We are still a month away from the tip-off of the college basketball season this fall, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Texas G Rori Harmon, who talked about making the Elite 8 last March and her expectations for this season.
In 2021 you were named a McDonald’s All-American: how frustrating was it to not actually play in the game because it was canceled due to COVID? It was pretty frustrating because the world was starting to hold basketball events again. I was still honored to receive the award but I wish that I could have experienced playing in the game, which did not happen. They made sure to fill in the gap though.
You were born/raised in Houston: what made you choose Hook ‘Em (Texas) over Sic ‘Em (Baylor)? It does not have anything to do with my geography because Waco is a lot closer. A Texas education will help me throughout my life and I built a great relationship with the coaching staff. They care about me as a person, not just as a basketball player, which is what any parent wants for their child.
Your nickname is “Fetus” due to your youth/size: who gave you the nickname, and how do you like it? It is not really used any more because the person who gave it to me is not here any more. I think my hairstyle made me look younger and she thought that I appeared to be a little child. It was a little weird but some other people on the team started using it. I was okay with it and it brought us closer together.
You play for Coach Vic Schaefer: what makes him such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? Any great coach is able to win games he is not expected to win. When he looks at us in practice he makes sure we do not take shortcuts because he knows what it takes to win. He tells me that the most important job of a PG is to win the game, rather than having a lot of AST or how well you play. If we did not win then I did not do my job so it pushes me every day.
In the 2nd game of your college career you scored a team-high 21 PTS in a 5-PT road win at defending national champ Stanford: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I have a lot of confidence in myself and know what I am capable of. I know what the team needs at certain times so I try to set the tone and ride with that.
In the 2022 Big 12 tourney title game you scored 20 PTS/8-10 FG in a 9-PT win over Baylor en route to being named conference tourney MVP: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Yes. We had not beaten Baylor in a long time so looking at the faces of our seniors and feeling their vibe I could tell that winning was very important. It was not just another game: it was personal and we were focused on getting the job done. Every shot I took felt good, even the ones I missed.
Last March you made it to the Elite 8 before a 9-PT loss to Stanford: what did you learn from your postseason run that you think will help you this year? We just have to do “1 more something”.
You were also named conference ROY/honorable mention All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? As a freshman it felt so good and I felt so honored because I had watched other players on TV win those awards. To be in the same limelight as them is something that any little girl who wants to play D-1 basketball wishes they could do.
You led the conference with 86 STL and also broke Terri Mackey’s school record for most AST by a freshman with 180: what is the secret to being a great PG? You have to set your teammates up for success and put them in positions to do so. You also have to be a leader: what can you do for yourself to help your teammates? That is basically my motto and what I think about everyday during practice. When everyone is successful then that is the best accomplishment.
What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? The goal is to win the national championship, which is also the expectation for every single 1 of us. We fell short last year and it put a chip on my shoulder. It burns inside you because we had such a good team and knew what we were capable of. Everyone’s goal is to win it all…and that is what we are going to do.