first game 8 minutes in. She is a big who has a major size advantage against opposing teams and is a post up threat. She gets deep post positioning and backs down smaller players in the post using her strength, size, and physicality. She has mobility at her size where she can spin off defenders in the post, take a few dribbles, and get to the rim. She is aggressive on the glass and in rebounding the ball. She gets extra possessions and second-chance opportunities with her relentlessness on the offensive glass and limits them for the other team with her ability to grab defensive rebounds. At times, she can get 4 or 5 extra shots on a single possession with her offensive rebounding ability and dominance chasing rebounds. She sets good hard picks which allows the pick and roll ball-handler to get a switch into a favorable matchup and mismatch they can attack. She needs to improve her touch inside the paint and become a better finisher to become a more efficient scorer. At times, she lacks poise in the paint and rushes shots. Her ability to absorb contact, play through it, and get to the free-throw line counteracts her lack of finishing touch in the paint and her missed shots. When she got to the free-throw line, she converted them at a high rate.

Justice Carlton

Position: F

Height: 6 Feet 1 Inch

Team: Texas

Draft Year: 2028

Justice Carlton is at her best as a rim running big on leak-outs in transition. She is quick, explosive, and fills the lanes well allowing her to beat the opposing team down the floor. She is a player with the size and body to be an interior presence, a post-up player, and take advantage of mismatches. She struggles to finish in the paint and loses body control in the post. This results in her taking a tough off-balance shot away from the basket in the post. She needs more poise, better body control, and to avoid rushing her shots in the post to be a more effective player.

On the defensive end, she is an effective post up defender. She holds her ground, walls up, and doesn't allow deep post positioning. She is stronger and more physical than she looks.